Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-06-28
How She H9lpGd Hin.
BY CHARLES BATTELL LOOMS.

years, ever since he. first met her at
the Hollwell's card party. He had no
good reason to doubt that his love was
Returned, yet SO fearful was he that
he had misread her feelings, so much
did he dread her refusal of his suit,
that he mad never limited that she>was
more to him than any Of the girls he
met at the church sociables and card
parties in Newington, Innumerable
chances for a declaration of love had
offered themselves, for he WAS q
regular caller at the burlington man
sion, but this youth was as devoid of
spunk as hare, and was no nearer
the ganl of his desires today than he
had Been when Cupid first aimed his
de-, at him.
!; So matters stood when snowfall
that brought sleighins i'll its wake,
visited Newington, and Littlewood
became conscious of the fact that he
had actually asked Miss Harrington to
take a ride with him. Of course he
must perforce bring matters to crisis
now. =, He was afraid that Judge Far
ringtpn would be asking. his .inten-
tlons, and it would be humiliating to
have such question come before he
could refer him to the girl for an
answer. No, beyond a doubt-he must
pluck mp courage to ask her to be his
wife Oh else cease calling upon her
'HaT alternative that was hldeous
enSy;gh to chill his heart.
The evening was soon at hand. A
crescent moon shone in the east and
the stars were cold and scintillatlng.
: h walked to the livesy stable and
asked for the cutter, aad a few min-
utcs later he was driving handsome
chestnut to tn, house where his
thoughts spent most Of the time. Miss
Harrington kept him waiting n good
half-hour, but he reflected that it was
the privilege OF her glorious sex, and
it only made him love her the more.
If she had come ont and placed her
dainty foot upon his neck he would
have been overcome with. rapture. In
fact, in his present state, which had
also been his state for twenty-four
months, LittlewoJd was not many re-
moves from calf.
It was cold waiting, SO he got ont
and hitched his horse and paced IN
front OF her house, her faithful sem
tinel until death--if need be. Not
that there was any reason to think
that his services would be required;
but it pleased his self-love to imagine
himself dying for this lovely being OF
whom his tongue stood in such awe
that.it could scarce loose itself in her
presence.
At:last she appears. The restive
horse. slants his ears at her and paws
: the ground inadmiration other beaut-
For Mildred was as pretty as regular
features, q fair skin and melting eyes
could make her.
Littlewood handed her into the
sleigh, stepped in himself, tucked in
the robes aud chirruped to the horse.
That atintelligeut animal did not move.
A flush of modification o'erspread the
face of the would-be amorous swain.
a balky horse, and at the start! What
, ichaRce would he have to deliver his
precious message that was to make
two hearts happy? He clicked again to
the horse, bat again the horse con-
tinued to stand still.
"You might unhitchhim, Mr.. Phillips.
That would help" said Mildred in her
sweet voic-.
ooh, yes.-t-to be sure. must
have tiel him. 1 mean I-er-I-dl
81 sthinl1-I, did hitch-er-"
.y"There seems TO have been a hitch
somewhere, she answered.
He stepped out of the sleigh and
looked over his shoulder at her in a
startled way. Could she mean any
thing? Was this encouragement? Oh,
no. It was too soon. (Too soon, and
he had been inslove two. yearsD He
unhitche1 the horse and once more
placed himself beside his loved one.
The frosty night seemed to have set
seal upon her lips, for as they sped
over the branching snow and left the
town behind them she was silent.
TPmust have offended her. I've
.sprobably made aahreak ofsome kind,
said Littlewood to himself. "How
unfortunate. But / must tell her to-
night. It is now or never. This at
tention is too marked to pass as
mere courtesy OF the winter season.
She knows I never took anybody but
my mother sleigh riding before
Then began the process OF ne.ving
himself to the avowal. He ground
his knees together until the bones
ached. His breathing was feverish.
"Mum- Mildewed Il mean Mil
dred." And then he stopped. He had
never called her Mildred before. He
had never called her Widowed, either,
bnt that was accidental, and he hoped
that she had not noticed the slip.
81 have something of the greatest
i'm portance to say to you. ;"
Did he imagine it, or did she nestle
closer to him. He must have been
mistaken, and to show that he was
quite sure he edged away from her as
mich rs the somewhat narrow con-
fines of the sleigh would allow.
"What do you wish to say, Mr..
Phillips?"
Mister" Phillips. All, then she
was offended To be sure she had al
ways called him that, but after his
last remark it must have an added
significance.
'T-er.-do you like sleigh riding?"
"Why, of course, or else I wouldn't
have come y
Did she mean that as slap at him?
WAS it only for the ride and not for
his company that she had come? Oh,
he could never make an avowal of love
after that. He knew his place. This
!. beautiful girl was not for faint
hearted caitiff like himself.
"Nun-nun-no, to be sure not. L
.-er-thought that was why you