The suburban citizen., 1900-01-13

"a N 2QA with a shy, embar.
[@I@ III rassed smile. 1--WE
N##Y, never seen my way
" clear to telling you
so but-but--Tv made the
last payment on that old account this
morning, Barbara! can start fair af-
ter this"
The woman to whom he spoke
stepped back, aud returned q cooling
flat-iron to the stove before she an
swered. Seen under favorable cir
cumstances her face must have been
an attractive one. To-day, however,
her hair was twisted into a solid knot
above the collar of an unbecoming
brown calico; her eyes showed traces
of tears, and the dropping corners Of
her mouth rendered her expression
both stern and sorrowful.
Eyes, John, I know you've always
liked me-" she spoke in a hard, reso-
Lutte tone, "just as ] know that you
like old Towser, and the horses and
COWS at home; aud pleasant weather
in hay ing time, and good price for
your apples in the fall. You're used
to me, and you have a fashion of lik-
ing what you sec around every day.
Her listener flushed hotly, opened
his lips, then closed them again, as if
he found it difficult to utter what was
in his mind.
81 feel like telling you just once,
John, went on the voice at the iron.
ing-table, chow much you've cared
for me in reality. 1t began when I
was eighteen, you remember-with
plenty of others to choose from. 1
was pretty girl in those days, too,
as there's no harm in saying now,
when all the prettiness has faded ."
John Leighton's honest eyes rested
upon her in astonishment but hers
were bent upon her work. "You paid
me lots of attention at first, but you
never really said-anything. I kept
expecting that you would, through
week after week, and month after
month; and set my whole heart upon
you, John, fifteen years ago. It's
long time to be kept waiting upon un-
certainties, isn't it? No; don't inter
rupt me For at least half of those
years I've wanted to have my say once.
Now I'm going to.
"You needn't look at me so re-
proachfully, either, understood all
along that your mother had queer
turns, and wasn't exactly right in her
mind; and everybody said she was
scared almost to death for fear you'd
bring o wife home. But didn't you
know you could trust me to wait.
John and hold to you steady through
it all?
"What did you say? That was just
it-you didn't want to stand between
me and anything better? ] showed
SO many signs OF wanting anything
better, didn't II" She smothered
sudden sob--"and girl has no pride
to be hurt, of course, when folks keep
asking her when it's to be, and she
knows in her own heart that there is
no it, let alone the when"
She flung a handful of drops at
random across the sleeves of gar
ment that she had been drying while
she talked. Her cheeks were scarlet
now, her eyes shining. You needn't
look ashamed of me, >" she flashed out
excitedly. 81 know you're thinking
I'm too bold to live, but I shouldn't
be saying all this to you, John Leigh
ton, if the house wasn't let and my
trunks all packed to go out of it to-
morrow. When this ironlng's fn-
ished-and I've taken up little root
of myrtle from the burying-ground-
I'm through here. Don't upset that
fiower-pot, John; there's no need of
jumping round as if something had
stung you, if 1 am.
"Barbara-aren't you forgetting
about my brother, and the
shame-?"
"What did that amount to, any
way?" 1t wasn't you that forged the
check-besides, I never can see that
it's any mans duty to put on every
yoke that a whole family see fit TO
whittle out for him. You wero foolish
to let it go that twas your signature;
six hundred dollars is pretty big
sum for farmer to save up and pay
out for somebody else, as you have.
But never cared so much for you in
my life as 1 did the night you told me
about it--and when you got through !
the telling you took up your hat and |
went home without so much as q good
by"
The man who stood outside the
window had bowed his head. More
than one thread OF silver CLEAN ed in
l.. L...- 4 IL IL 4