Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-07-02

will say she has literally thrown herso4f
away"
Very likely" returned Ada sarons-
ticnlly. 1T Is quito probable that poor
laborer viii object TO his daughters mar
rying Into one of the first families In
Boston"
-He isn't poor laborer,S ] replied.
-and even If he were, he would object to
bis daughters marrying a drunkard, for
such he will be again"
A deep groan came from the white lips
of my aunt, and for the first time since
Ada's outbreak. l remembered that she
was there She did not reprove me on
grily, but in trembling tones she said;
Rosa, Herbert is my child, my boy, and
II becomes not a girl of your age to speak
thus Of him In tho presence of his moth
er."
l was humbled, and winding my arms
about her neck, / asked forgiveness for
the harsh words | had spoken, and che
forgave me, for she meant to do right,
and If sometimes shp erred, it was owing
more to a weakness of the flesh than an
unwillfngness Of the spirit. In the midst
of our excitement Tom Wilson was ush-
cred in. lie had returned in the same
| u am NhiNh DlOuEhl lilt lNlltli uhb uuh
come to give us any further information
which we might be DESTROYS of knowing.
When will Herbert come homer" was
my aunt's first question, her whole man
ner indicating how much interest she felt
in the answer.
mot very soon," returned Tom "He
Is tired Of the city, he says, and besides
that he wishes to avoid the unpleasant
remarks his elopement will necessarily
OCCASION"
More like he wishes to avoid intro
ducing his bride into society, which he
knows has no wish to receive her." NUT
tered Ada,
Tom paid no attention to this spiteful
speech, but continued, "He has drawn
his money from the bank, and with 1t he
intends purchasing a farm in the west
ern part Of New York"
AN admirable PLAN" again interrupt
ed Ada. THAT Lee girl is just calctl-
lated for a farmers wife"
Taken alone, there was nothing par
ticularly disagreeable In the three words
that Lee girl" but spoken by Ada Mon
trOSe they sounded insultingly, and every
time she uttered them | felt my blood
boil, for |, too, was Lee girl, and
was sure she included me In the same
| contemptuous category. AS Herbert had
said, did not think the disappointment
would break her hsnrt. She was too an
CRY for that, and l believe now, as | did
then, that most of her feeling arose from
the modification of knowing that poor
country GIRL" as she called Anna, was
preferred to herself. For half an hour
or more Tom Wilson and my aunt con-
versed together, she asking him at least
dozen times IF he did not think Her
bert could be induced to return" At
last, with Quivering lips and flushed
cheeks, as Il it cost her pride a great
effort, she said, "Of course ] mean Anna,
too, when l speak of Herbert's return.
She Is his wife, you say, and though
might perhaps wish it otherwise, il can
not now be helped, and if he only would
come back to me, should love her for
his sake"
In my heart / blessed her for these
words, and mentally resolved to leave no
argument uutried which might bring the
fugitives back. But it could not be. Her
bert was decided, he said He meant to
be farmer and live in the country, add
! Ing what be knew would silence his moth
err sooner than aught else he could say,
that temptations for him to drink were
far greater III the city than in the coun-
try, and 1t was for this reason purity
! that be preferred living in the latter
place"
! And so my aunt yielded the point: but
| from the day of her sons desertion there
| was in her perceptible change. Far
! Oftener was she found in the house Of
prayer and less frequently was she seen
In places of amusement, while more than
once | heard her>in secret asking that her
waywG1d boy might DO shielded from the
great temptation.
Sunny Bank Station! Stop five min
utes for refreshmentsr shouted the con-
ductor, and ahghring from the noisy,
crowded cars, stood once moro in my
own native town, gazing with a feeling
OF delight upon the hills, dotted over
with the old-fashioned gable-roofed
houses, and upon the green, grassy mead
ow, through which rolled the blue wat
ers. ! had not stood thus long when a
broad hand was laid upon my shoulder,
and the next instant my arms were
around the neck Of my father, who, |
thought, had changed much since l last
tEsaw him. 1t was the loss of Anna, |
fancicd; and when we at last were on
our way home, FASTENED to speak of
y her and to tell him of the favorable re,
/, port we heard Of Herbert But naught
which said seemed to rouse him. and al
last |, too, fell Into the same thoughtful
mood In which even old Sorrel shared
, for he moved with his head down. When
, at last, we reached the hill top, from
which could be seen long row of apple
p trees, now In full bloom. started up, ex
claiming, Home sweet home 1t never
looked half so beautiful to me before"
r They al had an air Of melancholy
r which puzzled me, and when l was alone
with Lizzie, ! asked her the cause why
fthey looked so bad? Bursting into tears
I she replied, This Is not our home an!
=, longer. We must leave It and go, W,
J, don't know where. Ia has signed note
: for Uncle Thomas. who has failed, on,
j now the homestead must be sold 10 pa.
! his debts"
: II was as Lizzie had said Unci