Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-10-16


was her fathers custom either to come
for her himself or send some II to
bring her home for over Sunday.
On one particular Friday night the
uncle whom her father had delegated
to go for her failed to put In an appear
ance, and Vida, after vainly watching
until after 10 o'clock for some one to
come, decided to get up early in the
morning and start for home on foot,
with a possible hope that she might
either meet her father. or catch a ride
with some one else. at least for part of
the way home.
The reason why she was so deter
mined to reach home before Saturday
night was to keep an engagement with
q certain young man by the name of
Walter Mather, whom she had prom
ised to marry. In point of fact, there
had been considerable difficulty con
nected with her engagement to this
young a In the first place she was
81 independent little woman, and
wanted to test her own powers ut earn
ing q living. In the second, she wasn't
just sure whether she cared enough
for Walter to marry him, and in the
third he had met with an unconscious
rival in the person of one Theodore
Graham, Wilda's fathers hired man,
who, by the way, could not be called
such, according to the common accep-
tation Of the term. On the contrary he
claimed to be q brOken-down athlete
from a neighboring university who had
begged the privilege of working for her
father for the purpose of re~cuperating
his wasted strength.
Vida had felt no little trepidation in
regard to her engagement with Walter
Mather. Her father had cautioned her
repeatedly about the consequences of
making an unwise choice, and some of
her numerous friends had felt it their
duty to tell her in plain English that he
wasn't half good enough for her; that
he possessed some traits of character
that would surely bring her to grief.
However, Walters father was a very
wealthy farmer, which counted for
considerable in those days, but that
didn't amount to much in Wilda's esti-
nation, for her own father had enough
and to spare, and there was no need of
her teaching school had she not wanted
to. The main proposition with her was
whetheS in her uncertain state of mind
she was justified in marrying him at
all.
Theodore Graham had on several oc-
casions tried to make advances to
Vida, which, under the circumstances,
she was wise enough not to encourage,
and wise enough to keep to herself.
His mental position would not warrant
him in advancing very far, albeit,
Wilda did not doubt his being q col
lege-bred man, judging from his habits
and knowledge of books. But she knew
nothing of his life and character, ex-
cepting what she observed for herself,
and as far as he was concerned he had
his W reasons for not letting her or
anybody else know that he was a city
bred man, too, and that at his mothers
death be would come into the posses
sion of at least half a million.
Wilda's father, with an eye simply to
the best interests of his motherless and
only child, had never delegated his
hired man to 60 and bring his daughter
home from her school, but somehow
Theodore always managed to be at the
gate to assist her to alight. Vida I'M
derstood his maneuvers, but her father
took it as an act of courtesy which was
simply her due.
At the first peep Of day Vida was
up and dressed and ready to start for
home. Mrs. Thompson, the lady with
whom she was boarding that week,
said to her:
you shall not go one sep until you
have had a good hearty breakfast"
ut is too early for a good hearty
breakfast, Mrs. Thompson" said VIII
da. Il can't eat if you get it."
"Now you just go out and walk
around the house and down to the
spring and back, and drink in some of
this morning air, and then see if you
won't eat some, of it."
So Wilda did as she was hidden, and
to her surprise she did eat her break
fast with a relish.
Mrs. Thompson smiled with approval
all the time she was eating, then, when
she had finished, she saw her through
the gate which opened into the lane,
and watched her until she entered the
public highway.
Vida waved her hand good-by. then
she said to herself
Il hope l shan't meet any one COM
ing for me, for at least a mile any way.
for I do love to take long walks In the
cool of the morning and hear the birds
sing"
Along the road she trudged, her
young heart as light and happy as the
birds she watched and listened to,
thinking of Walter, how happy and
pleased he would be to know Of the ef-
fort she was making to keep her fort
nightly appointment with him.
If he only knew" she said 70 her.
self, 'he would gladly have come for
me himself; but then he doesn't. so
there's no use in my bothering my head
about that. Besides, father wouldn't
be pleased if Walter came for ne. as
he considers that a particular privi-
lege of his own, from which he derives
much pleasure. Poor father! He'll
miss me when I'm gone. But this
walk! It's going to be a long one; and
| don't believe I'd run the 1lsk of
walking the whole way for another
man living"
Vida, in her reflections. was trying
to reconcile herself to her act. ssna 40
quire the proper respect for aud con-
fidenee in her lover, but after that
last assertion the honest, snnburned
face of Theodore Graham rose before
her and refused to be put down.
II don't know why she said to her
self, The always persists In coming up
just at the time when he is least ex-