The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-02
MARTHA.
BY ELLA ESSEX DON LAvY.

~~>~N~~~&F (copyright. 1904, by Daily Story Pub.
 Its time you was gettin' over that foolishness, now Marthy You're vast in the best years of your life waitin' fur man that may be already mar ried. You could "a had your pick and choice of any ,round here. You ain't heard nothin' from him fur a long time have your
 Martha shrank from her mothers sharp words, for they were but echoes of her own thoughts. She bent lower over her work, and pretended to be busy with a refractory thread while she answered in a low, constrained voice: NO. mother"
 q thought 1t would be so, and told you so He didn't want no, common country girl like you. He wants a girl that don't spoil her pretty hands with work. You throwed away a good chance when you refused Lem Willis; he's got good farm. and would make any gal good husband. Now. that Craig feller-'
 Mother, mother! cried Martha in sharp. pained tones, cant you find something more interesting to talk about? Mir. Craig's movements cannot possibly interest us: we live in one world and he in another: As for Lem Willis--well, he is good enough in lis way, and if 1t will please you to know it, the chance Is not entirely lost and I promised to think 1t over"
 All the afternoon while Martha sat plying her needle, her thoughts had been busy with this subject.
 She left the window and drawing a chair close to the fire, sat gazing into the glowing embers. The frelight rose and fell. ftfully while her thoughts strayed far back into the shadowy past She thought of the time when she had come to Seaview to teach the village school, small red school house by the roadside-and the pupils came for a distance of two miles and more
 The day had been sultry. and after dismissing the noisy urchins. she had sought shady brook and stoorcd over to bathe her heated brow She recalled the timely arrival of tall. handsome stranger just as she was making a fu- tile attempt to rescue her sun hat as it f1oated away on .ne current of the stream. set
 That was their first acquaintance. Mortimer Craig spent three months at Seaview Every morning Martha awoke with the happy thought that to- day she would see him, speak to him and gaze into his glorious dark eyes. Never before had the flowers seemed so beautiful, the trees so green, and the songs of the birds so sweet. The song in her heart filled the world with melody.
 Then one evening, when the sunset was nearly over. and the air was sweet with the scent of flowers and shrubs, they left their boat down the river that they might walk back along shaded hath. He had paused before her, talk ing both her hands in his, and told her of his love. She had lain in his arms while she shyly confessed her love for him. Then he went away.
 Not until a. year had passed and the first frost of October had again fired the wood with gorgeous splendor of decay. did Martha lose hope of ever seeing her truant lover, and her heart grew sick with hope deferred
 "Well?"
 The front door had just closed on Lem Willis and Martha turned to face her mother who had just entered from i the Kitchen. t>'s '-f 'e'
 You didn't send him away again did you?'~ sEs ~s- -. ',sr.y -.a
 "No. mother. told him would mar ry him whenever he was ready, and hate myself for it. I don't love him and never will. Oh, I hate myself-I hate him, and I hate the world-every- thing"
 "Marthy, Marthy-wh-" Half the last word was lost in the bang of the door which, after hastily snatehing a wrap from the rack, Martha had slammed behind her. leaving her moth CT in stupefied wonder.
 |, Martha sped along the street, not caring whither-only to be alone alone with her miserable thoughts. Martha" They stood facing each other in the uncertain twilight. Mar tha found her eyes riveted on the stranger, yet no sound escaped her pale lips. A ghost, conjured by her disordered mind, stood before her, and fright sealed her lips. Then as she realized it was no ghost, but flesh and blood man--the man who had