The Newtown bee., 1904-01-22

herself quite still. They fell upon
 Dams hand as he moved, and he sud denly crushed her against him with . groan.
 "1 swear I won't go," he said: "I
 won't give you up like this to years of
 lonesomeness and waitin': what's your stepmother that she should be con- | sidered before us? Ruth, you've been
 thinkin' of other folks all your life;
 think of yourself and me now"
 II do" answered the girl, earnestly.
 ''Dan, how could we be happy if we
 knew we had made her miserable?
 She's child, mother is,-she will al- take care of her. She would be piti-
 fully helpless and lost without her
 home. You don't know how she grieves and pines since father died; sometimes think, ,''-Ruth's tender voice faltered here,-''that she won't live very long. How could meet my father if l had done anything to make her last years bitter? Beloved her almost better than he did me, think, and she was the same about him. Think, Dan, how much should need comfort if had lost you"
 
 He lifted her to her feet, and stood be- side her in the dusk, holding her hands. There was long moment of silence while the lonesome sweet call of the thrushes floated across the river.
 "You're better than am, Ruth, he said, huskily; 'sI don't know what I've done to deserve you Ire love, but
 know you'll be true to me if it's half our lifetime"
 Neither of them quite knew what they said after that, but he had c!dden down the old path, where she had % often watched him out of sight. Ruth stood alone for moment, then she turned and began to ascend the path to the house, slowly and carefully, like an old woman. Her tears were dried. but she felt as if she were bur dened with an actual weight that was all her strength could manage. There was an unusual radiance about dusk; parlor and sitting room were brightly lighted and Nancy was sstand- in the open dU,r between, her dull. childish face turned toward some one in the inner room. She had put on her best silk dress, which always had the effect of making her look particu- larly fat and commonplace. Ruth could not help a slight revulsion Of feeling as she encountered the placid figure and she passed in without speak ing.
 In the parlor which had been the sQuire's library old Ezra LemAn sat in her fathers chair, his sly, Wrinkled face wearing kind of triumphant leer. Hot indignation gave the girl new strength. She had forbidden him the hOuSe'when, inianger at her rejection of his suit he had made inSOlent remarks about her rundown lands and her pen nileSs lover. And here he was, mAk- ing himself quite at home in her par Tor Ruth was as much the mistress 0f the house as if her stepmOther had been picture on the wall.) She faced the intruder with a dangerous sparkle in her eyes.
 "What are you doing here?" she de- manded.
 The old man surveyed her with . malicious admiration.
 "Nance," he said, addressing the el- der woman, "I'll be hanged if ain't gOin' to be proud of my Stepdarter. I ain't doin' nothin', Ruth, only aSkin' yer ma to name the day; she thinks
 Wednesday will answer. Hey, mis-, there's folks as will have old Ezra, if you won't"
 The lighted room, with its book lined walls spun suddenly around be- fore Ruth's eyes. She caught at the back of a chair and Nancy hastily brought her smelling salts and her black -bordered handkerchief.
 'I'm sure, Ruth," she said, "1 wouldn't have thought of such thing as cuttin' you out, but you know your self your father wouldn't have wanted me to live lonesome all my life, an' this do al 1,~ 1Av Ipf0 vvne AnR years, only l never would hurt your feelin's by sayin' so. \. never did like a brick house. An besides, we shall be near neighbors, an I shall have 2 carriage of my own to drive you round in when you want to get over to the Four Corners or anywhere. We shall have real good times, make no doubt. just heeru the train whistle, 90 I suppose Dan Ferrands of by this time, or else I wouldn't put him into your head again by mentionin' of him; as 'tis, I jest as lives say I'm glad he's gone, for of course you'll think better and there's Ezra's nephew comin' on from New York to stay all summer. and I'll buy you a new silk dress out O. my interest money,-E given me S7O, 900 for a weddin' present."
 ''I allus callated my wife should
 udhc dS uuCu oAlo" 0o 0uy OA chuckled Ezra, '' an you'd be fine lookin' woman yit, Nancy, in a red satin gown, with a lot O lacs an' hung to it.
 Ruth felt as if she must be asleep and dreaming as she escaped from her ministering hands and fed out of the house. The train that was bearing Dan away would stop at . tiny station in the woods where the junction of two roads occurred. Here he would change for the southern bound fast express, but the stop was . 20 O-minute one, and there was a short cut through the woods to the junction. Moreover, the train must reach the station by wide detOur.
 Ruth'S feet might have been wings, for the acquaintance they seemed to have with the ground as she sped along the dark road. When Dan stepped from the train at the station in the woods girls white clad figure stood sharply outlined against the glare of light from the little empty waiting room. Ruth'S eyes and cheeks were glowing. but all she said to him was: Mothers going to marry Ezra Leman 1ext Wednesday, and I'm afraid to % 1ack alone through the woods; you'll rave to come with me"
 So 1t came about that Dan and Ruth were married in June after all, and Tor IA