Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-04-30
'"What am to do down at Beds

| WHAT am 10 40 down ht beus'
worth?' she asked
Il want you to be Miss IIarston's com
pan'on She'll be lonely, and will need
some other woman in the house to look
after her"
You are still thinking of her, then
She must have this; she must have that
Everything else is as dirt before her. I'll
not serve her--so there! You can knock
me down if you like"
"Rebecca,' said Ezra slowly, do you
hate Kate Harston?"
From the bottom of my SOUL" sha
answered.
well. if you hate her. tell you that
| hate her thousand times more. You
thought that | was fond of her. All
that is over now, and you may set your
mind at ease
why do you want her so we'll cared
for then?" asked the girl suspicously.
Il want some one who feels towards
her as | do to be by her side. If she
were never to come back from Bedsworth
it would be nothing to me-"
What makes you look at me so
Strangely" she said, shrinking away from
his intense gaze.
"Never mind. You go. You will under
stand many things in time which seem
strange to you now. At present if you
will do what l ask you will oblige me
greatly. Will you go?"
Yes, l will CO."
''There's a good lass. Give us a kiss,
my girl. You have the right spirit in
you. I'll let you know when the train
goes tomorrow, and | will write to my
father to expect you. Now. off with you,
or you'll have them gossping downstairs.
Goodnight ~
"Good-night Mister Ezra" said the
girl with her hand upon the handle of
the library door. you've made my heart
glad this night. I live in hope-ever in
hope"
II wonder what she hopes about" the
young merchant said to himself as she
closed the door behind her. Hopes III
marry her, l suppose She must be of a
very sanguine disposition. A girl like
that might be invaluable down at Beds
worth. If we had no other need for her,
she would be an excellent spy" He lay
for some little time on the couch with
bent brow and pursed lips, musing over
the possibilities of the future.
While this dialogue had been going on
in the library of Eccleston square, Tom
Dimsdale was still vending his way home
wards with a feeling of weight in his
mind and a presentiment of misfortune
which overshadowed his whole soul. In
vain he assured himself that this disap-
pearance of Kate's was but temporary
and that the rumor of an engagement be-
tween her and Ezra was too ridiculous to
be believed for a moment. Argue it as he
would, the same dead, horrible feeling of
impending trouble weighed upon him. I'm
possible as it was to imagine that Kate
was false to him, it was strange that on
The very day that this rumor reached his
ears she should disappear from London.
How bitterly he regretted now that he
lad allowed himself to be persuaded by |
[ohn Girdestone into ceasing to communi- |
ate with her. He began to realize that |
lc had been duped, and that all these
recious promises as to future consent
o their union had been so many bats to
muse him while the valuable present was
dipping away. What could he do now to
epair the past? His only course was. to
vait for the morrow, and see whether the
enior partner would appear at the offices.
f he did so, the young man was deter
aned to have an understanding with him.
SO downcast was Tom that, on arriv-
NJ at Phillimore Gardens he would have
Tipped off to his room at once had he
ot met his burly father upon the stairs.
Bed - roarcd the old man upon hearing
is sons proposition. Nothing of the
ort, sir. Come down into the parlor.
our mother has been waiting for you all
be evening"
('Fn no Dtinup1 \