St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-10-01
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ELDER BLOOM
By MARTHA McCULLOCH.WlLLIAMS


| off, and came almost every night
The lane was our refuge. Aunt Jane
| had gone away for a little while, and
my stepmother never opened the
best room for anybody short Of the
minister.
She didn't mean to be unkind-it
| was only that she loved to know
and hear all anybody said. She
could see us walking the lane length
in the moonshine, else she would
never have let me go.
She was all for Allen, thinking so
much of money as she did. He came
in the day time-evenings his father
wanted him to stay and talk over
cases with him.
Allen had read law, but never
meant to practise. being sensitive as
to showing himself He had asked
me to marry him the week after
John proposed. Partly from vanity,
partly to make John prize me more.
let him dangle on after me, telling
him to wait-I didn't know what !
would say to him in the end.
That wasn't a story-I loved John
so. l went in fear and trembling. 1t
seemed to me beyond hope that l ever
| could be his wife-and il I couldn't
well, certainly I couldn't live along
| with my stepmother. It was her
house-father had left me only his
bit of money. She had said:
You're welcome to stay until you
marry" fully expecting the time to
be short
That night of the full moon the
world was all silver, the elder flow
ers more than silver-pearl. Wild
spice pinks in the garden. Heaven
grapes were in bloom, too,s and the
spice pinks in the garden. Heaven
itself cannot be sweeter than was
the air, and the dew was SO Heavy 1t
showed in beads over everything,
and FLASHED down big drops when
ever the hooking birds stirred. Three
! of them sang at once, up and down
the lane-they had nests In the
hedge-ows and sang to their mates.
Never was there such another night.
Now love to think of it-for years
the memory was like fire.
Midway the lane we heard some
body riding in the far end Of tt
riding hard. There was little rise
before the end. AS we looked we
saw Allen come squirting over It.
bareheaded and STOPPING in his
saddle. He was upon us all In a
Whit, and saying fretfully:
What are you doing here, Lyn.
cite? Come back with me to your
mother!"
He said it with authority. John
stepped before him, caught his bride
rein and said, before could answer
him:
"Lynette will stay here as long az
she likes-with the man she is going
to marry!"
"Liar!" Allen cried, scrambling
down. In spite of the withered leg
he had the strength Of a bull.
He caught John in bear-hug,
foaming out curses. John only
smiled. With shake Of the shout
ders he wrenched free, half flung
Allen from him, but caught and
steadied him. and holding him up
right turned to face me.
Choose betwixt us, little girl" he
said. 81 thought you had chosen me.
Remember, I shall never ask you
again"
"Lynette! Lynette! My God! /
love you sol" Allen cried hoarsely.
hid my eyes. I wanted to do
rtght-to be honest and true-but
John had said he would never ask
again-he must be mighty sure of
me. And poor Allen! How could /
fout him with a happy rival? /
wheeled about, calling to them over
my shoulder:
81 shan't marry anybody-until I
please"
No; that's not the end. John went
away next week; next year 1 married
Allen-on his deathbed. He said I'd
made him mighty happy Myself?
Oh, it hardly matters about women.
But-last week / got letter-next
week John is coming for me- I shall
give the Waite fortune to charity
my only true love has enough for US
both.