Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-05-28
A DREAM THAT
FADED
BY ESTHER VANDEVEER
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

ION, yes. There are romances In the
lives OF all OF us"
well, grandma, tell me yours"
LET me see. was but eighteen
when my father-your great GRANDPA
ther, YOU know-hired farm hand
who came along just at the beginning
or the harvest season. | will call him
Elisha. We girls used to help get i'm
the grain in those days, and sometimes
/ used to go out and help on purpose
TO be with Elisha. He was two years
older than /, and considered him very
handsome. / was at that age when
girls heart goes out naturally, and
mine went out to Elisha
"One evening about sunset when we
were alone together among the wheat
we sat down on pile OF sheafs to
talk. Elisha put his arm around me
and kissed me. Then he told me he
loved me, and l told him loved him.
Il was too young-at any rate, too
sophisticated-to know the next
thing to be done, which was for Elisha
10 go to my father and ask for me.
He didn't do this, but when the first
natural outpourlng OF love was over
| asked him II l should say anything
about our affair to father or mother.
He told me to say nothing at present.
Il waited, no one but Elisha and |
knowing what was between us, till the
harvest was all in and my lover was
paid of. That day he took me off
where we would be alone and said to
me:
Your father wouldn't think OF Civ
ing you to me. haven't a cent In the
world. We must wait. I'll try dur
ing the next few years to get start,
then l will come back and ask for you.'
My heart stood still. How could |
wait several years for him to come
back to me? Each year would seem
century. In three years / would be
twenty one, and that seemed to me
then to mark girl as an old maid.
But there was nothing to be done, SO
l said goodby to Elisha, and he went
away.
There was a farmer near us who
stood very high in the community.
He was but twenty-eight years old.
and yet he had been in the legislature
OF the state. He seemed to me to be
hundred years old He used to come
10 our place and talk with father about
things that l didn't understand-tariff
and free trade, raising money to build
railroads to take our grain to market.
and all that. When we were all in
the living room in the evening, and
father and Mr.. Baxter, I'll call him.
were talking about these things and
the slavery question in the south and
the troubles in Kansas / used to sit at
my needlework and wonder what they
meant. for didn't understand a word
OF 1t all
Then one day father surprised me
by telling me that Mr.. Baxter had
proposed for me, and father hoped
would accept him since the match
would be such good one for me.
Isn't that funny way to propose
for girl? l asked I supposed the
lover proposed TO the girl instead of
her father
The most honorable way is to ask
permission OF her father to speak TO
her
All this was too formal, too unnat-
ural for me. told father that | would
not have Mr Baxter; he was altogeth-
er too old for me. And when father
said be was just the right age l re-
piled that he seemed too old anyway.
Father was obliged to tell Mr..
Baxter that l wouldn't have him, and
Mr. Baxter only said that he was
very sorry, but he wouldn't think OF
permitting the least influence to be
brought to- bear on me to induce me
TO accept him. 1 didn't tell any one
that my heart had been given to
farm hand. Indeed, didn't dare tell
l couldn't have bTaved fathers anger
and contempt. l ground my teeth to-
gether and resolved 10 wait for Elisha
1 waited two years, and he didn't
come waited two years more.
Meanwhile Mr.. Baxter had been away
much OF the time He had been elect
ed to congress Then I heard father
say that he was sure Of the nomina-
tlon for governor.
This didn't interest me. didn't
care II he was president What /
wanted was that which would satisfy
the cravings Of my heart-I wanted
Elisha
1T was FIVE years after Elisha had
gone away and three after Mr.. Bar
ter had proposed for me that saw
one morning when ! was standing CD
the porch a man coming down the
road His clothes we're city cut.
though not fashionable He stopped
at the gate and asked me how far II
vas o. BoontOn. I told him, and be
said, You don't seem to remember
me- No. I don't / replied. Sorry
I thought you would A suspicion
came 10 me when be said this that be
was Elisha ! dreaded lest he was,
Tor somehow didn't ike bis looks
can't tell you what there was about
bin I didn't fancy II was everything
The fact is that I had been changing
during these years be had been away
from. a o.