Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1917-03-21

smile, she sWayed little. Jerry took
her in his arms. Sweetheart" he
whispered. Little sweetheart! Do
do YOU love me SO much, dearest?'
Prudence raised her hands to his
| face, and looked intensely into his
: eyes, all the sweet loving soul Of her
. shining in her own. And Jerry kissed
her.
The twins scrambled down from the
maple, speechless and cold with terror.
! and saw Prudence and Jerry! Then
they saw Connie, staring at them with
! interest and amusement.
II think we'd better go to bed, all
three Of u.s." declared Lark sturdily.
And they set off heroically around the
, house. But at the corner Carol
! turned.
| woodshed," she called. ''for all the Av.
erys are looking out of their windows
! Prudence did not hear, but he drew
her swiftly to the darkest corner of the
side porchand history repeated it.
| self once more!
! At twelve, Jerry went upstairs to
bed, his lips tingling with the fervent
tenderness Of her parting kiss. He
/ stood at his window, looking soberly
| out into the moonlit parsonage yard.
"She is an angel, pure, sweet, unself.
tsh little angel" he whispered, and his
voice was broken, and his eyes were
wet, ''and she is going to be my wife!
Oh, God, teach me how to be good to
her, and help me make her as happy as
she deserves
At two o'clock, thinking again the
soft shy words she had whispered to
him, he dropped lightly asleep and
dreamed of her. With the first pale,
streaks Of daylight stealing into his
room he aw0ke. It was after four
o'clock. A little later-just few MN
utes later-he heard light tap OH his
door. It came again, and he bounded
out of bed.
Prudence! Is anything wrongly"
. Hush, Jerry, not so loud!' And
what strange and weary voice. "Come
downstairs, will you? l want to tell
you something. I'll wait at the foot
OF the stairs. Be quiet-do not wake
father and the girls: Will you be down
5Oon?"
In two minutes!'
And in two minutes he was down,
agonizingly anxious, knowing that
something was wrong. Prudence was
iWaiting for him, and as he reached
the bottom step she clutched his hands
desperately.
Jerry she whispered. forgive
me- honestly Oh, / didn't think
what I was saying last night. You We're
so dear, and l was so happy, and for
a while i really believed we. could
belong to each other. But l can't, you
know. I've promised papa and the
girls a dozen times that would never
marry. Don't you see how it is? I
must take it back
Jerry smiled little, it must be adj
mitted. This was so like bis. consci-
entious little Prudence!
dearest" he said gently. "You love
me. Your father would never allow
I. you to sacrifice yourself like that. The
girls would not hear of it. They want
you to be happy. And you can't be
happy without me, can you?"
Suddenly she crushed close to him.
"Oh, Jerry" she sobbed, Il will never
be happy again, know. Butt is
right for me to stay here and be the
! mother in the parsonage. It is wicked
Of me to want you more than all Of
them. Don't you see 1t is? They
Z; haven't any mother. They haven't
anyone but me. OF course, they would
not allow it, but they will not know
anything about it. ] must do it my
self. And father especially must
never know. want you to go away
this morning before breakfast and
never come again"
She chung to him as she said this,
but her voice did not falter. 'And you
must not write to me any more. For,
oh, Jerry, If l see you again l can
never let you go, I know it. Will you
do this fc-. me?"
'tYou are nervous and excited" he
1 said tenderly. Lets wait until aIteI
breakfast. Then we'll talk it all over
with your father, and it shall be as he
says. Won't that be better?"
"Oh, no. For father will say what
ever he thinks will make me happy. He
must not know thing about it. Prom
Use, Jerry, that you will never tell him
one word"
II promise, Of course, Prudence.
d will let you tell him"
But she shook her head. He viii
never know. oh, Jerry! I can't bea1
to think of never seeing you again
md never getting letters from you, ant
y seems to- kill me inside, just thu
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