Year: 1877

From Harpcrs Wcekly,l


Love and Logging


Louisa's father had gone Oft with the OK
team up into the woods, sixty miles away.
to make the camp before the winters log
ging should begin. She felt very lonely
as soon as he was out Of sight, for more
reasons than one. In the first place, there
was nobody ut home but little Tim, Who
| could DIG the paths, to be sure, and look
after the cattle; grandmother who WAS
companionable enough, with her stories
OF old times, but a care more than Il pro-
| tect0r; and Susette. who helped about the
house, but was only a child. The second
reason was that she had quarreled With
Ben and last, but not least, he and her
uncle Simeon had driven OF on the OK
team with her father. II there had ever
been time since their quarrel when she
had felt disposed to make ii up it was
when the OK team had disappeared from
SIGHT, and it was impossible to do So
The fact of the ease was that Ben had
been looking upon Louisa as his own prop
prty ever since he could remember. He
had heaued llrrto and from singing school,
he had helped her out with her hard prob
lens at the district school, and had carried
her home on a sled at quilting, sewing
circle, OF picnic, he had chosen her lul his
partner i'll the dance had paid his torteit8
to her, and had resolved about her daily
And she had seemed To relish the whole
thing till she Went away to the city one
winter 10 work in 4 milliner's shop, and 50
came home quite out Of eonceit with colln-
Try living and country men, and had Civ
en- Ben the cold shoulder, refusing his
gifts and attentions, and showing pretty
plainly that she looked higher. But Ben.
with the Instincts OF a tree-hOrn Amprican
felt himself as good as anybody, and
charged hel one day With having come 10y
htalutin ideas o1 herself and life IN the
city, which didn't The least become her,
and ;Nerred that She couldn't du better
than to marry HIM.


"Well, Mr.. Benjamin Thurman, hope
You re conceted enough" she answered
him. Marry YOU | won't say but Nol
are well enough youlselt but to live in
this slow backwoods fashion fore. er would
be the death of me and not SO much as
4 lecture or concert IL while away the
time; lu be wearing homespul all my
days, and worrying about the crops Oh,
dear, no, thank YOU: I've had enough Of
hard times. believe I'll wait while be
fore | settle down.


"Perhaps there's soneb"l> else '' ven
tulcd Ben.


NO, | can't say that there is: though
don't mind telling YOU thar | didn't come
home single for want of chance He had
4 home too in the suburbs, and Il house
keeper. and he said never should bring
va I. !, L.


And why didn't You marry him ,"
asked Ben 1rigidIy.


"Oh. he didn't exactly suit me; he'd
lost his front teeth and his hearing.
There's as good fish in the sea as ever
yet We're caught, :" she sang, Saily.


well" said Ben, rising and looking
blue lightning, ION the whole, I'm glad
that you won't marry me, for you've got
no more heart than an adder" And then
he could have bitten his tongue out for
saying what wasn't true, when his heart
was almost breaking for love of her; and
if she had showed that she was wounded
10y word or look, he was ready to abase
himself beneath her feet. and take it all
back.


''1ou're amazing polite, MI. Thurman,
| must say she returned. ''Tm sorry you
asked for what you didn't want, because
it would have been awkward if | hadn't
refused. didn't know that this was the
way folks made love-calling gnames, when
Eve always treated you we'll"


''Treated me well with a vengeance :"
cried Ben, his face white as a star, and
his eyes like thunder bolts. ''Do you call
it handsome treatment to let me go on
1nXrinfr ntt
strengthened with my strength without a
hint that you couldn't return measure for
measure? And then to go back upon a
fellow, and throw him over because he
doesn't live like Il nabob, though he loved
the ground you walked on, and thought
nothing too hard to do for you. If that's
what you call treating me well, goodbye
i don't want ever to see you again"


Louisa had been looking at him with
sparkling eyes. She rather liked to see
him angry; it was vastly becoming. And
then he loved her SO desperately. She felt
a strange, delightful thrill at her heart,
as if it responded secretly. She had half
a mind to go to him and hold out her
arms and be clasped to his beating heart,
and forget ambition and luxury and
choose rather Il heaven on earth; and
while she had hesitated he had said,
''Good-bye-l don't want ever to see YOU
again -good-bye.'


'l return the sentiment, said She III
stead. n believe can live without YOU.
Good-bye.' And when he was safely out
OF sight she took revenge in a good cry.


But now that he was gone she began to
find how much she had depended upon
him, how much more his mere presence
was to her than any dream of worldly
prosperity, however golden. Perhaps but
for this breach she might never have
known how near he was to her, nor how
little she valued the supertiuities of life in
comparison. Well, one Of the three was
to return before the winter season Of log
ging began in order to lay in provisions
for the camp as they had only taken up
enough for u week or ten days-and per
haps Ben would be the one to come in
which case he could hardly avoid bring
ing her some word of her father and
uncle. And then who would predict but
he might think it worth his while to re-