Newspaper Page Text
2
For Woman’s Work.
Into my heart a sorrow fell,
Scorchlug like fire uncontrolled:
The wretched bittarne«s none could tell,
As waves of agony o’er me rolled.
Ever the flames seemed rising higher,
Stronger and fiercer grew the strife,
Crushing and searing each desire,
Burning their way to the inner life:
Till the weary soul, fatigued, at last
Sank by the way, nor cared to live:
Despondency trailed her dark robes past.
Death only, the comfort sought, could give.
For Woman’s Work.
A Midnight Marriage.
OWE VER,she resolved to becheer-
Hj ful, and not let him feel uncomfort-
JB able over the occurrence, though
her heart almost failed her when
she thought of the explanation she would
have to make at home, and imagined her
uncle’s sneers and sarcastic speeches.
How her aunt would lecture about the
impropriety of this drive at night alone
with Frazier. Her uncle would be sure to
think it was pre-arranged, or pretend he
did; he thought her coming away from
home at all to buy Archie’s Bible a piece
of pure nonsense. But she would try not
to think of these things for the present.
And it was not hard to turn her thoughts
away from them, for Phil was in his hap
piest vein,so determined was he to drive
the shadow from her face; and few could
be more entertaining and delightful than
Phil when at his best.
He proposed that they should drive
down town and get some refreshment
before starting, as they would not reach
home in time for supper. So they went
to an ice cream parlor and partook of a
little repast which Phil made merry by
his flow of spirits. Whan they had fin
ished and Phil had transacted some busi
ness which he was obliged to see to before
leaving, it was six o’clock, so, before they
had driven more than five cr six miles of
the eighteen they must traverse before
* reaching home, the twilight had begun to
settle around them, made somewhat ear
lier by some gathering clouds. This
much of their drive was passed pleasantly
enough, but as the darkness grew more
intense and a low rumble of thunder w r as
heard, Annie’s spirits began to flag. Her
laugh grew fainter in reply to Phil’s lively
sallies, and when they observed a cloud
in the west of exceeding blackness, riven
no v and then by lightning flashes, Phil
grew rather sober himself. The way
grew darker before them as the road
wound through the woods, and he re
membered that it had been a long time
since he had driven over this road, and
his memory was not of the best.
Suppose some turn should mislead him
and they should miss their way? But he
would not con'emplate such a possibility,
so with a light touch of the whip he
quickened his horse’s speed, and as they
rolled swiftly along, he tried to recover his
own spirits and revive those of his com
panion by a constant flow of talk. But as
the lightning flashes grew more vivid, and
the thunder claps louder and sharper, he
noticed with alarm that his horse was be
coming frightened. He only urged the
animal forward, though, hoping to proceed
as far as possible on their way, and then
take shelter until the storm subsided. So
he drove as fast as he dared o i the un
familiar road, now almost dark save for
the lightning flashes.
Annie sat silent and trembling, and
Phil almost cursed himself for bringing
her into this predicament. Once, when a
loud clap of t hunder startled her almost
into screaming, and caused the horse to
jump violently, the poor girl involuntarily
grasped Phil’s arm with both hands and
cowered at his side with closed eyes and
beating heart. Poor Phi), in the ex
tremity of his remorse and concern for her
was fain to take her in bis arms and beg
her not to be frightened, and might have
done so, had it not been that both hands
were required to manage the frightened
horse. Then they came to a f< rk in the
road, and Fhil felt his heart die within
him as he realized that he had not the
least idea which side to take. He ground
his teeth with rage at his own stupidity
and would not stop to consider, feeling as
if he would be more sure to take the
wrong road than by leaving it to chance.
So, without guidance on his part, lhey
turned to the right and proceeded perhaps
A Sorrow.
(continued from last month.)
But the Angel Mercy came one day
And spread o’er the wounds a healing balm;
While Hope on my brow her cool hand lay,
Faith entered, and strove my grief tocslm.
Sleep dropped the curtains of bless’d repose
And bore my form to the isle of Rest:
While Charity out of the ashes rose
And folded her garments o’er my breast.
Though the ugly sears must surely stay
While mem rv those weary months recalls;
But God sends comforters every day,
Thus proving, He heeds “if sparrow falls.”
Nellie V. Mayhew.
Longwood, 111.
a mile further, the rain now pouring in
upon them. It was impossible to put up
the curtains, as the horse was becoming
more and more unmanageable, and so
when a lightning flash revealed a house
of some description on the roadside, Phil
drew up to it and told Annie it would be
best for them to stop until the storm had
spent its strength.
Driving close to the house, which
was not enclosed by a fence, he called
loudly, but received no response, so with
out further ceremony he helped Annie
out of the buggy and into the porch, then
fastened his horse to the railing. Going
to the door he began to knock vigorously,
when it yielded to his hand and swung
open. He stepped inside and pulled An
nie in after him, for the rain was beating
in upon them anti both were wet nearly to
the skin.
“They may take us for burglars, but
I’m going to risk it, ’ said Phil, lighting a
match.
“Perhaps there is no one here,” sug
gested Annie, as they surveyed the room
by the dim light of the match.
“I believe you are right,” replied Phi),
looking around the empty room, with its
windows boarded up, and general air of
desertion.
“Well, we’ll see what is here anyway,”
lighting another match and going to a
door on the other side of the room. Here
they found another small room, and
beyond that a shed, but no sign of living
creature. This, Phil regretted, as he had
hoped to learn here whether they were on
the right road, though he was now almost
sure they were not.
However, they must make the best of it,
so, as the first room contained a fireplace,
Phil hunted around in the shed, while
Annie held matches for him, and found a
quantity of boards and rubbish with
which he made a fire. Then while An
nie attempted to dry her garments, he
went out to look after the horse. The
animal had calmed down considerably,
feeling itself near shelter, perhaps, but
Phil thought it more prudent to unhitch
him from the buggy, which he did, lead
ing him around to the shed at the back of
the house. Then he stood in the door
way gazing out into the night, and won
dering what would be the outcome of their
unfortunate plight. Had nothing unto
ward occurred, and their destination been
reached, as it should, about nine o'clock,
he had hoped the urgency of the case
would excuse their long drive, even if it
was rather a breach of the conventionali
ties. But as it was, he knew it would be
impossible for them to proceed until the
storm should abate; he was almost posi
tive they had taken the wrong road and
would have to retrace a portion of their
journey; the rain was pouring and it was
now pitchy dark. If they should have to
pass the greater part of the night together
in this lonely hut, and he saw small
chance of anything else, he knew that evil
tongues would be busy with their names
on the morrow. And he knew full well
that neither his own high standing nor
Annie’s spotless character would protect
them from the malignity of the village
gossips.
Once he turned to go in and rejoin his
companion in distress, but when he reached
the door opening into the room where she
was, he saw that she was crying, and re
treated. He felt that he could not bear
her tears, until he had comfort to offer her.
But what could he say?
Poor Annie was sadly in need of com
fort. She had given up all hope of
getting home that night, and was thinking
of her aunt’s wonderings, her uncle’s
sneers, and more than all, of what her
brother must think of her absence on this,
his last night at home. It had not yet
WOMAN’S WORK.
fairly dawned on her what the world
would say of the episode, but presenßsor
row was enough, and she sobbed (J on
drearily. - -38
Presently, Phil came in, stirred the fire,
added more fuel, and brought in the buggy
cushion, which he turned and placed near
the fire. Then he said, “Come and sit
here, Miss Annie, you will be more com
fortable.”
Annie obeyed, and wiping her eyes,
tried to be composed. Phil’s heart smote
him as he noticed the exceedingly pale
smile she managed to evoke in spite of the
sorrow evident in her face. To think
that he should have gotten this gentle,
sweet girl into such an awkward and un
pleasant predicament, and that, too, just
when he had begun to be most anxious to
please her. Fate was surely against him,
and he felt exceedingly savage when he
thought of the bright plans and hopes of
the morning now so miserably frustrated,
for she would never like him now,of course,
and this thought made him almost desper
ate. He must plead his cause somehow.
She had a kind heart, and perhaps when
she saw his contrition she would forgive
him. Sitting down on the seat beside her,
he began:
“Miss Annie, I am afraid you will hate
me for getting you into such a scrape.”
“O, no! It was not your fault, and I
shall not blame you in the least. Os
course it is unpleasant people will talk
d —I don’t know what my brother
will think ” here her voice broke into
a sob, and Phil, seizing her hand, began
an outpouring of entreaties, begging her
not to cry, and abusing himself for the
veriest villain on earth. Then the warm
hearted fellow buried his face in his
hands, almost tempted to cry himself.
While sitting thus, strangely enough
there came into his mind a picture of old
Dr. Curtis as he saw him that morning,
and then the memory of his own ca r eless
speech to Annie. Suppose the old Dr.
should go home and spread the report
that they had eloped. Belmont was a
small place, and all the idlers of the town
loved to gather in Dr. Curtis’ store —
his only claim to the title of Dr. was the
small drugstore he owned. Nothing de
lighted him more than to have a choice
bit of news to relate to this crowd.
Added to this, Parksville was the goal of
all runaway couples from Belmont and
vicinity, as everyone knew. Dr. Curtis’
imagination would have no difficulty in
supplying the details. And then, suddenly
an idea occurred to him that simply over
whelmed him. A solution of their diffi
culty that seemed to him would be alto
gether delightful and satisfactory if only
—but here h’s heart sank; of course An
nie would not consent! But if she only
would, how simply and easily matters
would be adjusted. He was so excited
over the idea that he sprang to his feet
and walked hurriedly to and fro, while
Annie gazed pensively into the fire and
occasionally wiped*her eyes.
After thinking over the mattf r for some
time and looking at it in every possible
light, Phil was so pleased with his idea
that he determined to put it to the test,
even though he would run the risk, not
only of failing to win her over, but also of
mortally offending her, for it would be a
daring proposition, and would no
doubt startle her very much. So, going
over to her again, he said, “Miss Annie,
we are in a very awkward position as the
world looks at things, and lam afraid
the gossips are going to make it
very unpleasant for us when they
hear of our little adventure. ’ He
scarcely knew how to approach his
subject, and at these words Annie blushed
so painfully, while into her large eyes
came such a frightened look that he hur
ried on to say: “Now I want to propose
a plan by which we can silence all ‘this
gossip, and which will be the ’oveliest so
lution of the difficulty I can imagine. Let
me take you back to-morrow morning as
my wife. Then no <ne can say a word,
and I will be the happiest fellow in the
state besides.”
Phil really meant this; he was warming
to his subject, so that he never noticed
the wide-eyed astonishment on Annie’s
face.
“What on earth can you be thinking of,
Mr. Frazier?” she murmured, in a voice
scarcely audible. Poor child! she was so
bewildered with the evening’s excitement
that she thought he had gone crazy, or
rather that she had herself, and fearing she
had not heard ariglff, would not trust her
self to reply.
“Does my proposition seem so very
preposterous to you? Look at it calmly
and quietly, and let us discuss it practical
ly, then see if you can enteitain the idea.
Suppose we were at home in Belmont,
and I had called at your house to-night
and asked your hand in marriage. Would
you have said no’?’’
Annie blushed a little, but answered
quietly:
“No, I might not have said ‘no’ at once,
because, though I should have been very
much surprised, I should have thought
you asked me because you cared
for me; while as it is I know you
ask me because you think it will deliver
me from an embarrassing situation, and I
think that is too light a reason for such a
grave step/'
She was quite calm now, the very
gravity of the question seeming to have
sobered and quieted her.
“If it were as you think, you would be
entirely right in refusing to listen to me,
but I want you to believe me when I tell you
that that is only one of my reasons for ask
ing you to take such a step. I have been
thinking deeply for the last half hour, and
lam persuaded that it would be a good
thing for me, and that I would never re
gret it. And if you will consent, I swear
that, with God’s help, I will never let you
regret it.” You do not care for any one
else, do you? ’
“No,” she answered.
“Then, practically, there is nothing in
the world to hinder a marriage between
us. We are both of a proper age, are
healthy, have known each other for years;
I am perfectly able to take care of a wife;
on my side there is no one who could
possibly object, and I don’t think your
aunt and uncle would throw any objections
in the way.”
“But,do you not think people who mar
ry should—should —love one another?”
said Annie, hesitating timidly and blush
ingly ever words that were evidently
something sacred to her.
Phil looked thoughtful, and paused a
moment tefore answering. Then he said
with the air of a sage:
“Miss Annie, I think that young people
usually attach too great an importance to
the sentiment called Icve. Not that I
would in most cases counsel marriage
without it, but Ido not think it should
form the only reason for marriage, regard
less of whether other conditions suit, as it
so often does. It has seemed to me some
times as if there were greater chances
of happiness when the parties were calm
and dispassionate and thus capable of
judging what is really best for them.
Love is a strange will o’the wisp, and is
just as liable to lead us away from our
ideals as toward them. I have known
men to fall in love with and marry the
very girls they had once professed to de
spise. I have had a great many friends
among married men, and I have watched
so many cases of passionate love change
and grow cold, it has made me feel as if I
would rather never love than to suffer the
regret that must follow such a change. I
have also observed many happy unions
that were so-called marriages of conven
ience.”
After proceeding thus far very earnestly,
Phil began to perceive that he was not
making the impression he wished. Poor
fellow! he scarcely knew how to plead his
cause. If he told her that he loved her
she would not believe him, she would have
no faith in a passion which could spring
up in a day, though it was becoming very
real to him. So ne had thought to win
her over by wise arguments, and reasoning
which he had once thought very sound.
But he soon saw that Annie’s face was be
coming more and more doubtful, and his
spirits fell accordingly.
The fact was that Annie, womanlike,
could not give up her little romance, and
this philosophic wooing was not at all to
her taste. If poor Phil had only known it,
a woman is much readier to accept a pro
fess'on of love, however improbable, and
invest it in her imagination with all the
dignity of the genuine kind, than she is to
be satisfied with none at all. And Phil’s
handsome, flushed face and ple&dirg eyes
were in striking contrast to his worldly
wise speech, and would have argued
strongly in his favor, but Annie was not
looking at him. Her eyes were bent
thoughtfully upon the glowing coals, and,
though she rtplied with some agitation,
her tone was decided as she said:
“Mr.Frszier,you are kindin offering what
you think will help me out of a difficulty,
but I cannot think the occasion justifies
such a serious step,”
Phil could not understand why her man
ner grew somewhat cold as she said this;
and he hurried with boyish eagerness to
say:
“Miss Annie, it is the honest truth that
I had forgotten all about that being the
reason. In fact, it isn’t the reason, or only
a minor one. Ar.d let me tell you, I mean
to win you yet, if it is possible for devo
tion to win a womar !”
Annie looked up in surprise at these ar
dent words. Phil had sprung up again,
and was walking across the little room
with impatient strides, his fists clenched
as if to grapple with the spiteful fate that
had thrown these untoward circumstances
MARCH, 1894.