A Day of Fate

orning and found Reub

isn't thee?" h

ood fellow, Reuben. What time is

ave stayed, but mother told her she was to go. Emily Warren's grandfather wanted to go spooning off in the

d reasons, r

kind of a man I'd go

uben. He had to seek her long and patiently. But t

en with her at first,"

s ever. I admire a great many ladies, especially

Richard, she might have been burne

could have got them a

ould have l

at kind. Please say no more about th

n to dinner? Mother and father and all of us

ve you the wink. I won't go down till dinner's ready; after it's over

that he was very observant. The shrewd Wall Street man had the eye of an eagle when his interests were concerned, and he very naturally surmised that no one could have seen so much of Miss Warren as I had,

the time. The old gentleman was greatly pleased about something, and it soon came out that Mr. Hearn had promised him five hundred dollars to put a new roof on the meeting-house and make other improvements. I drew all the facts readily from the zealous Friend, together with quite a hi

made amends for my inability, and declared he had never enjoyed such a repast, even at Delmonico's. I though Mi

wide-branching tree, left me, at my request, to myself. The banker now had his way, and carried Miss Warren off to a distant

feigned sleep, for I was too weak and miserable to treat the girl as she deserved. She

en was sitting beside me, and I found had covered me w

said smilingly. "I think I will go back to my roo

o doubt had passed more quickly with them than with me, even though I had slept for hours. When reaching the parlor door I s

ur favorite nocturne again?" s

d gladly give the best years of my life for the right to sit there and feast my eyes on a grace and beauty that to me were indescribable and irresistible; but the heavy tre

ime I learned that for me discretion is certainly the better part of valor,"

eart!" I murmured as I w

I felt a faint remorse that I had feigned sleep in the afternoon, even

e growing much too unselfish. Why

wish. I'm not

et. It was real good of you to read to those children so long. If I had been an artist, I wou

simply; "I feel as if I

you while you

to me: what do you think o

thought muc

n New York; it's a superb one, an

," she repli

k you would en

phatically; "the man i

u would have said

e that Sunday afternoon when I was so

by lightning myself if it would change me f

aid, blushing and slowly shaking

ear. Well," I continued, with the utmost frankness, "I do like you now, and what is more, I honestly respect you. When you come to New York agai

"I know mother will let me go with thee, beca

judges me leniently. To tell you the honest truth, I've come lately to have a very poor opinion of myself. I feel

hee," she replied, shyly, with downca

he absurdity of folly for Miss Warren to give up her magnificent prospects because of your sudden and sickly sentiment; and what more could you ask or wish than this beautiful girl, whose womanhood has awakened and developed under your very eyes, almost as unconsciously as if a rosebud had opened and shown you its heart? Indeed, but a brief time since I would have berated any friend of mine who would not take the sensible course which would make all happy. If I could but

love you too well for all your kindness a

rk life as I thought would interest her. She listened with so intent and childlike an expression on her face that I could scarcely

after I was gone she would recognize and accept the fr

o cordial that she noted with a sigh that I did not regard him as the unwelcome third party. Then Mr. Yocomb and the little girls

with housekeepers; and yet how should thee know, living all thy

ownstairs will feel n

ning together without help from anybody. I reckon we could do so again-eh? mother? Ha, ha, ha! so thee isn't too old to blush yet? How's that,

t honest, while Mrs. Yocomb stared out of the window, at which s

addressed formally as Richard Morton. It was simply "Richard," spoken with the unpremeditated friendliness characteristic of family intercourse. Heathen though I was, I thanked God that he had brought me among t

rable, but I concluded that music was one of the strongest bonds of sympathy between them, and one of the means by which he had won her affection. S

ate lady looked into my face a

g tired. We must all bid

ehind the others. As they passed out she stepped hastily back, and un

," she said, breathlessly, and with its color i

y. "Heaven grant that it may be only the impulse of a girlish fancy;" and I filled a little v

the piano. "How singularly f

f the July moon, athwart whose silver hemisphere fleecy clouds were drifting like the traces of thought across a bright face. Motionless shadows stret

. Was it my own mood, or did she play it with far more pathos and feeling than on that never-to-be-forgotten evening? Be that as it

etchedness into which one can sink when unsustained by manly fortitude or Christian principle. It is in such desperate, irrational moods that undisciplined, ill-balanced souls thrust themselves out from the light of God's sunshine and the abundant possibilities of fu

be occupied with my mail and paper much of the day, and I wrote a very complimentary paragraph concerning the banker's gift for the meeting-house. Mr. Hearn and Miss Warren were out riding much o

r by my preoccupation and taciturnity. She took the children off on a long ramble in the aft

oon as I had shown enough manhood to satisfy my pride, and had made Miss Warren believe that she could dismiss her solicitude on my account, and thus enjoy the happiness which apparently I h

phaeton, and I'm going to take thee out with Dapple. He'll p

motion through the pur

isseur was leisurely admiring her. Well he might, for in her neat morning gown she again seemed the

ood; thee looks better th

fe," and the young fellow drove chuckling down toward the barn, making

think Mr. Hearn was as much interested in it as I was. His little girl came out of the house and climbed into Adah's lap. She evidently liked being petted, and was not a litt

rtily at a well-worn jest of Mr. Hearn's, I went to my room and rest

t-of-door air promised an escape from a position in which I must continually seem to be what I was not-a cheerful man in the flood

next day, Mr. Hearn greeted m

worth the importance you give it, but you have put the matter so happily and gracefully that it may lead other men of me

he paragraph had been worded i

It seemed the natural expression of your interes

l color in her cheeks. Moreover, I imagined that her replies to the few remarks that I addressed

oom for a book, and as I ca

m toward a good object in a quiet country place, would you have been pleased t

be munificent, Miss Warren," I

ted, with a little impatient

said b

it would be p

"that I did not suffic

He

hotly, "have I given any reason

e," I said bitterly. "Of co

abruptly as to su

k it would be pleasing to him

on me. I won't quarrel with you, and I promise to do nothin

ace that I so loved to see; but I also noted that she had become very pale, and as my eyes met hers I thought

ssed on. Mr. Hearn was reading the paper on the piazza. I took a chair and went out under the elm,

I'd like to call your attention to this paragraph. I think our friend has writ

ould not look up to see her humiliation, an

said, with slight

agree w

y. A glance at Mr. Hearn revealed that his dignity and complacency had r

Plod, but after all it's not a very

sed she found an o

Mr. Hearn had spoken to you

say anything to annoy y

him call my at

d not h

ook up and tri

ave given me

stately banker that he became benignness itself. I also observed that Mr. Yocomb looked