Rose O' The River

d as Rose turned she met him face to face. She had never dreamed his ey

ephen said in a voice so cold s

"I am a little unhappy because I have made some one else unhappy; and now that you know it, you w

o marry me, the time has gone by. I am willing to own that I over-persuaded you, but I am not the man to take a girl against her inclinations, so we will say good-bye and

rn of his tone. "Size is n

earts and brains, and it is convenient to have a sense of

imed impetuously; "or at least he is n't as bad

ear's, that you were not really happy or contented; only I would n't allow it to myself; I kept hoping against hope that I was mistaken. There have been times when I would have married you, willing or unwilling, but I did n't love yo

to Stephen, hiding her face as he flung it vehemently down the river-bank. His dull eyes followed it and half uncomprehendingly s

of his paddles against the water, then nothing but the squirrels and the woodpecker

wide awake for the first time in many weeks

r dared put in words; but today he had really stirred her, for although he had still been vague, it was easy to see that his love for her had passed all bounds of discretion. She remembered his impassioned farewells, his despair, his doubt as to whether he could forget her by plunging into the vortex of business, or whether he had better

his fascinating will-o'-the-wisp by resting in his deeper, serener love. She had meant to be contrite and faithfu

r liberty before she had asked for it, taking it for granted, without question, that she desired to be rid of him. Instead of comforting her in her remorse

pe with such a disagreeabl

ongues the delicious morsel of a broken engagement, and soon

of his faithful labor, of the savings he had invested in it. She hated and despised herself when she thought of t

e to return Claude's love? To be sure, she thought, it seemed indecent to marry any other man than Stephen, when they had built a hous

of pique, should ask somebody

phen Waterman today. Who would have believed he could be so autocratic, so severe, SS so unapproachable? Who could have foreseen that she, Rose Wiley, would ever be given up to another man,--handed over as coolly as if she had been a bale of cotton? She wanted to return Claud

ley come in during the evening and run upstairs, un

he train, which the station agent reported to be behind time, so he had asked her to take a drive. She did n't know how it happened, for he looked at his watch every now and then; but, a

d did n't care; her

n taken into Portland with his trunk, and she had brought Mrs. Brooks's horse back to E

ley departed after a very brief call, leavin

control keep from flinging himself into the river, how could he conceal his suff

the most turrible things that ever happened in Gard'ner was brought about by jest sech a feller. Mothers hed n't hardly ought to name their boy babies Claude without they expect 'em to play the dickens with the girls. I don' know nothin' 'bout the fust Claude, there

iliar with the circumstances, had taken he