Miss Dinah's Rash Vow

'T.eautif ui , Miss," said Teresa, havIng tirown open the shutter and loofced out and up, now looking in again with ever 80 piensan t a smile on her round, homely face now almost handst.ine n the cheery sunshine that streanied in. "Nol a cloud : nu raintoday, Miss ; and he wiB come for snre." 'Do you think so V" returned Miss Dinah, smiling brlghtly also, and raislag f rom her bed to run aoross the flooi to peep over Teresa's broad hoidde.rs. "Yes a very pretty morning," aftera minute' inspeel on and a pause to listen tó the. birda and inhale the, fresh bree.ze. "Dress me, Teresa." No longer young was Miss Dinah Prynne- quite lií'ty. and perhaps even more, but wonderl'ully active, with eyes as pretty and bright as in her giilliood, not much wrinkled, and faculties as clear as they ever had been. With Bpringing step and quick motion Bhe flitted about the rootii, making her toilet, humming to herself, stopping now and then to scold oíd Teresa, who liobbled after her- that sort of scolding whicli is, under certain circuinstan(■es, an expression of good humor, such as possessed Miss Dinah this morning. "And you think it will not rain," she said, for the tenth time. "This time of year tlnmder storms come up very suddenly, remember." She spoke as if Teresa were some important otlicer on the staff ol' the clPi-k of the weather. and had better be oareful about lier predictions. "Tot! September thunder stoma are rare, Miss, and lie ain't afraid of a little wetting, 1 don't suppose. A little thinglike tliat wouldn't keep hlm back," replied Teresa, withscorn. Miss Dinah ale her breakfastin fevensh impatiance, which shestroveto liide. Afterward she put on lier sun bonnet and mittens and went into the garden, attended by oíd Teresa, with watering pot and tro wel, and rake and other tools, and together they worked amongthe flowers. Miss Dinah as she progressed, snapped off cantributions for a bouquet- a generous one, ciy nearly as large as a cabbage. "He always liked ilowers, Teresa,' she said, smelling this beaiitilul marvel when it was completed. "He never failed to leave me a bunch every niorning. Soinetimes 1 let them wither to vex him." And she ïanghed at the uiemory of her girlhood's caprices. "It was a pity to worry him, Miss," said Teresa, with honest reproval. "Pooh! the more Idid the f onder he was of me. There was nothing I would not do to pain him, sometimes. That was thirty years ago," and with a little sigli slie glanced backward, as one may in a minute tlirough that long vista. "Thirty years!" said Teresa. "And yon ain't seen him since ; and changed he must benow- as changed as you, Miss- I mind your pictnr' up stairs" - "1 was nineteen thpn ; it's very like ; everybody thought so;" interrupted Miss Prynne. "Hobody could teil it lor yon now. "Do you tbink so!" said Miss Dinah. disappointed. "It will be a shock to him when he sees me. Tliey say that old sweetliearts tliink of tlie face that was, and nevar what time must have done. It is so, too. J can't cali him up except as he was then- l've tried hundreda of times, but can't- and he was a line young man, Teresa, a beautiful young man, with great large blue eyes, and a straight nose, and white teeth, and cliestnut hair, and a tall and gracef ui ligure ; nobody that L've ever Been since, is the least bit like him. And he is not a bit altered, Teresa ;" and she lauirhed al most believing it. "Jiut lie is, Miss. líe is old, crooked and feeble, and you will l'eel bad when yonseehim--as bad as he, will feel when lie sees you." Baid Teresa, who wan Job's comforter, sometimes." Miss Dinah looked pained, and sigheci again. -'1 almost wish 1 was not to see him again, and sometimes I believe I shall not, l'erhaps he will not come after all. Vou know I- I made sueh a foolish vow," and slie looked a little frigbtened. "Vou often proniised to teil me ahout it, Miss," replied her anoient hand-maiden, who lelt a profound cnriosity in all that concerned this great meeting that was to be to-day. "I will- I'll do so now, and heai what you think. I will frighten you 1 dure say, but it wasoniy a girl's lol ly, and (iod knows l'vt' ivpented since." They stood now umler the shade ot the great cherry tree at the end of the old garden- thin little Miss Dinal vvith hergreat bonnet on, and stout oli Teresa- homely figures, bat the'pic ture was a pretty one. Brighfr wa the September sunshine, and the frag rant air full of the sweet music of the birda. And as they stood tlms, Mis Dinah glanced back through the long vista of thirty years, and told her sto ry of her girlish love ; simple, but no without its tragedy and pain. "Well, l've told yon often how hand soine he was, and how dearly 1 lovei him. A noble fellow, Teresa! Wha a too] 1 was! There wasnot a girl i the '"inntry who would not have part ed with one of her eyes to marr Richard (Hif ford but he cared foi n one but me. We were engaged o couise; but what difference does tha make? 1 trlfled with hiin as mnch as ever, and he was no more sure of me than bewas bei'ore- but I loved him, Teresa- he had no idea how nmch - and I was the most selfish in the world. Wïiile I fllrted with whom I pleased, I did not allow him to look at a girl ['m not going to make a short story too long - a palnful story that 1 never want to thinkof. ïhere was a Spaniard came to Wildbrook, where we then lived - a dark, Httle, elegant fellow, with deep, dreamy eyes - Ignacio Madeiro, his name. He admiradme, and Icouldhave had him if 1 wished, bnt of course I had no hl of marrying any one but Richard. Poor Dick did not dream of this however; he thought I was in love with Ignacio- wild about him. One day there was going to be a picnic, and Richard asked me to go with him. I said- 1 don't know whatmade me do it. fi ir it . wusii'ttrue- that i wasgOtDg with Ignacio. Kor the iirst time Richard flamed up. TIe answeml: ii' j-du gu -Ui min I.iii KoiiiK with Miss Qraham, - who wasvess ..-ott;,and of whom 1 was as jealous as he was of Ignacio, thongfa I knew how tokeep it to myslf- or, had known up to that moment. But something in liis eye alarmed me; he looked like he w as pretty tired of my trilling and also, I tliought, he, appreciated Miss Graham quite as highly as she deserved. 'Go with herif you chose, replied I, and I will never see you again,' That was all, 1 thought'he would make his pearance as usual next morning, whicii was the day of tlie picnic, and take me there ; in f act, I depended 011 him to get there, having, as I have said, no engagement with Ignacio, as I pretended. Bnt Richard did not come; consequently, I as obliged to remain at home, and yo may fancy, perhaps, the miserable day 1 spent. But on the following day Richard appeared- it was Thursday- and expressed liis surprise at ni y absence. 'Yon were there tlien ?' said I. He said, yes.' I looked at him a minute -he was smiling; yon can't tell wliat I suffered- rage, mortifleation. ealousy. 'Yon took Rose GrahamV I gasped. lie said as before, 'yes.' I don't know how it was hut 1 hated him tliat minute enough to haye killed him. '1 will never see yon again!' and without a syllable more, turned and lef t him there. And that was tlit' last time 1 saw Richard Clifford." "ïut! tut!" said Teresa, tickíng with her tougue upon the roof of he mouth, after the fashion or her kind "He called at the house twice a day for a week, and sent me messages by the score; but I was resolute. Tht eightli day 1 grew more composed - began to recover iny senses, yon know the ninth I cried, and the tenth I sent him word to come to me. He had goneto California! For thirty yeara lie had been there, as yon know ; 1 have never married, nor has he- each lii;i i.crn trae lo the oíd love - and a prettypairof f'ools we rnuke!" A mi poor Miss lMnah BUddenly burst m. ying, and tor awhilf soblied unrestrainedly. "Well, yell," said oíd Teresa, wheii lier mistress had become calmer, and was, in fact, smiling again through the water drops. " You'll see each other now, and it'll all be made up- and who knows! Stranger thinga have happened, and yon are not a bit too oíd," "But if I perceive those terrible chances In nina that yon speakof, Teresa, said Miss Dinah, half in fün and half in earnest, "I can never want liiin even i f he shonld want me." Love never sees nothing but what it chooses," replied Teresa, oracularly. "But look. woman!" cried her mistress snddenly, "there's a clond over the sun; I teil you it will rain to-day." "What if it does, I say 'Í Ile'll coine all the same, and you'll see him jusfas you've been connting on for the last three months. Yon said he never brok e his word." "That's no merit, Teresa; I kept minefor ;i week and see what carne oí it!" "Yes, clouds have blovvn up, as they do sometiines on a warm September day, but as we know, rain does not always follow." It was time for oíd Teresa to think about dinner, and a great feast, of course, it was to be. "We must do our best, miss, to-day. All old men are fond of good eatin's." "Old men! What do yon mean, woman ?" cried Miss Prynne, indignantly ; but she laughed. Wonderful preperations they made- ot fiattering to Mr. Richard Clift'ord's appetite; you would have thought tliey were providing for an "Eating Tom," ör some gastronomic celebrity ; chickens and ducks, a ham, every imaginable vegetable, six diiïerent desserts- enough for three or four of the argest-sized p'iants. Hut it continued to cloud up. Poor Miss Dinah peeped out and upwarü every five minutes but the weather was hopeless - at hall' past one tlie sky was dark, with a ftashing and rumbling in thedistance -añd he waaexpected at two. As the minutes went by the thunder grew 1 ouder anti nearer ano me iigiuling fleiteer, and after a white down plasbed the big round drops which alvavs precede a sunimer storm. At live minutes of two Miss Dinah tood on the balcony looking down the oad. The rain was terrible; the rieeting and roaring overhead, as shei remarked to oíd Teresa, "beyond anyhing in her experience." "Ain't yon afrald, Miss, to stand there ?" "Nonsense. 1 must see liim as he gets out oí the carriage Have an umbrella ready." In her cxcitement I doubt iL she thought of the uproar about her. Suddenly shecried, with her hand to her heart and her face as palè as death : "llcre he comes?" It was quite true. The buggy was rattling ui the avenue, but nothing could be seen of its occupants on account of the apron. wiiich had been Btretchéd from top to dashboard. The horsewas dripping. 'And no w it wheeled and drew up at the door. PoorMiss Dinah stood with outstretched hands and dilated eyes, white, trembling- tíiirty-four years- her love, her darling- -so long lost- bow to see him again! Idon'tknow how it happened; but at that instant there was a flash from the sky, followed instantlyby a dreadful peal and every living thing was i'or a few seconda shaken and atunned, Wlien Teresa carne to herself she glanced out, terrlbly bewildered, and saw her mistress lying on the porcli. she run out, wiLh a dreadful cry of 'God ha' mercy !" and lifted the pros 'trate woman. An old gentleman had by that time fot out of thecamage.and was ascandng the steps. is she injured?" he asked, stooping o take her place. Poot Miss Dinahheard his voice - in hirty yeara she had forgotlen many hings but ïiot that - and the sound reved hereven fromthecoma in which he thunderbolt had cast her. "ltichard," she murmured, with a tale suiile. They made her sit ui), Teresa prop)ing her back with lier own stout cnee. "Are yon hurt, DinahV" asked Richard Cliftord. She moved lier head witli a strange helplessness, striving orsomething, they could nottellwhat Chen she said: "I can't see- I am blind. I shall never see you again, Richard. The lightning has done it;" and froni those sightless eyes carne two or three gl'eat tears that rolled down on his hand and hers, locked together in greeting ailer Theytook '"■■ -" '"'" ëavB "ersolll(stimuKinis, and very soon she was quite herself, in all things but one; but that was never to see any more never. He remained ; but the great dlnner went begging. A doctor carne In and examined - "No use, sight quite gone- smitten and effaced by that tlery shafl." Poor Miss Dinah crietl. Her vowl Was it a judgment. Richard Cliflord lingered there many weeks, and she became more resigned. One day they quietly went to the i 11age church and were niarried. "I am so changed," Richard. "Not to me," he said. But there was a dlsenchantment for hini, although he tlms denied it, which the tli ing never knew. Perhaps that was sonie eompensatiön for her great los. To her mind Richard Cllfford was not as to others- gray-headed. wrinkled and howed ; but the proud and splendld lover oí her youth- the brilliant apparition she liad looked on for the las, last time thirtv longyears hef ore.