. ft)
,". ' iV,'tf,v.;.il r
;,,,..'i.i:, i.iiniii,!-, ;ui'uu!;nm;i ! I (
VOL. XII.
NEW BLOOMFIELD, PA., TUESDAY, EEHI1XJARY 1.3, 1878.
NO. 7.
(Ksm 7M) 1 I K. G)
I
I
ii
THE TIMES.
An Independent Family Newspaper,
18 PUBLISHED IVKRT TUESDAY BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
8 V M C It 1 P T I O K P It ICE.
(WITB1W TIIR COUNTY.
One Yea- 1 2
Six Months 75
(OUT Or THB COUNTY.
One Year. (Pmtatre Included) II M
Six Months, (I'onaice Included) Ho
Invariably lu Advance I
-Advertising rates furnished upon appll
eatlon. geledt Toett'v
LIGHT ON THE CLOUD.
There's never an always cloudlets sky,
There's never a vale so fair,
But over It sometimes shadows lie
In a chill and songless air.
But never a cloud o'erhnng the day,
And flung Its shadows down,
But on Its heaven-side gleamed some ray,
Forming a sunshine crown.
It Is dark on only the downward side ;
Though rages the tempeBt lond,
And scatters Its terrors far and wide,
There's light npon the clond.
And often, when It tralleth low,
Shutting the landscape out,
And only the chilly east winds blow
From the foggy seas of doubt.
There'll come a time, near the setting sun,
When the joys of life seem few j
A rift will break lu the evening dun,
And the golden light stream through.
And the soul a glorious bridge will make
Ont of the golden bars,
.And all Its priceless treasures take,
Where shine the eternal stars.
Mr. Carruthers' Proposal.
"M'
riSS KENT!"
" Mr. Carruthers !"
" Will you marry me?"
" O Mr. Carruthers, I I this is bo
bo sudden that that "
" Answer me yes or no I"
"No, then !" came the reply with
some pique.
" All right, don't !" And the rejected
suitor, in spite of his hopes being blast
ed, his heart a desert, etc., didn't say a
word about it. He did a more sensible
thing ; he lit a cigar. She sat with cast
down eyes and pressed lips, awaiting his
protestations. 8he expected to hear
him vow eternal love, swear to have
her or die, and be guilty of a hundred
other absurd things, She had deter
mined to do the gentle but firm ; to
promise him a sisterly love, but to deny
him any closer tie. She waited in this
state several minutes. The protestations
didn't come, however. At last she look
d vrp. Instead of writhing upon the
ground with pale, distorted features, he
sat oalrhly smoking. As she gazed he
began to whistle ; not the soft low bars
of some sentimental ditty, but a noisy,
rollicking, minstrel-hall melody. She
was disgusted. She was chagrined.
" What sort of a creature is her" she
asked herself. He was incomprehensi
ble. Neither she, nor anybody else,
knew enough about him to gossip, even.
True, some of the married ladies remem
bered him as having been their beau
fifteen years before. Then, newly grad
uated from college, rich and handsome,
he had been quite a society favorite.
Suddenly he disappeared, no one knew
whither. There had been some rumor
of a love affair, but nothing definite
Hearing nothing of him, as the years
went tiy, he drifted entirely out of the
memories of the fair maidens who had
sighed over him. A few months ago he
had reappeared as nurse, protector and
travelling companion 6f poor Fred
Langley. Poor Fred had been, consul in
some Africun port, where, weakened
and debilitated by the fevers of that
country, grief and hard work, he had
fallen a vlotirrj to the scourge which had
swept away all therett of his family,
consumption. He had made up his
mind to lie beneath the African soli,
when he met Frank Carruthers. He did
not recoguize, iu the weather-beaten,
reticent mau, his Jovial, merry friend of
bygone years, but Frank knew him, saw
the traces of the deadly disease la lfls
face, heard the hacking cough, and de
termined to make himself known, and
to stand by and do his best to help his
old friend In his last trouble. He did so.
Through long months of Illness he
nursed him, and when at last he ex
pressed a wish to be burled amongst the
New Hampshire hills, where, six months
before his departure he had laid a pretty
golden-haired little creature, and a tiny
baby, whom he called wife and child,
Frank readily assented.
They came home. Fred did not live
long after their arrival. As soon as
Frank had seen the last rites performed
he came back to New York, and settled
down to moping. In this laudable occu
pation he passed the spring months. As
soon as summer set in, he posted off to
a pretty New England watering-place,
known to him in his boyhood. He hoped
to find it as retired and deserted as it
used to be. It wasn't, however. Dur
ing his absence civilization had taken
gigantic strides. In its course it had
embraced the modest little fishing-hamlet
of Compton Shoals, beautified it
with handsome villas, and, during the
summer season, populated it with a
giddy crowd of fashionable people.
Frank was surprised, but too lazy to
beat a retreat. He repented his laziness,
a short time afterward. A whole party
of his old friends, with a lot of stran
gers, came to Compton Shoals, and set
tled for the summer. There was no es
cape, so he faced the musie. He possess
ed all the ease of a travelled gentleman,
was handsome, rich and talented, but
imprehenBlbly reticent. Nor was he at
all awkward about it. He had a way of
making it seem the most natural thing
in the world that he should remain si
lent. The young people of the party ,al
though admitting his politeness, good
looks, etc., kept, away from him. "He
was so glum." the fellows said. " So
uninteresting," the maidens lisped.
Fiank was happy. He could smoke his
pipe, or rather, cigar, in peace.
There was one exception to the gener
al rule of fair ones. It was Cathie Kent.
Unlike most women, she enjoyed keep
ing her tongue still. There seemed to be
some sort of an affinity between Car
ruthers and herself. They were intro
duced, and after that were much to
gether. Tho result recorded above was
a perfectly natural one. She sat think
ing for a long time, trying to fathom the
mystery that clung about this singular
individual. She failed. The "singular
individual," meanwhile, sat smoking
and whistling with Imperturbable and
musical calmness. It irritated her.
At last he broke the silence.
" Pretty craft," he said, pointing to a
beautifully outlined vessel that was
sailing by, "Pretty craft. Neat looking
ships are handsomer than horses or
women. They're like women, though.
Fair weather is nice enough, they glide
along smoothly ; stormy weather comes,
they pitch and roll, break to pieces, and
leave you to take care of yourself. The
fair sex does the same."
" Nonsense," she replied, stoutly, " it
isn't so. You men are cowards,or rather
fair-weather heroes. When adversity
comes, you seek us women for consola
tion, and we give it to you. We are
fools for our palus."
"Know it. You'll never be a fool
though. Won't have as good a chance
again as you threw away this morn
ing." "Pah !"
" No, you won't. Mark my words."
" Don't want it."
" Come to think you may, though."
"O!"
"But It won't be legal. Compulsory
marriage. Fellow cornered by 'maiden
fair.' A hundred pounder pointed at his
head. Marry me or die, the demand.
He yields. Paterfamilias Kent gets rid
of an unmarriageable daughter. Re
joicing accordingly. Pity the persecuted
spouse."
" Sir!"
"Madam!"
" You are insufferably Impudent
good morning I"
" Don't hurry. You may stay. Don't
want to send you away. Feel good
humored to-day, I can tolerate you.
I'll permit you to remain."
"Thank you for your excessive kind
ness. I appreciate it. It tries me sore
ly be obliged to tear myself away from
such refined and polite associations, but,
alas, I must!" And with a mock air of
deep distress, she turned and walked
away.
It was a loug time before Carruthers
followed her. He lay with his face down
wards, and hidden in his arms, think
ing. In spite of his nonchalance and
apparent indifference, this rejection had
affected him far more than Cathie im
agined. At lust he arose and went to
the hotel, having determined to treat
her as before, but never to be betrayed
into a renewal of his offer.
No one would ever have dreamed that
he cared for her In the least. She didn't
believe It herself. They met the same
as before, would take their long silent
walks upon the sand, having their cus
tomary exchange of cutting remarks,
and about one half the time she would
leave hlra to his own resources, while
she went to the house in a high dudg
eon, vowing never to speak to him
Hgain. Next day, however, he would
join her, and if she acted pettish or dig
nified, take no notice of her, until she
became affable, and then he would set
himself elaborately to work to send her
flying off' at a tangent again.
This couldn't continue alwayB. She
finally became so irritated that she
would be dignified for two or three-days
together. Then he wouldn't come near
her. In this way a coldness sprang up
between the two.
Somehow or other she got into the
habit or taking a boat, rowing out quite
a distance from the shore, and then Idly
drifting about, becoming deeply Im
mersed in the pages of some popular
novel.
Otie day, just as she was preparing to
embark on her usual excursion, a hand
was laid upon her arm. Turning around
she saw Frank.
" Excuse me, Miss Cathie," he said,
'but it Isn't safe for you to go out to-day.
Sky looks shaky. You might get drown
ed.' " Why, the sky has scarcely a cloud
in It."
" See the little one off there, near the
horizon. Chock full of danger. By-and-by,
growing larger all time, it will
burst, and then thedev the deuce, I
mean will be to pay."
" Nonsense, sir, It's all your fancy.
I'm no nervous idiot. Your interfer
ence is officious. I'm perfectly capable
of taking care of myself."
" Are you ? Glad to hear you say so.
Doubt it, however."
" Sir, you"
" Good morning!" And lifting his hat
he was off before she had time to finish
her sentence.
" The insufferable puppy !" she mut
tered, as she got into the boat; "I'd
like to box his ears. He'll be telling me
next what I ought to wear. He better
not attempt it;" and she emphasized
this challenge by sitting down so ab
ruptly and unevenly, that the boat al
most tipped over. Cathie had a temper
of her own, you tee.
Setting vigorously to work, she soon
pulled out quite a distance from shore ;
then, drawing in her oars, she took up
her book and commenced to read. Some
books are unpleasant, others are thril
ling, more are dull, but the book Cathie
was perusing belonged to none in this
category. It was humorous, witty,
frenzylng, awe-inspiring. It contained
erudite research, Intense dramatic situa-
tions, a gracefully modelled style, in
fact, all the merits that can be found in
a work of fiction. The ungrateful pub
lic didn't appreciate it, despite all its
beauties. It only ran through one edi
tion. Cathie was very much interested
Interested ? rather absorded for the
sky darkened, the cloud increased, the
waves rose, the boat rocked, and yet she
read on, unconscious of impending dan
ger. At last theie came a peal of thun
der, a flash of lightning and a fall of
rain. Then the spell of her enchant
ment was broken. Dropping the book,
she guzed about her in a bewildered way.
This inactivity lasted but for a moment.
She seized the oars and began her des-
iterate struggle for life. She pulled
with almost superhuman energy. The
little boat flew over the foam-orested
waves, dashing the spray with Its prow
and around her. When near the line of
roaring breakers that dashed upon the
beach, and which she trusted in Provi
dence to weather, a huge surge came
rolling shoreward. It caught the tiny
craft In its grasp, whlled It wildly
around, for a few moments, and then
turned it bottom upwards. Cathie did
not remain in the boat a second after
the catastrophe. She probably thought
it unsafe. At any rate, whatever her
reasons were, she made a hurried and
exceedingly unladylike exit. Her head
went first and her feet followed after in
a direct pel pendicular. She was insensi
ble at the time or she probably would not
have consigned herself to the arms of
eager Neptune in such an indecorous
and non-committal manner.
When she came to consciousness, her
first Impression was, that, still reclining
upon the bosom of the mythical god of
the sea, she occupied the palace of some
deep-sea nabob. The only thing want
ing to render thU Idea obvious was the
palace. She was confident that some
body's arms encircled her, and that her
head reclined upon somebody's bosom
shirt-bosom. Yes, she felt it was a shirt-
bosom, but maybe the gods wore shirts.
Why not V It was possible that some
one of the deities, more enterprising
than the rest, had gone into the busi
ness, and Neptune was one of his
customers.
She determined to see the face of her
companion. It took her some time to
get up enough courage to do so. Final
ly, with one quick glance she accom
plished the deed. Could she believe her
senses? Hardly, so she looked again.
"O, what a fall was there, my country
men I" All her bright fancies crumbled
into dust, for, instead of the awe-inspiring
countenance of the amphibious
sovereign, Bhe saw the grinning visage
of that horrid fellow, Frank Carruthers
She felt fairly heart-sick. Twice this
matter-of-fact mortal had destroyed her
romance. Ills first misdemeanor had
been on the day that he proposed to her,
in not raving and tearing about, at her
refusal of Lis love ; the second, to-day,
in not being a god. She was angry, and
her face Bhowed it so plainly that he
saw it.
" Don't seem pleased to see me," he
said. "Ought to be. If I hadn't come
along in time, you'd been food for the
fishes. Like that V"
" No sir, nor do I enjoy your dis
gusting familiarity. You will release
me."
" Not if I know it. Too much trouble
in bringing you here. If I let go you'll
full back into the ocean. This ledge we
are sitting on is too narrow for two per
sons. You must stay where you are,
you can't help yourself."
She saw the truth of his remark, and
submitted to circumstances in a very
ungratious manner. Frank saw her
dislike to the situation, but said noth
ing he smiled maliciously, merely
After they had sat in silence for nearly
an hour, Cathie broke the bonds that
held their tongues.
" How did you come to rescue me V"
she asked. " What brought you out in
such a storm as this V"
" Rowing for fun. The storm caught
me. Knew this place, so I made for it
Saw you, tossed about In your boat.
Took you for a pretty village girl I'm
in love with. Pulled for you. Found
out my mistake after I reached you
Seeing I had gone so far, thought
might as well finish it. Caught you as
you came up on a wave, and dragged
you into the boat. Then I struck for
this place. Reached here in safety.-
After considerable gymnastics, got you
safely landed. That's the plain unvar
nished tale."
" So you took me for a gawky country
girl V I would have thanked you
for your unintentional kindness, but
can't forgive that."
"Don't. You might feel compli
mented at the mistake. She's pretty.'
" Indeed !"
"Just sol"
" How long shall we have to remain
here ?"
"Probably until morning."
" O dear, I am tired, cold and hun
gry!"
" Put your arms around my neck."
"Sir!"
" Put your arms around my neck."
"I won't."
" Then fall Into the ocean. I'm going
to take mine away from your waist."
Cathie did as she was bid. He drew
from his coat pocket a package, wbloh
on being opened disclosed a lot of sand
wiches.
"Eat 'em!"
"No, thanks."
"Eat 'em!" .
"All right, thank you. They were
for the country girl, I suppose."
' Yes, meant to elope. Could set up
housekeeping with 'em."
"That's so."
Cathie began to eat and Carruthers to
whistle. They did not fall to talking
again after she had finished. Presently
it grew darker. Night came on rapidly.
There was not a star visible ; everything
seemed shrouded in a pitchy blackness.
The storm had been gradually decreas
ing, and now, although the seas were
still verj high, a boat could weather
them. Frank gave up all hope of de
liverance until morning. He told Cathie
so. She bore it quite heroically, con
sidering her repugnance to being held
in the arms of any gallant except a Bea
god or something of that kind.
" Go to sleep," Frank said.
"O, mercy, no Indeed, I wouldn't if I
could. Don't mention such a thing."
He kept quiet. Yet, in spite of her
vigorous disclaimer, by 10 o'clock Bhe
was fust asleep, and did not awake until
morning.
She was rather ashamed of herself.
He was tired, sleepy and hungry, al
though he didn't say anything about it.
They didn't look extraordinarily hand
Some as they sat there; she, frownzy
and untidy, he, white and worn.
" Have I been asleep, I wonder ?" she
said, blushing. "I didn't mean to!"
" Since 10 o'clock. How awfully you
do snore. If I had heard you, with
out knowing who it was, I should have
thought it wag some elderly male or fe
male, obesely inclined."
" Indeed, O dear!"
" Thanks."
" What for V"
" You called me ' dear.' "
"I did not!"
" You did. I return the compli
ment." " Hark, what's that V"
"Oars; by Jove, somebody is out
after us. They're around the corner of
the cliff."
" They won't go off and leave us, will
they y"
" Not if I can make noise enough for
them to hear."
" I'll risk that."
"Thanks!"
" Welcome."
" Boat ahoy I" shouted Frank.
" Where away V" answered a voice.
"Here!"
"Where's here?"
" Come and find out."
" Are you on Comfort Ledge V"
" Don't know. May be that's the
name. A lie, if it is."
" I'll be there in a moment."
Frank looked at Cathie triumphantly.
She wag blushing like a peony.
" What's the matter If He queried.
" Just see how he will find us 1"'
"Pshaw, it won't amount to any
thing. He'll only tell the servants, they
their masters and mistresses, masters
and mistresses each other. Report will
say we are engaged. When I leave, it
will say you have been jilted. That's
all."
" Isn't that enough?"
" Not half as bad as it would be for
myself, I mean If it were so."
He didn't have a chance to reply, for
just then the boat came up. The fellow
in it looked as though he appreciated
their relationsliip. They goon landed.
Cathie immediately went to her room.
She did not come out of it for two days.
During that time some of her views
with regrad to persons and things alter
ed. The most thorough change of all
was the revulsion of her sentiments
toward Frank. She found out that she
loved him. When she again went down
stairs she determined to win him back
to his former allegiance ; but she was
disappointed. The bird had flown;
whether to North or South, East or
West, she could not tell. He had only
left a note bidding her good-by. It quite
overwhelmed her.
After a good long cry, she packed up
her things, and writing to her father, a
merchant in New York, telling him she
wag coming, started. II was fortunate
that she did bo. Had she stayed in
Compton Shoals brooding over her mis
fortune, it might have soured her tem
per, weakened her physically ,and spoiled
all Iter chances of success in life.
When Cathie reached home she found