CHAPTER XXII.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 188, 3 November 1876, Page 6

CHAPTER XXII.

HORATIO LENJHTON TAKES A STEP FORWARD " But Primus stumbles," persisted Leighton, " and your father has ridden away on Meg," he added, holding the bridle of the pony, and giving her his hand to mount. "What matter if he does stumble," she saidj "over these horrid flat roads there is no danger." f "But we will go through the timber, and over the bluff if youVj like, and get away from these flat roads/ Marion pouted and held back. " I would do any thing to please you," he said in a whisper • " any thing but put you in danger." As he spoke, Dr. Nelson appeared, leading the censured horse, for at the first intimation of the young girl's wishes he had left the company for this purpose. " Thank you, Dr. Nelson, you are very kind," she said, beaming upon him with one of her sweetest smiles; " wont you help me to mount ? " She kissed her hand to him in parting, and the two drove down the road, one quiet crest-fallen. The physician watched the path with eager interest long after they were out of sight, till recalled by Sobriety, who came flashing by the verandah where he stood. " Thar a good piece away, nigh out of sight I reckon," she remarked. He went into the house in some confusion. " Poor Doctor," soliloquized the girl, " now he's powerful took with Miss Marion, but there aint no kinder use, she'd wear the life out on him, I reckon." The object of her solicitude did not entirely agree with her, but came suddenly to the conclusion that he would confide this matter to his friend, Mr. Benton. It could do no harm, and he was too honorable and too conscientious to take one step toward the daughter, without the sanction of the father. It was a grief to Mr. Benton to hear this manly, straightforward, humble confession of love, from the lips of n man whom he, felt was worthy to be the husband of any woman; and when the Doctor regretted that he could offer nothing but an honest heart, and a desire to work at his profession with all his might, till he could make Marion a home, the father at once assured him that neither he nor Mrs. Benton vould seek wealth or position for their child, and that he had their unqualified respect and esteem, but they could not urge her to accept any man as a husband, without the first requisite —affection. Of that he could not speak with certainty; as matters were, he thought a few quiet days of waiting would, in the end, spare Dr. Nelson's feelings; and with this the young man was obliged to be satisfied. The silence with which Marion and Leighton commenced their ride, so unlike their usual gay chattering, seemed to the young man's heart ominous of evil. It was a. delightful June morning, the tender verdure of the forest, the soft hazy clouds floating across the serene sky, were suggestive only of peace: but the perfection of inward peace rested not on Marion's brow, she looked and felt iexceedingly unamiable. The horse on which she rode had, accordng to Leighton's prophecy, twice tripped, but she held the bridle rein very tight, and assured herself there was no danger. " You are offended with me, Miss Marion ? " ventured young Leighton, wearied with the short answers and unconcerned tone of his companion. "No," she replied,carelessly; "nothing so serious as that; but you ought to know by this time that I;|don't like to be crossed in little matters." " Perhaps I am foolishly careful," he said, as if to excuse himself, at the same time reining his horse to keep near her side; '* but you know I would not cross you, except there were danger, and you must let me lead your horse down this steep bluff." As he said this, he dismounted and took Primus by the bridle. "Indeed, Mr. Leighton," she exclaimed, "I am quite competent to drive over this bluff, and must is a word I bear from nobody but my parents; it is quite provoking to bo treated like a child." She drew herself up haughtily, while he dropped the rein at once and returned to his seat in the saddle. The road grew rough and somewhat precipitous; deep indentures marked the whole length of its course, where the careful drivers of heavy teams had chained their wheels in descending. From the brow of the hill, far away at the base of the bluff, stretched the rich fruitful miasmatic bottom lands of the river, now covereSjf with the vivid green of the young crops, and the rough cabins of the inhabitants, scatterd without regularity over this fertile region, poisoned by its excess of vitality. The beautiful Illinois, with its clear limestone bed and its aparkilng waters, now subsiding after the spring rains, rolled through these teeming plains, separated from the prairies land and oak openings where our friends resided, by the steep bluff which our travellers were slowly descending. About half way down the bluff Marion discovered, among the young green of a maple, a young honeysuckle, wreathing its golden colored flowers around the trunk and among the branches. It attracted her attention, for she wanted the flower a little, but she wanted likewise to restore a more amicable state of feeling; she was somewhat sorry for her proud speech j it would be difficult to say which motive influenced her the more, but she exclaimed, as if to herself, in a tone of disappointment, pointing to the branch, "O, how beautiful! I saw one like it last summer, and this is out of reach, as that was/ Without a reply, quick as "thought Leighton was under the tree, it was still out of reach; hut he stood upon his saddle at the imminent risk of his neck, and brought away a long wreath of the sunny flowers with his riding-whip. The cloud was broken up by this act of gallantry, and Marion smiled sweetly, hanging the festoon gracefully over her hat. " Scentless, like all the prairie flowers I have seen, but quite brilliant," she said, forgetting the tight rein while arranging the wreath. Down went Primus, ploughing with his knees and neck quite a furrow in the descent, throwing Marion entirely over his head. Her foot was loosened from the stirrup, hut her dress

caught by the pommel of the saddle, preventing her escape. In a moment Lo ; c;htonwas on the neck of the horse, pressing his weight upon the fiillen animal, while he extricated her dress, and with his help she soon liapedto a moss-covered log by the roadside. "I am not hurt," bhe said, in answer to his pleading look and anxious queries, "but essentially friyh'ened. Aren't you sorry I did not break my neck?" slie added, looking up archly through the tears that had started into her <yes after the first fright; "but you don't look a bit triumphant," she continued, laying her hand on his arm. Leighton clasped the delicate fingers within his, and bending oyer her, whispered words that csiused her to look away, and suffused with a conscious blush the cheek which a moment before had been blanched with fear. He sat at her feet on the soft turf and urged his suit, telling her with all the vehemence of his nature what he would do for her sake. It was tie first tale of Jove to which Marion had listened, but even then she was measuring his capabilities. "He would win a name," he said, "a name that should be honored in the whole country, and she must help him." Her drooping eyes and softened tone betrayed the fact that her heart was not untouched, but she held backirom giving the assurance of her love with her lips. " Horatio," she said, after a pause of terrible length to him, " I do not think you ought to talk of marriage, with your mother, sister and brothers dependent upon your exertions. ' "Trust me, dearest," he replied, quickly; "in a few years I will show you what I can do, and my brothers will be old enough very soon to care for themselves." "I think we had better wait," said Marion, quite decidedly ; " I hate long engagements." " But I should lose all stimulus for exertion if I could not have your smile and voice to urge me on; I cannot go forward unless 1 can sometimes come to you as my own, and rest my weary soul in your love and confidence. I should never try for a name for my mother or sister, they would hardly care whether I gained position or no ; but for you as my own, I could move heaven and earth to win distinction." Marion listened with a pleased ear ; it charming to think that the one she really loved in her heart of hearts was ready u> strive for that which to her was all, and that he would seek honor, and wealth, and fame, only because of her. She would be his tower of strength before all; and her father had often prophesied that Leighton would be a great statesman ; already he was high in office, no long time would elapse before he would be in Congress, and then ! Her first desire was to be somebody, and to her republican tastes, what could be a more enviable position than the lady of one of the Cabinet at Washington ; perhaps— but we will not tell all the beaming visions that darted through her aspiring mind. Her lover pleaded nobly, and after many arguments and questions on her part, that would be quite disgusting to a simple, romantic jjirl, who was so old-fashioned as to think that love,- after all, was the great desideratum in such an affair, Marion was induced to give her consent that her father should be [consulted, and the matter left to him. Many of the bight hours of that sunny day sped by before either of them remembered that they would be expected at home. The horses had quickly gone to grazing, and were found with but little delay; Leighton insisted on a change of steeds for the return, to which Marion made no objection. A few words of love, and a more tender care-taking than usual beguiled the way, to these hearts that might have been so thoroughly happy, but for the worm of ambitiou, that fed secretly upon their choicest flowers. Mr. Benton was not surprised by Leighton' s declaration ; he had marked the progress of events, and was quite correct in his impression as to the position of both hearts ; this was why he had, with almost a woman's tenderness, bidden Dr. Nelson quietly wait. Marion had an undefined sensation of fear and reluctance, when her father called her the next morning, and said, in a very grave tone, "My daughter, Mr. Leighton came to me to-day, by your permission." Mrs. Benton arose to leave the room. " Lucy, my dear," he said, turning to his wife, "I have nothing to say to Marion that you may not hear." But the mother excused herself ; she was distrustful of her daughter's motives, and she was not a little distressed by her evidently ignoring all differences of faith in one she was to take ior life, but here her own example had been faulty. Mr. Benton continued : " You wish my sanction of your engagement ; is it so, my child ? " Marion blushed and hesitated. " Not exactly, papa," she said at length ; " I thought perhaps you would think it best not have any positive engagement at present." A shade of doubt, mingled with a little severity, crossed the brow of the father at these words, but he did not immediately speak. "Let there be truth here," he said at hist; "truth to yourself, and to one who wishes to be your nearest friend. There must be no trifling; you have known Mr. Leighton intimately for many months ; you can have time, a definite time — a week a month — longer if you wish, but after that your connection with Mr. Leighton must be either an acknowledged engagement, or he must be to you simply a distant acquaintance."