Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-06-05
CHAPTER III.

Il shall cry ell the time, Frauky. !
know shall. Iwish / could die if you
are going away; it's hundred years till
Chris,mas;' and Maggie laid her little
head down on the bank and sobbed as
though her heart would break: and this
was the end of il all, nobody left to play
with. no one to plague her. for Frank waS
ugly some times, and she had told him so
too; il was no fun for her 10 have her
hair stuck full of blrrs, when il made The
tears come to get them out. and Frank
would sit by and laugh ready to kill him
self; but now be ives going away. She
could forgive hin. all; bur she could not
forget how he tore up her apron 10 make
fish line, and threw her sun-bonnet in
to the highest tree; she didn't know what
she should have done il her mother had
missed them; bui twas all past now. and
Flank was going away by sunrise the
next morning, and she never should see
him again.
Frank wouldn't cry. SO he whistled,
and sung q tune!
Its no use crying your eyes on; Mag
gle. I've got to go. suppose. anyhow;
but I'll tell you what I'll do. Bel has goi
the funniest little white kitten you ever
saw. and as they ere all going to town
for the winter next week. I'll make her
give me The kitten for you; SO you won''
be as lonesome as you were before. will
you2'
Maggie said mo- and even laughed q
lit:le; but the old sorry feeling came back
worse than ever when Frank really said
good bye and there never was more
sorowful parting than that, in the shad
ows Of those grand old trees. or sadder
heart than Maggie Lees. as she cried
herself to sleep that night, and dreamed
of Frank Percival.
The next morning Maggie crept ou'
while the faint red tinged the tree-tops
AND the bushes were wet With night dew
and there, tied TO the tree by the spring
was her kitten, and new nice story books
more than she could read in a hundred
years. she said TO herself; and 50, will
her treasures always beside her. Maggi,
grew to forget her first great grief.
-
Winter, cold and drear, had come. ant
the little brook was frozen over. and th'
bright green leaves that had made tn,
. trees SO beautiful were lying. brown an'
crisp, around the Lees co,tsge, and III
wind sighed and moaned like human
voices. in the great bare branches. while
they crsaked and swaYed in the. chilling
blast. Oh. it was so dreary! and Msggi,
Lee crept up into the broad window sea-
and laid her little cheek agains. the colo
glass. and peered out into the gathering
darkness. She was all alone, save he
white kitten, now demure old cat; anC
the fire had burned low on the hearth. ant
made strange shadows go dancing aroun'
the room, as now and then il woulC
brighten up. and then go Gown. making
it darker still; but Maggie only nestled
more closely to the window, and watch
ed the dead leaves 60 whirling along, ant
wondered what kept her mother.
How could she help her thouhis goinl
back to that long happy summer time
when Frank Percival had been her com
panion, and wondering where he was. i
he would ever come back again, it was 81
long since he had gone away, promising
TO come back when the Christmas holi
days should come; but they had passee
long ago, and she had never seen him
and another summer had come and gone
making their old haunts lonely by his sb
scence: and the old hall had been deserted
almost; only once gay party had come
down for q week or so, and when nign
was coming on, she had stolen close tt
the windows, and listened to beautiful
music floating through. and seen suci
bright and happy faces that they haunted
her for days after. but never once had she
seen the gay light-hearted Frank. Oh
she wns sure he had forgotten her! Mag
gie's home seemed different now, since
she was older. Her mother was greatly
changed; she talked more, so sosrowfu
though. that Maggie always cried, ani
longed to put her arms around her neck
and beg her 10 stop, for she said she wa.
dying. going home at last and told Mag
gle to be good; some one would take care
OF her. and all through the long nights
cough would keep sleep from her
Ieyes. and Maggie knew il was too true;
she was going home.
You will be hsppies. Maggie. than
you have ever been here; you must be
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