The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-08-06

The reason that Maggie 80 loved her, and was
blind to her many glazing faults, was, that they
had been brought up together on adjacent Farms,
had PLAYED together in babybood, and learned 10
love each other as they pursued the samc ssuuie'
in the district school.
In the long summer times, Maggie would carry
her spinnine.wheel across the meadows over TO
farmer Smiths, and they would SPIN togetner Oh
the long, wide, cool porch, ever which ne grape-
vines were clambering, and they would have sucn
fine times, and spin SO many more knots In a Gay,
than if one wheel buzzed It's unchorussed song all
day alone. =
Then the next week, Nellie would fetch her
wheel over to farmer Townsend's, and away up
in the third story, most big enough for q ball
room, with it's eight Window open. the two happy
girls would trip backwards and forwards, merrliy
singing and laughing, from cool daylight I'LL
the dreamy haze of twilight admonished them OF
rest.
In a few weeks a young nan who had accom-
panied James, to assist in taking out two other
horses, returned, and when We all gathered around
him, to hear the news, he commenced back at the
time thev left Sylvan Dell, and told us all, on
until they arrived there.
He said three days before they reached their
place of destination, something broke about the
wagon, and while James and he were cutting a
stout pin of hickory to mend 1t temporarily,
Maggie, who was tired, got out to walk a while.
and went on until she came to where the roads
forked, and there she had to sit down and wait
until they came up. He said they had it for a
Joke on her, and made a good deal of sport OF it.
This In itself was a simple little incident, and not
worth relating, but it proved like a hemp-seed,
or an acorn. Alas, for poor erring human ma
turei
The next day l was in the village, and heard
that Maggie had got angry, and got out OF the
wagon, and walked on, on, until she became ex-
hausted and could go no further.
And the next day, as the story gather q, they
said she had ouarreled with James, and got out
of the wagon, and swore she would not ride
another mile. The next week after, Mollie was
at our house, and she told us that it was a fact,
that Maggie walked or all the rest of the way,
and wouldn't cook a bite for them, nor sleep in
the wagon of nights, and that James was most
crazy, and the talk was, that he was coming back
to Ohio alone.
So the story went on, andi was confined almost
wholly to those who were the recipients OF Mag
gie's generosity. Oh, it was base, inhuman, to
repay the gentle-hearted, loving Maggie thus
1t seemed that of all Maggie's friends, Mollie
should have most resented the foul islander, but she
seemed to love it, as a carnivorous animal gluts
itself on putridity.
Two weeks had elapsed, and we all met at
Maggie's Uncle Johns, to help Ida finish her new
sun-1ower quilt. Uncle John had gone to the
| Office. expecting a letter from his relatives in the
west, and so the conversation naturally turned
upon Maggie and James and now the story was
| ripe-dead ripe, and Mollie-selfsh, demon
hearted Mollie, q feel as if I'd never like the
name of Mollie any more had the Satisfaction of
telling 90 that awful story just as thy had told 1T
to her." They said that Maggie did act too bad,
that when she slept in the woods alone at night,
James would beg of Mr.. Graham, the young man
who accompanied them, to go and coax her not TO
expose herself so he thought may be she would
heed him, but that she didn't care for James any
more, and he had no influence over her.
And they do saw said Mollie, lowering her
voice, .s there was talk of Mr.. Graham and her
running off together, and that James found it
out and that is why young Graham came back to
this SO soon. Oh, it is awful, but | always
thought she wasn't the woman some folks took
sOh. mercy" screamed Ida, bursting into the
room where the ~quilters were, 90 here is father
with a letter from the west, and it has a black
seal Oh, On ~ and she sank into the nearest
chair.
Uncle John came right in with an excited air,
and pushing his hat back off his moist brow,
broke the ominous seal, and read aloud as fol-
lows:
DEAR UNCLE.-Our precious Maggie is no
more Last Sunday a little sore came in that
winsome dimple in her chin, and as it grew
larger, and more painful, others broke out all
over her face and neck, and in five days she was
among the angels. The doctors called the disease
putrid erysipelas. She died happy, and rejoicing
IN her Savior. Our home is broken up; my
babes motherless myself distracted. She had
just finished a long letter to her dear friend Mol
lie. She left nearly all her clothes for her, and
many valuable books and presents. l will send
them by express. Pray God, dear uncle, that He
may give me abundantly OF his grace and faith
and strength to look upward and bear my heavy
affection. Your stricken relative,
JAMES GRAY.
l looked at Mollie; she was wringing her hands
and saying, " Oh, God forgive me! Oh, my poor
injured, loving, lost Maggie!''
That was a bitter lesson for us all, and has
wholly cured poor Mollie of tattling, and mag
nifying little stories, and traducing her neigh
bors.
May others profit by it, too-in that hope was
it written.-Arthur's Home Magazine.