M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-07-09

Cu uSuluot lllC uOOI, NullC my u6dI
wept tears of blood. The little one
gazed at me, grieved and amazed, and
put up her pretty lip as if about to
cry, while the perplexed servant step
ped to the parlor door, and called my
sister out, to see who it could be thai
conducted himselfso strangely.
| heard a light step, and pleasant
voice saying:
Did you wish to see my father
sir"
| looked up. There stood a pretty,
sweet-faced maiden OF twenty, not
much changed from the dear little
sister had loved so well. | looked
at her for a moment, and then, stilling
the tumult of my heart by a nigh
ty effort, opened my arms and said:
Lizzie, don't you know me-"
Harry! Oh, my brother HaTy!"
she cried, and threw herself upon my
breast. She wopt as if her heart
would break.
Icouldn not weep. drew her gent
ly into the lighted parIor, and stood
with her before them all.
There was a rush and cry of Joy,
aud then my father and mother
sprangtowards me, and welcomed me
home with heartfelt tears. On,
strange andpassing is such greeting
to the waywon wandererl And as 1
held my dear old mother to my heart,
and grasped my fathers hand, while
Lizzie still clung beside me, felt that
all was not yet lost, and though an
other had secured lite's choicest bless
ing, many a JOY remained for me in
this dear sanctuary Of home.
There were four other inmates
Of the room who had risen on my sud
den entrance. One was the blue. eyed
child whom had already seen, and
who now stood beside Frank Ches-
ter, clinging to his hand. Near by
stood Lizzie Moore, Mary's eldest
child, and in a distant corner, to
which she had hurriedly retreated
when my name was spoken, stood a
slender figure halfhidden by the heavy
window curtains that fell to the floor.
When the first rapturous greeting
was over, Lizzie led me forward with
tinid grace, and Frank Chester
grasped my hand.
"Welcome home, my boy" he said,
with the loud cheerful tones | remem-
bered SO well. "You have changed
SO that | should never have known
you, But no matter for that; your
heart is in the right place you know"
Chow can you say he is changed"
said my mother, gently. "To be sure,
he looks older, graver, and more like
a man, than when he went away, but
his eyes and smiles are the same as
ever. 1t is that heavy beard that
changes him. He is my boy still"
"Ay, mother" | answered, sadly,
81 am your boy still"
Heaven help mel Atthat moment
| felt like a boy, and it would have
been q blessed reliefto have wept up
on her bosom, as Ihad done in my in.
fancy. But kept down the beating
of my heart and the tremor of my lip,
and answered quietly, as l looked in
his full handsome face:
"You have changed, too, Frank,
but | think for the better"
ooh, yesl thank You for the COM
pliment," he answered with hearty
laugh. "My wife tells me grow
handsomer every day"
"His wife!" Could I hear that
name and keep silence still?
"And have you seen my little girl9"
he added, lifting the infant in his arms
and kissing her crimson cheek. 81
tell you, Harry, there is not another
in the world. Don't you think she
looks very much as her mother used9"
every much,'' | faltered.
"Hal!" cried Frank, with a sud
denness that made me start violently,
81 have forgotten to introduce you to
my wife. | believe you and she used
to be playmates in your young days
eh, HarryW and he slapped me on
the back. "For the sake ofold times,
and because you were not here at the
wedding. I'll give you leave to kiss
her once; but mind, old fellow, you
are never to repeat the ceremony
Come, here she is, and | for once want
to see how you will manage those
ferocious lnustaches ofyourS in the op-
Grafton"
He pushed Lizzie, laughing and
blushing towards me! A gleam OF
light and hope, almost too dazzling to
bear, came over me, and cried out
before l thought:
"Not Mary"
betrayed my secret to every one
IN the room. But nothing was said
Even Frank, in general so obtuse, this
time was silent. / kissed the fair
cheek of the wife, and hurried to the
silent figure at the window.
."Mary-Mary Moore" | said in a
low, eager voice, shave you no well