The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1865-05-12
considering tho words were burning in Q
my heart.

TO DC 80 hghtiy won!
"Love me-" he answered.
swell. yes-a little-tnaybe" I"
suppose that answered his turn. for di.
rectly he grew gay and glad. and made the
air ring with his wild tunes and pleasant
jests, till. at last, all agreed we never had
spent so hlithe day on the meadow.
"what's douce to some sdour to others, "
as | have heard the proverb run, in the
tongue my mother brought with her when,
child with speech Of her own, she came
from Scotland to these foreign shores Of free
dom.
And Donald went to the city to be clerk
in great importing house, and the boat was
sold. and Ned was of and away to the In
dies; and hencefor,h, if Susan and wanted
samphire. there was tho bridge across, and
the ferryman, but that was all.
Donald's mother was always an ambi.
tious body. and nowise willing he should stay
at home. and milk the cows, and plow the
field, and reap the harvest, as his lorefathers
had done since ever they left the bonny
Tweedside, and settled in America for they
cmigrated long before my mothers people
brought her here; and being longer estab
lished. they felt what in the old country
would be called priority of rank over us
latsr comers: so Donald's mother would
have him great man, with his money and
his wits ready coined, and white hands, and
geuteel ways as the Great Mosul himself
Law me! when younsster used to take
the Great Mogul for an elephant, and don't
rightly know his bearings to this day.
Well, first along, Donald wrote thought
gloomy; and my letters to him were like the
light between riven clouds, he said; but
in those days the mail didn't come bothering
and disappointing you five or six times day {:
it was odd II we got letter from Donald
much short of fortnight old You may
guess how counted the time till mail day /;
how it it stormcd, or frozc. or parched. it
was still the sweetest day that ever gathered
to dawn and smiled from east to west how
| dressed in my finest clothes, and watched
and listened. -.
But one day, /. was all in vain.
''No letters for Christine Miller!" sang
out our postmaster-a saucy old rough. who
would have called King solomon himself by
his Christian rame-"who'd have guessed
he'd forget yc a'readyg'
"Who. indeed :" thought l."
Oh, but the next fortnight was bitter long !
and though letter came it planted thorn
in my side.
al am fast making friends" he wrote !;
"my employer has two agreeable daughters,
who often make my evenings pleasant, and
keep me out OF harms way, as mother would
say"
"Harm's way!'' thought I. IF that's
out OF ii, where next p
But therc was more yet,--see, here it is
now; how yellow i, has grown! it drops in
pieces ut n touch. like the dear dust of its
writer. Oh. to think that his hand and his
thought fashioned these very words; that
his eyes bent above them; that they are a
part of him-of him-of whom have no
part! Oh. Donald! did you know how
much loved you?
Put them up. There's no need Of them.
| learned every word by heart. as one would
u biz of poetry, without heed; more spirit.
ed girl would have burned them all, or
truer wife but IL couldn't.
So he went on to say: "Christine, dear,
couldn't you take little more pains with
your or,hography and etymology9 You left
an out of affection. and grated it upon
afraid; your hand is rather cramped; and,
notice. it is you for using your verbs ut hap.
hazard"
Who ever picked love.letter to pieces like
that? "Ile's getting ashamed Of me-" I
cried, and flung the letter behind the back.
log; hut the fire was out, so picked it up
again. aa
Then hunted up my Murray, and tried to
wrigsle the verbs into place; and wha. with
a scrid Of cid Bailey's Dictionary, and prac-
,icing my hand daily, my next letter did my
heart good; but, dear heart. his answer ran
"Do remember that two negatives in q
sentence are equal to an Affirmative or,
when you say, Il don't care for no one as |
do for you shall be obliged either to doubt
you, or fight my rival"
Now couldn't see that!
Well, some times got letter after this,
and sometimes didn't; but always he found
50 much fault with mine that I nearly gave
up in despair, and wrote only seldom.
In the mean while he came twice for a
week. and in that timo took me to task a.
often as a step-mother, and always harping
ON the tinc manners Of the Miss Blanks.
remember one afternoon In particularly
il was when we were going out to Farmer
Farlcy's to husking' party, and when | was
dressed he pulled me to pieces as II l had
been ras.baby.
"You've forgotten to take OF your apron,
Chistie."
"Take Oft nv snr,r, whv made n