The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1866-02-16
5Mistellaneuus.
A LIFE HISTORY.
A nsau,ifar s,or, al woman. r'drii,,

! loved Robert M never could love again.
was an orphan. and ircndlcSS. Being quick
with my Eecdlc, had come To Boston hoping
To find work there. Somehow chance favored
mc--lor found comfortable boar,ling.pacc,
aud nv means Oi my landlady, u paying run of
custom. went out 10y day to finish Oft dress
~. sowing with drCSs.makcrs sometimes, and
moro after they had got through and COMO
away. Robert Ellen boarded in the sano house
with me, and he liked mC from the first.
How proud | wAs of his liking, the hand.
some, manly fellow lilo was clerk IN store,
and he got through every night at six O'Clock
and often, il he could find out where | was
sewing, he would come and walk homo with
inc. This was before we were engaged. AZ
regular thing. But | shall never forget how
il used to ho during those first months before
he had asked me to marry him. never quite
knew whether h9 would como or not, so it was
something pleasant to think and wonder about
rs | at over my work. Then when saw that
ho WIS really waiting. how shy used 10 he
and how demurely us'd to walk along with
my eyes down until he .irincd mo, and then
look up ut him as II ! were altogether sur
priscd, IL was an innocent little deception
speak of IL, only sometimes like To 80 over
all those old days in my thoughts, and every
ono Ol their little memories sccm bright aud
sweet rs fresh blossoms.
had known Robert six months, when one
night, instead OF going home at once, as usual,
he asked mc to 80 out to Mount Auburn with
him. Tne days were at their longest; il was
only halfpaSt six, and there would brplcnty
Of time for u ramblc among those ilowcry paths
before they would shut tho gates aud loayo tho
dead people to their still night slumhcr. | was
glad ennugh to 90 anywhere with him and It
was very pleasant To get out OF town, anil
spend the long juno twilight among country
sights and sounds. 80 wr st OF at oncn.
How beautiful il was, walking about in
those lovely grounds. with the day just draw.
inc 10 "A close. There wcrc flowers everywhere
-lowors growing up joyously, and shaking
odOr out OF their crimson and purple cups MP
on tho still air, embleu,s of glad, grateful liio
and flowers, too, broken from their stems,
aud laid upon the graves, offerings OF love and
OF memory. TO give forth there the Slj sweet
ness OF their expiring breath, aud then ladc,
cmhlcms these OF death and woe.
IL was there, among tho flowers and the
graves, that Rober. told mo how dearly he had
grown TO love mc, and asked mc to belong to
him forever. Yes, remcmber he said that
belong to him forever. That meant, did il not,
through life and through death? Surely il
bound me-when had promised him-for all
time, and all eternity Ms well. Ii was strange,
but in the midst of my great, deep joy, u
thought came over me-what II this troth
pli-hting among the graves were an omen
what il it should bo for death and not for life ?
hut tried to hanish this lOrebOling. knew
was suprrstitiOus. naturally, So | would not
Lot myself utter the haunting thought 10 Rob
ort
When the time came for the gates to be- shut
we went out arm and arm. we two who be-
longcd 10 each other for cvermOrc. We walk
ed about for n while under the trees there in
old Crmbridsc before W. went back to town,
and the moon poured down un us flood OF sill.
vcr light II sccmcd to us that VIZ had never
scn such moOnlight--tlat we walked under
new heavens and upon new earth.
When we Gnt home We told cur land!ady-
/ good Mrs. Colcsworthy, who had been 50 kind
/ TO mc--oi our bctrothal Robert said frank
ncSs was hest in such matters, rs in all Others.
/ We could hot be- married jus, vet. Ills salary
Hwas small. aud he must save enough In h'gin
housekeeping in quiet way. In the mean
time he would want, OF course, 10 bo with me
as much as possible, and ~ il was we'll our rc'
| lation should bo understood, and then there
would hc M room for gossip.
That Now Year, however, the tirm he work
cd for raiScl his salary 50 that no shved the
money VT needed sooner than We had any hope.
and we were married the next summer, year
after our bc,ro,hal Then Robert took me
| homo. We had three rOoms-a chamber. a
kitchen, and little parlor. We thought Of a
spare bedroom at FIRST, bu. had no friends who
were likely 10 come and see us, neither had
Robert: 81 we saved that expense. What n
bright, CHEEKY home we bad, How much
pride and pleasure we took in every little con.
yenienca and adOrnmcnt, We thought we
werc lust AS happy as W. could lS: but when
another wear went bv. and with tho june roses
came a baby Girl to look up at us with her shy
sweet eyes, full of strange baby wisdom, we
found that we could 10 happier still. want
ed 10 call tho little thing Rose. because she
came when the roses came, and Robert wanted
% call ner Mary, because that was my name
80 we COMPROMISED and called her Rosemary.
think YOU never saw just such baby
never, surely, unless YOU have had n first baby
of your own. She wa. such round, rosy, Int,
dimpled, loving, sunny, bird.like little creature,
derin. how the world looked to her, and what
she was thinking about. She was u perpetual
novelty and entertainment To us. We never
tired OF speculatius about her. And 80 ten
months went by Us most happily, until It was
the March after little Rosemary came.
Then Robert took sudden violent cold. l.
came ON 10 r,in one day while he was ut the
store. lie had to attend to business, and hav-
inc no oyershoes or umbrella, went carelessly
wi,hou, them. and came home to me at night so
hoarse he could hardly speak. Ii was his last
days work.
lie, me hurry over these few terrible weeks
of suffering and suspense through which l
nurcd him. He diei in the last ot April
Before he went away from us little Rosemary
had learned to saw "papa." She said it to him
just before he died, and can never forget the
way his face kindled with life like brightness
which made ms almost hope to hold him hack
la little longer from death. lie reached out his