The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-12-17
MARGARET MERLYN.
WRITTEN FOR THE ST. CLOUD JOURNAL,
BY MRS. JANE G. sW1ssHELM.
CHAPTER v.

The spring work was done, and the
children had started to school. The
late June roses were shedding their
leaves, and Margaret sat by her little
window. 1t was late in the afternoon,
and she had been out since eight in
the morning. Warm and weary she
had laid aside her street dress and DON
ned wrapper and unbound her hair,
which some way of late had grown bur
dsnsome. After her parting with Ed
ward Strofynder, she only asked to be
left alone. The family physician said
there was danger Of brain fever; but
the fever did not come, only slight
palsy motion of the head, which would
shake as though making gentle pro-
test against the great grief the poor
heart was called upon to suffer. Then
the lich brown hair had come to feel
heavy to the poor trembling head. The
thought Of cutting it off had come up
during her threatened illness, but elf
q woman have long hair it is a glory
to her." and all her friends had 90
gloried in hers that sevcring it from
her head appeared like amputating a
limb. AS she sat now on low stool,
resting her elbow on the window sill,
= part Of it swept the floor while she
held handful on her lap and examin-
ed it intently. Her mother came softly
in and found her thus. Jcaunie was
asleep below and Willie binding shoes.
"The girls' we're at school, and quiet
reigned in the dwelling, The soft air
stirred the white curtains; and her
mother, gently as the sighing air, drew
a seat and sat by her daughter, laying
her hand upon her shoulder and say
ing:
"What is it, aarling?''
Looking up with a puzzled air, she
replied:
II have been thinking how long it
is in turning grey?'
"What grey, dcar.'
"My hair, mother. See, there is oot
a grey thread in it,"
The patient sufferer did net dream
Of the revelation she had made, until
her mother, with sudden pang, drew
her head to her bosom and said:
"You are not yet twenty-five, Mar
ga.et t!'
"Oh, yes, I know; and do not let
me vex you, mother, with my foolish
fancies; but some how I seem to be
old. 1t must be long time to live in
the vorld-three score and ten years.
But forgot, mother; I attended the
examination, and did not tell you yet.
I passed well enough, and will get a
certificate, but there vas such crowd
Of applicants it does not appear right
for me to take 4 school if I could get
one. If l we're = boy I could get a
place in Mr.. Tbompson's store, but I
guess Miss Simpson is right. There
is not much a woman can do. I have
sent several articles to editors, aud tried
to get employment as a writer. They
are willing to publish tho articles, but
cannst pay for them, and" here she
dropped hor face upon her mothers
knee and continued, "I have been
thinking I would like to 60 West.
""Go " est, love. Where?"
II do not know. Any where. There
must be work in the West for all. Our
young men go West to make their for
tunes. If my brothers had lived they
would most likely have gone West. I
onght to take the place of a son to you,
and go out and make way 10 the
wo, ID for the younger children. Think
It is right, and that it would be best
for me p
"My dear child. The cases are very
different. Your brothers might go ont
into the world if they had lived, but a
woman needs the protection of home
1 could not let you 60 from me |"
"Does not God protect women, moth
or? and do not men need homes as
much as they? We must have some
better way Of living than this. Would
you have the girls grew up and live
like those two desolate women over
thers7 New England is filed with
suoh. Its ferale.Iabor market II over
stocked J" looking up and smiling siok.