The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-11-20

lshfathar said vnEs sssra foflin q and +
| Told him it would be Of no use. You
would not vaIt me- without my love.
Obi wFetched III that q am : To- tsliava
brought unhappiness to the roof that
sheltered nc w6 6Sn II was an orphan
and alonel' r -
1 Ifound strength to answer her,
ssDo not fear, dear Margaret You
have brought us more good than
evil, We are men. We viii conquer
ourselves like men. You shall be
our sister, when you can forgive us
for the pain we have caused you"
| went out to Abijah, who waited
for me. 2s
'T have failed also;" it was all T
could say. .SzzE1
His arms opened and clasped about
me in an embrace such as those with
which we had comforted each other
i'll boyhood. I had lost Margaret,
but I'had found again my brother.
have nothing more to say about
the sutferings that followed. It is
idle to dwell upon it. God sent it,
and we bore it manfully-I and my
brother.
The next day, there came to us O.
little note from Margaret. It was
such an one as it was like her kind
ness and delicaoy to write. She had
| chosen that mode of communication,
because she thoughtit would be easier
than to speak to us of what so nearly
concerned her own heart. She wrote
very tenderly, thanking lis far more
warmly than we deserved for our
kindness to her, O lonely orphau,
praising US far beyond our poor
merits. and telling US it would have
been scarcely possible for girl whose
heart was free to, have remained in
sensible to our devotion. For her
self, hers was not free. Before she
came to us. it had passed from her
Keeping. She had loved and been
beloved by the physician-a young
| man, poor but talented-who attend
ed her mother in her last illness.
She had never known his love for
her until he bid her farewell the day
before she left OsN ego. Then he told
her all, and though, because he must
be, for long time to come, too poor
to marry, he would not permit her
to bind herself lby any engagement,
she knew that he looked upon her rs
his future wife. She took great
blame to herself, for not having told
us this at first. If there had been a
Mrs. Smith, she was sure che should
have confided all to her; but, as there
was no actual promise of marriage,
she could not bring herself to speak
of it to us, particularly as she
never supposed it possible that she
should possess any hold upon our
hearts save the generous sympathy
which had opened them to her. She
hoped in time we should both be far
happier than she would have made
either of US. She knew us too we'll,
alas! to think we had loved her with
q love to be at once conquered; but
time and her absence, for she must
leave us now, would bring healing.
We read the letter together, and as
we finished, my brother looked up.
"We have more than enough for
two solitary men; let us make her
happy with part of it?"
He had uttered the thought that
was in my heart also. He replied to
Margarets letter, for nature had
AAANNo atoA 1io1O SiOluCdD Guuu l.. Il0
begged her to remain with us, by en-
treaties that could not be resisted;
exculpating her from the faintest
shadow of blame. and claimed her,
in behalf of us both, and for the sake
of the tender love between our dead
mother, for our sister, henceforth.
In the meantime [ wrote to DR..
Wentworth, at Oswego, informing
him that circumstances had induced
my ward to confide to me the rela-
tions existing between them, and
limiting that her dowry would be
sufficient to make their marriage pru-
dent at any time. In conclusion, I
begged leave to offer him the advice
of man who had seen more of life
than himself, not to delay his happi-
ness too late.
1t ended as we had foreseen and in
tended. We persuaded Margaret to
remain with lis until she was married,
and that was not long.
The dear child was very happy,
though / could see with what delicate
tenderness she strove not to show us
oil her Joy. We see her often, and
we like to think that she owes part
of her happiness to us. 1t is all the