Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-12-30
WILMINGTON. DECEMBER 30 1859

lessly marrcd, completely spoiled.
AS it was, there were some who sunereu
deeply Chief among these was Charlie
oakhcur,,a young gentleman who earned his
bread by the sweat of his brow. lie was
good looking, intelligent, well-informcd'
with refined manners and cultivated tastes.
Mr. Shortcake esteemed him highly. and
freely invited him to his house. There he
went down like ruined tower before the
batteries which forever played from Alices
eyes and lips, ,---from every dlmple oil her
face and curve of her figure. Like the gar
rison of such tower, he surrendered at dis
cretion, but for all that, pleaded for mercy.
There were times when he hoped TO receive
it. His proud young conqueror had fits OF
relenting, moods of compassion. Those
wonderful eyes would beam upon him some
times in such a way that he felt sure she
would spare him. That enchanting voice
had occasional tones in it that seemed to
binding up of wounds.
Other times he would be'in despair. Re-
lentless, remorseess, eyes and voice and all
the other artillery threatened his hopeless
destruction.
Such was the case last Christmas Eve. She
had no computations that night. Clothed
with pride as with garment, fenced with
hauteur as with chain mail, completely vic
torious and lnsolently triumphant, she de-
rided his pretensions, Knocked at his pangs,
laughed at his proifered allegiance.
Mr.. Charles OIkheart went home with
bruised spirit and disconsolate mind, The
glad Christmas season had no joyousness
for him. The brooding sky was the only
thing in accord with his feelings
Miss Alice Shortcake having insultcd as
many people as she conveniently could,
having shown herself as undutiful o daugh-
ter as possible, having trampled on as many
tender emotions as she could bring under
her small feet, went gleefully up stairs to
her apartment and retired to partake OF the
calm slumbers of tie just.
When the night was deadest and darkest
she heard u strange voice say sCome." She
opened her eyes with start. A dim ligh
filled the room, u little brighter than wher
she turned the gas down to mere spark be
fore getting into he'd. Nobody was visible
and she lay still, closing her eyes again. Th'
call was repeated, louder than before, ant
with tone of authority, "Come.' He
heart beat very fast, so fast that she wa
obliged TO sit up in bed, to relieve hersel
from feeling of sitting. She tried to ask
l a. xrrNtn ind 1xuoY
faint whisper. She stretched out her ham
TO ring for n servant, but the bell-pull oh
stinately refused to move at her touch.
Once again the unknown voice SAID
.Come." with SO imperative tone tha
Alice, filled with indcfnable terrors, dare
not disobey. The sound came from ju!
: outside her door, which, most strangely
was partly open. The girl rose from hi
dainty bed, hastily threw some carmen
? about her, and looked out into the hall. Ill
+ same dim light shown there as in her ow
@ apartment. BY its unearthly glare she SO
s a shadowy, vagucly-outlincd form glide
n the stairs leading to the upper part OF I'll
/ house, and there disappear, first beckonir
@ in a commanding manner. There we
j. many reasons why Alice should scream,
d faint, or dart back into her own room al
q hide under the bed-clothes. She was co
n scious of a wish to do one or all OF thes
II hut her will wys no longer entirely her ow
Size felt her eii compelled to follow th
mysterious ii sure, which had summon
n her so haugt,ily.
IN Doing 50, sl.. found herself in lar
/ room in the n,ansarde, as the French G.
1.-THE garrei, as it used to be denominat
in the plain days, when plain English W
re useu. The light had steadily increased
;s she a>cended the stairs, and the apartme
), in which she now stood was brilliantly III
~ minated. 1t was the lumber-room to viii
ie had been consigned such old fashioned fur
D. ture as had survived the removal from w
nut street. AS she entered 1t her CLAN
:. lighted upon cradle, which she had OIL
ie heard spoken of as the one in which she b
1t been rocked TO sleep when she was ii
or child.
n As she looked at it standing there,
: place about it seemed to change. 1t was
le longer the attic, with its disordered piles
h. disused goods, but a comfortable nurse
e Neither was the cradle npty, for she caul
a a glimpse of flushed childish face and
:, curls tossing restlessly on the pillow.
W one side of the cradle knelt a woman,
es face pale and tear-stained; on the other
ed sat man, holding watch in one hal
~ while the other rested on the child's WI
I'm and down the room another man '
'h walking, sometimes wringing his han
'ss sometimes stopping to bend over the era
X with an attitude of the most tender ankle
\, In the silence of the night Alice CO
u" hear them speak, though in faint tones, a
@; they were far away. She distinguished
sobs of the womer, mingled with the m
ON endearing terms ac i'essed to the child
4 heard the calm comforting utterances OF
80 physician, Interrupted by the lalnenune
les the other figure. The voices and the ia
ler rrew more and more familiar. Gre
FIR changed. they were still the features and
a., donations of her own father and mother
vi the family doctor. The mothers hair
My plentiful and brown, not mixed with 6
vas as she was accustomed to see it, The fatf
md heard was dark, with only here and the
line of silver, and his form had an appa
neu elasticity, unfamiliar to her. The do
ux- also seemed much younger man..
the was the child, then, for whom with
ab strange looks they we're so greatly conc
-, ed? Even as she mentally asked the q
oiu, tion, her mother said.
5 in "Oh, Alice, my darling, my dear,
aim child! How can part with your
Al, can bear to have you leave me p
u,' 1t was herself, then, over whom
ien7 watched.
her Another voice spoke now, near aud
tinct. :, -,
, III ssNot once Alone" it said, ''but III
OIL many times those three watched owe
mu- little Alice. Through manya day of d
,ood through many night Of anguish, they
rect. wayered in their love or faltered in
.ra PRAYERS. A days carelessness, an hours
aie ge iulness, might have cost your life,
lme- Ihey were always careful and they neye
IS is rot You have outlived your feeble
yery and stand there tonight, splendid IN be
80 vigorous in health. sUuder the All-f
lhce' YOU owe IL to them. Their faces are
lines and wrinkled, and their eyes are dim.
astes wakeful nights, and anxious thoughts
and pitying tears for you, have helped to
away the color and smoothness and b
lous, ness. But ia their hearts the founta
ceful love for you springs fresh and pure to-l
and as when you lay helpless baby with
NJ a, full. pleading eyes aud nerveless, purpo
saa hands. How have you paid them bac
ahu She was so startled and surprised tn
had no word to answer. The voice w
led to iirely strange to her. 1t was a mt
Alice pleasant voice, yet with just dash Of
ness in it, indicating a marked indiyid,
vlgor .ttJow have YOU paid them back