The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-02
selected story.
! THE OLD MIRACLE,

The children went laughing and singin.
down towards the village, the clouds beeal
to pile up in the west for the coming sunset
and the first flush of spring beauty tinned the
hills and wo IDS with peculiar radiance (
AS they stood in the grove-Annie Linn
and Charles Manson-the rush of the rive
below, and the voices 81 the children from The
road, u lngled together like the bass and so
prano some exquisite melody; but if the,
.lbeard it at ALI waSwith the Impotence which
scomes over one when happy sounds break il
upon restlessness and trouble.
: She had come down there to bid him fare
swell--not from any girlish desire for quarre
Which ends in a pleasant reconciliation, bu
from settled conviction OF the necessity O
the step, which, once taken, must be irrevo
bcable, ia H. asiul ii .siia .i,It4 t.8IfI.l ia I
Ihey were both young. A year before the,
had been Tor short time, engaged but al
that had long since been broken off. and thi
last interview was a great deal worse thai
useless, though, perhaps, without it neithe
could have brought their minds to regar
that book in their lives as completely closed
'ssS Charles Manson was the eldest son of
Z. widow. He had been spoiled, handsome DO,
-Ifear he was wayward, reckless man jus
one OF those young fellows whom evelybod,
likes, and whose agreeable qualities and fac
ulty OF making friends prove their own great
est snale and temptation.
should have made one execution when
said everybody ikedCharley for old Mr.. Lin
had detested him from his boyhood. He was
close,hsted, grim old chap, who always pray
led as II he ment to Tighten the angles int
"a doing their duty, who had toiled incessantl,
rail- his life, and could not understand whi
anybody should expect an existence at al
different. 4a ~ ~
'"'- Now, as a boy, Charley would not work
except to attain some special object. He hat
ed farmers life, and was determined to 90 t.
college. He had accomplished that by DIM
got sacrifices on his mothers part-those few
words tell the story of her life-and consider.
liable labor on his own. He played tutor dur
ing the vacations: distant relative helped
him, and SO he went on \, !. 10 a.. sl...sr
But, alas, during the last year of his cours,
everything changed. Charley made the &C
quaintance ofan entirely different set-youne
men OF fortune and expensive habits, whom
he ought to have avoided-and his natura
disposition did the rest. He left college yer
% natured people said he wa
nexpelled- and the next the village heard @
sahim he was in London, but whether in bust
.sness nobody knew. T. 'fga ,e'-.a .aI. p
~ i, Before he came home, old Mr., Linn discoy
aeered the engagement existing between hin
hHand Annie, and, with his usual peremptor
ness, broke it off at once. ~ q" '1
Charley wrote her scores of reproach(l,
Letters, which her father coclly burned befor
her eyes. Then long silence-then terrible
STORES OF his bad habits and dissipation. No
'oDody ventured to question the widow, for sh,
was one OF those women whom even yilag,
gossip dld not care to approach with theil
anected sympathy and ill-concealed CURIOSITY
Las she sat In her place at church, people no
,astieed how, week after week, the smooth hal
gained an added tinge of gray, and the patieu
Lines around her mouth deepened with hid
den anxiety and trouble ''-
%" Annie met her but seldom, and then Their
was but little conversation between them
never word concerning the subject which
hiied both their hearts,. Mr.. Linn had for
bldden any intercourse between the families
but tie widow had known him too long not tt
understand the truth, and exonerate Annie
from all blame in the matter. eT.
..o Old Linn, loved money. If Charley hat
ipeen as steady as young Scion he woul(
not nave given him his daughter. 1t wa
convenient that the young man offered hi m .
reasonable excuse for the course he pursued
% iAnLie held her father in great awe. Sh
had inherited the feeling from her mother
who, ten years before, had faded into he
grave perhaps clad that, for once, she coul
90 something in peace and quiet The neigh
Dofs talked still about her resignation; tn
Old lninister often alluded to her death-be,
..as the most edifying scene he had ever wit
Isuppose Mr.. Linn was sorry. Her bealtl
had been failing for long time, and she ba(
been Obliged to neglect her dairy, and tina
fact helped to support HIM in his bereaye
ment. 81 &8sa fss E m
He never married again, and Annie grew
up under the shadow OF her fathers presence
and the tyranny of two elder brothers. VIII,
were really prototypes of their parent. On,
Oh tnem was married now, and his bustling
actlve wife gave Annie word of good
advice, and set her face against Charles Man
son, and all belonging to him, with a praise
worthy pertinacity. 341li't q
There they stood in the maple grove. will
tne sunset gathering about them, and the
Diack sorrow swOopiRg down over their soul
.sAke The heavy clouds that lowered above tn,
radiance of the west. - :
!. lie had been pleading so earnestly. Blu
though her heart trembled beneath his word
ana sWayed towards him with old affection
MS passionate language beat vainly agans
the fortitude with which her IDEAS of dut-
and right had armed her. aulas gucJ
You never loved me" he exclaimed. wit
all mans seltshness and cruelty. You ar
cold and hard-you can't feel" i-.l.a
y She only shivered a little-her tears ha
crowded back upon her heart, and refused t
flow. 1t seemed to her that they were slow
freezing there, and would press life out be
F"Why don't you speak ?" he said. "Yo1
See me going crazy before your face. and vii
not speak word to me-"
slowly. 'no ""'"ei0'
linen you give me up? you cast me off. a.
everybody else has done? 4 have not lied t.
you never pretended that was poo(
r ma put you might make me what vol
80, Charley, Charley v-tbe uttterance,, .
the old familiar name was like y sohN.;
YOU cannot be all that YOU ought from
higher reason, no efforts Of mine would avail
g.i"They would-they would p - " ''
81 She shook her head sadly, retaining all tb,
while her forced composure, though inwardi,
She trembled so that she could hardly stand
"They have made you hate me,"'he ex
claimed. '.You look upon me as monster
Alter all, how am SO much worse thai
other men? If the truth were known, ha
these sanctimonious people who abuse m
have done things worse than" . - a.
she put up her hand pleadingly, and b
stopped. She could not bear to hear hin
iatteinpt such self-justification, With he
I nh Feelings, the excuses of which h,
y aau peen guilty, appeared much more ter
ii e.S 'Iah ,ney would have done to a woman
VI sue Moiio put She loved him in spite O
everything, for when did s,,cL -, aP'eo 49, y
change affection? rat1-SN No"''' o'e'
$50, Charlesw she said suddenly. sf,r Won,
own sake, for your mothers, be true 10 y yrn
selt-make your life all that it ought to be y
What do care for myself? As for m,
mother she has son to depend upon-I am
end.o NJ " q - ~ 49, nv"
you are breaking my heart. Do not max,
us all SO miserable" = :
, que lung her hands with a sudden passion
WHICH Startled him
that, with his impetuous nature accn "y Ie
20 eve vent to every feeling, he had at times
accused her OF want of feeling, '''i -
~ Is my heart which is BREAKING y bo nm
s s Annie, don't throw me or ~ S,'i
SEM siGf me away utterly desperate ''on
Won o9 1ou n n@t lost every hope in the world
sOu Hi = not to be that 1 can never be
mi yihils to you-my father will never per- n
this your loye?p "'o oe'ween usf
said ny s. duty IS stronger than my love- she
'''u' ana 1 shall obey. Were alone in the
'l.f ..a- ..l.f,l.a. ID fEt+- q