The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-05-20

NO. 44.
q mold OF her life, had so led and cont,o
70 ed her, that without it she felt like
T. traveller in strange land, at a plae
y where two roads meet end no guidip
q post tells their destination.
u Mioerva soon procured good situa
ton as teacher in a public school. z
l chose to copy in the Office. Fanny 40,
l Julia went to school, while Willie tool
, the place Of. a governess. No group o
children were ever happier than. Mary
freddie and the philosophical JEANNE
With Willie to tell them stori~s, and sid
Or encourage their sports. He moved
from place to place in his wheeled
chair, and despite his great infrmitv
made himself much more useful than
thousands who have free use Of all the
usual faculties. Mrs. Smith proved
unable to bear up under the wreck of
her ambition and contumcly Of the
world she worshipped. Mysteries BE-
came so much habit of her life, that
she ceased to. be able to choose the mos,
suitable place 10 which to, have g.,
turn" aud one day fell so that hrr
head struck stove and she died from
the injury.
Zelia, who had been fast exchanging
her repentance into nervous resentmen,
against the continual retroaches to
which her mother subjected her, was
oy this sad accident, recalled to the ex-
erclse Of all the better impulses of her
nature. The vain, ambitious, d,sap-
ported mother was changed by the
nalo OF death to self sacrificing
saint, and tho memory of every queru-
lous word spoken to her became mat
ter of self-reproach, and an exhortatiyn
to patience, gentleness and forbearance
The seclusion Of her life with only her
father and maid of all work. with
the visits of her children, Margaret and
the other members of the family, and
those tew true friends who never fail
to cling to the fallen or unfortunate
who make an effort to rise, made per-
haps the best possible surroundings for
her present state.
Mr. Windermere continued on Mar
garet's visiting list, and seldom a week
passed from the time of the rejected
offer, that he had not spent an evening
IN her society. He had been her stspd-
ing escort in her few visits to eyepiny
entertainments, and of course mutual
friends calculated it s'would be q
match," but her bitter and varied ex.
perlence as well as her intuitive insight
into the spiritual state of Others. had
enabled her SO to order her life toward
him. as to win gradually the place of
friend, counselor and confdant, so that
his love had changed rather than died
out. When, therefore, on the second
New Years eve. following the coming
OF Mrs. Merlyn to Arabia Petres,. he
and Minerva returned from a lecture.
and he introduced her as Mrs. Winder-
mere, the kiss Of congratulation
which Margaret gave him brought no
hurrying throb to his pulse, but put
tln his arm around her he smiled down
on her upturned face, saying:
'tThere, little brother! am I bio
brother now 2"
eyes," she replied, "a dear, good
brother both in the spirit and the flesh"
The young couple managed their WOO.
ing very quietly, and all were surprised
10 learn that their house was ready-fur-
oished, warmed and lighted, that thew
had called on their way to it to explain.
aud get that satchel or little bundle
without which a woman can never
change her room for even one night
Ihey proposed to take Fanny with
them now, and to begin the New Year
by receiving the visits and cougratula-
tions of their friends in their new
home.
Fanny danced with Joy at the thought
OF making her home with With her IA
vorite sister, and her mother did no,
decline the proposition. At ten o'clock
the members of the new household took
their leave and proceeded t. their own
house. 1t was not long before 70 had
an oppel tupity Of seeing her day
dreams realized, so far as Minerva was
concerned, of seeing her moving as
mistress, through rooms brilliantly
lighted, elegantly furnished and crowd
ed with guests, while she was dressed
as richly and becoming as 70 could de-
sire.
About this time Margaret began
to turn her law studies to account,
Will still pursuing them with unabas-
ed diligence. Her Home controversy,
while it made her the dread of the
Nlildmay party, won her the confidence
OF some influential people who admir-
ed her frmness, strict sense Of
Justice and executive force. They gen;
orally gave her credit for much more
legal love than she really possessed,
and began to seek her services in writ
ing deeds, contracts and other legal
| 6ncnmanfs A. Winston 4-o ,.,,,