Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-06-30

summit to this monument Of affection
reared In grateful recognition " wffe's
devotion and love. -
On the cover OF the box lAn IN nm.
sealed envelope, addressed 10 MIRA. John
Flakewhite, Present" containing the iol-
lowing note:
WIN nv dear wife sccsrt from hss huhssnA the
accompanying bcx and 10 contensA - sssH Con- .
tinus 10 oblice the gfvcr, by rcuemha4ne tbat
ssch time she maker NE u say q thee Hsnsiisr
srsicsea, 40 has sh;siy ana hcass4 esrred
shsM, BY Der hshiss OF prnasncs. sccso~y sn 20
tbeec quslifsse truly valuable. A.. - ~
aYtsc,es IN QUESTION may wear out ana ussiy 11nap
pear with use and time that this letter - preserved
children, q . perpetual honor to s0 rsDenr
branec; and telling them the es6xy coGnec3e4 with
IT, that they may be urged 10 keep fnev6 IN ne
, ;rsa and thai sss Ssaehssr: nay each inn
merit such . memorial from. and proyss6el k<o
b inassa crown ~ sss s s.ss ~,vr,,..
Having placed the box and letter on the
tsble, where MrA r. woald be sure TO re
it IN the morning - soon - she got up, !
stole back again into bed. and-unusual
thing Cor me-actually wished Tor day
Ight.
In the morning woke early, ss indeed
I did nearly every hour during the night,
fearing 70 overslcep, and At once glanced
ut the little table, where ell, a. yet WAS
Just as left it, and lay quietly awaiting
the discovery OF the box by Mrs. Flake.
white-which could not now be long de-
layed-when should feign the profound.
est slumber. In little while she moved,
and seeing me, ~ she supposed, fact asleep,
quietly arose, and, just a. | had hoped,
and saw through halt closed eyelids-she
noticed the box al once, walked towards
1t, read the address TO herself on the let
ter. and with q smile Of wonder and Gu
riosity, opened it. and l watched her read
it slowly TO the very end.
Now IL was my turn to be surprised, for
had expected that her natural female
curiosity would already have been hard
at work diving into the box, and her little
fingers would have explored To the very
last parcel in IL /; but, no--she actually
dropped into q chair by the table, and
without 90 much as touching the box, COW
cred her fscc with her hands, sobbing
convulsively, while tears commenced
coming thick and fast, trickling through
her fingers onto the letter that lay In her
lap. ,.a
I saw at once that It would never do TO
let this thing 20 on, and besides, lump in
my own throat, that grew there in the
most sudden manner, warned me that 1t
was quite time to wake up; 30 with q
would-be sleepy yawn, and q very de-
cidedly shecpish face--only that fortunate
ly for me Mrs. r. didn't see that sat up
in bed, and as nothing more appropriate
for this unlocked for turn Of affairs sug-
gested itself to me, / simply said:
"Why, Mrs. Flakewhitel"
She looked up at me, and smiled
through her tears and II did not see
distinct rainbow shining In front of her
face, it was because my own eyes were
decidedly misty for the m0ment-and she
came around to my side of the bed, and
putting her arm around my neck, managed
TO say, between great gasping sobs-
"John, dear You are--entircly too
good--to Observation-Disclosures the incest
present. ever had--in all my life-l do
thank you hundred times for whatever
is In the box--but that letter has made
me so happy-I will treasure 1t 80 long
as / i've" and off she went again-sob-
bing as hard as ever
We soon gained our cOmpOsure-for l
must confess that such happy tears were
contagious, and had myself slight At
tack-and while / dressed, Mrs Flake
white fully equaled my expectations In
her delight at what the box contained.
She put on her best dress to give full
effect TO her new msgnihcence, everything
fitted exactly, and with a nice shawl she
already had, thrown over her shoulders,
and the new hat poised gracefully on her
head, making an oval frame around her
sweet face, charmingly colored with plea
sure and excitement, It was now my time
not TO tire of looking at her, ~ put her
through her PAGES up and down the room,
not forgetting glance at the new CATERS
a. they tripped In and out, when sudden
~ she stopped, and looking mo straight
Ia the eyes, said, "John these beautiful
things cost Q great deal of money. and
now I am waiting for you TO tell me
where it all came from, for ! know you
didn't borrow, and | am just ~ sure you
didn't h0vs IT,"
at was merely . part of some money
advanced on an order for . large picture
like my last one, that you know ] eold,'
said I, trying to look Indifferent and un.
concerned, and being conscious ct the
same time Of making . wretched failure
Of II. -
"Ohi you lily old fellow, 10 keep such .
splendid secret from me ever since yester-
day morningi How did you dare go TO
sleep With all that on your mind, and
these collars and handkerchiefs and new
dresses and hats oil the while tucked away
In some dark corner. wouldn't have
believed It OF your
The incidents above related happened
several years ago, and, by the kindneee OF
my purchaser, through him was enabled
to obtain other orders from friends
and acquaintances, and now-thsnks TO
kind public--have no dif1culty In dispos-
ing OF what am able to produce. The
greater part OF Mrs. Flakewhite's laugh.
lng prophecy has become reality, and
Mary Flakcwhite, aged three years, Will
soon DO old enough to have shown 70 her
the letter, which her mother keeps safely
laid away among her greatest treasured;
only few days ago MIRA Flakewhite sent
her running into my studio with . "eee,
papa, zee |" wearing over her bright curls
the original 'brown hat with pearl coler-
ed ribon, last years STYLE" that wssso
intimately connected with my change OF
fortune, while abe heraelf stood at tie
door. looking q cheerful and, II possible,
moro charming than she did on the event
full day when she last wore II, while sle
aid, smilingly, "John, dear, do you 70.
member that hat"
III SO