, 1870-12-15

Mr. PEBBLES said bo liked tbs hea1t ~
heart. 70 Mt. osenaive helped him 70 his ahsze
OF It In The gravy.
"IRuees III vait," began Aunt Charity, l.,
little suspicious ct tho alluAion to hnarta.-
Is Dnoo upon TINS hserd = man nay"
i 81 spleneid trosteFs |" murmurcd tho ca1ver,
1nedttativkly, 1t the aan,s TINA cutting OF thu
tIi.s,es'A story. Ia Ill eight, auoty. Keep
your asas- We'fs not going to oxouso yoa."
Allto speaks out: =" I'll wait, pauA."
t'Nousense1" crfse JohnH voioe, clsae ind
firm. "ws1l al stsT. Aunt ch.,itY his
lived too 1oag"-
She tisshea out "In lin = hundred years
just to spite yoo."
.t-Too long to believe IN such IN sbomina-
BIZ snrers'ision," bo concludes, without no.
ticirg her interruption.
"IM stAy-tut you1l rcmsznbeE what Tve
sai0,' ehe anAwered; aud surrendered to pub
lie sentiment With this omiuous warning.
That-~as the tirss, ia.s aud 6ni5 cloud, aud
tie cinnt1 was aat4u, With many sparkling
sentences, aud happy ftule ato1ies. aud bright
giances to give it xeAt~ Even the country
cousin and D,etou boy uoexpectsdy shone ~
little conversational s,a,s. John talked to
Rosa and ste to him; and Iii. Peet1es putred
to .Mrt. Gteneive, and Slr. GleasiYe t31scours-
ed to everybody-eo that thera uaa not NC
mart of absoIu:a slltnce. "Thero uerer WA
such dinner" " they I'll said, and kept ssying
It until it w1s titno to say ' good nights" and
tten to dream.1and over the terrible road thai
leads from = great diunef to little atoep.
Teo Gays after this CbEistmas, John G.sE-
eise starsed Tor California to open tho branch
'bouse Of "Grentiyo i Son" and to make his
sssrt In The world. Young, ardent, and ire
preeaible, be- knev he should succsed, and
ocrrs back for Rosa before tho year vss fairly
gups. That was the promise, tho bope, which
vas 10 keep thin in good epi1its during tbs
separation. they believed in 1t. Bat when
eha found hog deaoIate tho house VIA after
his rolee no Longer sounded through tho
rlsee, md his foo1fai!s no mars cams pleas
antly to her listening. etr, she found herself
more lonely and 1nieeraha than aha had
feared. until hls 1e.sers began to eoae, and
she had relief In reading and answering thsn.
hta Of her big plsyma'e, and for weeks asts
consinua}ly about him. John. good fellow,
rtmernhe1a and writer her Att,e ierters, which
Jealous HosA Eesds aloud to the child. And
thay talk to exch other for honis OF this
glorious young man, 40 uuoh to both Of tham
in hia initnttable Wy, md 10 manage to gst
through days and weeks and months Of 1ens-
HoneneEs. :,
One day A1!ie ccmes home from schoo1 pala,
lstlees, and silen1-. 1'be.e symptoms are 20
unusual - to alarm the family. But the liz
tie thing dces not complain she feels bkdl5.
and neaues In Rosa'a lap. pl.yitg with Roaa'a
curla IT. sha rrxt.les sost1y Of John, 1ad tbs
fun they SO had 'sogethee-brief incidents OF
merrJ-making-andl lo~ she misses him, dear
big brother, and IL hungry for bis return.
Ftnllly Ahs loses herself IN sleep, with her
dear little face upturntd for the soft Nsses
which Roaa gives ter now md than, ~ hhe
1ocks gently to and fro. ste zosta uneasjly
e1en in That tender rraels OF AIMS. She starts
suddenly, every littla shile, ard tcsses hsr
arms about slldls, and finally opens her eyes,
With moaning cry Of "Johnl John!" from
her Dps. Ross asks what is tho matter. Ailia
answers thst abe dreamed about the last
Ctustm1e dinner. and what Aunt Charity said.
Apd-wa1ll she'll not tell what elas. and con-
clndes with sobs, sueh IL only frightened
child can utter Al last ahe goeA to hsa.
Late that night Rosa looks in Upon tho littlo
one, 10 find her tuseing about her bad, taking
to heise1f, fevelish, aDd-uroonseioua. And
The frightened woman read in tha cbild'A face
eumuaors frim Deaih.
Alter this, far long. long time, ths daye
aze heavy with dirs apI pIrshersIons-1ith hope,
With fear, NTH sqsis. So It happana, in tbs
end, that The doctor sbsk+s his head g(o5mily
over the darling. and, kind hs11t, w,pes tsp
great tea1s from hie eJes II Tho aams tina.
Aunt Charity, III elesa relic at uae1eas past,
ri - GSsLs% r.
tlirg terrible 9oul1 follow altar the thirteen
1t the Christuaa dinner" Ir. GrenaiYe, rob-
bed Of t,s cheerfutnesa. comes home early
and goes late, and t1elds lightly, aud tsiea to
talk hopefully to mother. But Ill the tina
thsre's ! lump in his throat, choking him,
And mist in his eyea. Weak man! Hs
chances to pick up title shoe In dark cor
Fer, and, nedltssing + minute or two, IL forced
out into the night With I bitter cry from bis
heart Never before had Death been 1t his
door, Whiting to steal In ind stz,ke. Nov
we'll! it was-" Allie is no be,ter!r "Our
daring Ia Holse to-day" and sometimes only
wsuy, weary shaking Of Tho hesd u hs
cana to the bsdsile OF his pet child.
~ tlink 1t vain to hope onse1," a1id ths
Doctor. "Ihe1e is chance, bat You ehould
rupaze for tho woret. II yon visa Ii will
come sSS:la IN sb7 morning; bat 1t IL more
t.'.n A!kat5 she VII n"'ss neea mo asala.
He eala ttesa tesEiola wusda eoftly-vasy sud
ly-fe1ing somettirg OF the srisf they caused
1t the door 10 put hia hands On Mr. Gron-
eives shoulders, aud said, with quiysring 1ips,
ny os.s o'o ,aaeoo, my eklu u oae4eas- may
"11 ~. .s1p s.3t ~. ~ :. .s'aea m*.sasa s
bten . ch.pc.. ~, cr;,is ~ n...sd 49, N
n7h,nr find, 1b,rs n u y. ,a..m1r, - a..n
h,d.3do1
Allie hves; growa stronger rspid1y, md Ia
herseif again. sitter Wills, even against Aunt
Charity'A prophecy. Ros4 writes toJfu1 lotters
to John, ard delights herself With a7rsing
A1lie, and living, by imsefnstiop. In u Glo1;od1
future.
That cloud p1ssed &vsr.
Onee mnre Nr. Grenslye rsysals biz good
pesso Of nature. Tbs .sun ahines; thu birds
sing the world Ia the stms old wn1ld- Rua-
ress is pxueperoua: The branch house Il do
irg. finely, and tbs nsat year Of ita sxisteucs
nearly ended- John writes that he is going to
| the Sandwich Itiands Tor oasscess, pleasure,
! sna kno~ledge. and IL then coming hnue.
! Then thcre azs no leftes< fir stx Woeks- Rosa
| and Allie lsnkuieh undar this starvation, but
I console themselves With tho knowledge that
thes7l eoon have him instead Of his lesters-
Nf. Gsenstve, hard At work, In his lIsus
otice. letttr writing. Ia iusarruutad bv = littls
bov. xbo mn.
/ .Te1err.m fos Mr- er+n.,va n ,n5 ho,3. -
mt. '-'' -
III. gaa Fr.nc,eeo.ar arf5 FINN, STRANGER.
| and rnat,. him erv rrt in agony 1h.ra vsrs
| ~