The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-09-07

AS she was Leading me upstairs TO my
room, / ventured so state that had met
her mother two years before, and had
formed travelling acquaintance with
her.
Mrs. Elwood's pleasant smile upon
hearing this encouraged me to ask If her
mother was living with her, adding that
should be pleased to renew the ac-
quaintance if she was
The reply was in the affirmative.
"You will meet her at dinner, which
is served at two, and she will be glad
enough to have chat with you, I'll ven-
ture to say"
1 wrote out my telegram to father,and
Mrs. Elwood promised to have it at
tended to at once for me; then, after
doing everything for me that kindness
could suggest, she loft me to the rest
was beginning very much to feel the
need Of
A tidy-looking little maid came to me
when the dinner-bell rang, to show me
the way to the dining-room and there
the first person saw was my little old
lady, already seated near the upper end
of the long table.
She bowed and smiled when she saw
me, but we were too far apart to
engage in any conversation. After
the meal was over she joined me, shook
hands very cordially, and invited me to
come and sit with her in her own room.
1 was glad to accept the invitation,
for in my loneliness the kind face of this
chance acquaintance seemed almost like
that of friend and soon--in one of the
of l., ii olx -, 4
the cosiest of old-lady apartments-I
was seated, talking more cheerfully and
unreservedly than had talked since
my baby's death.
l expressed some surprise that she had
recognized me so promptly, to which she
replied:
81 had always a good memory for
faces, though names am apt to forget
when my daughter spoke to me about
thee, I could not at all recall thee to
mind-yet as soon as thee entered the
dining-room, remembered thee"
"And yet I do not look much like I
did two years ago." said, sadly.
"That is true, my dear thee has
altered very much. I almost wonder
now that 1 should have recognized thee
so promptly. Thee has seen trouble, 1
fear" she added, gently touching my
black dress. :
eyes," 1 said, al have had both sick
ness and death to battle with neither
look nor feel much like the thoughtless,
happy bride whom you met two years
ago"
els it thy husband who has been taken
from thee ?"
"Oh, no! no! no !" l cried, the ready
tears rising to my eyes; al don't think
I could have lived if had lost him. It
was my baby died-that was hard
enough; the dearest little blue-eyed
darling you ever saw-just ten months
old"
My old friends face betrayed her SYM
pathy, as she sat silently waiting for me
to regain my composure. After little
while she said, signing:
ut is hard to lose child, whether
young or old. 1 can fully sympathize
with thee in thy trouble, for too have
lost son since last saw thee, though I
wear no outer garb as badge of my
bereavement" t."
Hooked at her, little surprise ming
ling with the sympathy I tried to ex-
press.
"I thought remembered your telling
me you had but one SOM"
"That was ALL" she said sorrowfully.
"God never gave me but the one, and
him He has taken away" ,--
/ stared at her now in undisguised
astonishment.
"Was not that gentleman-surely,
madame, I was not mistaken in think
ing the conductor-the gentleman who
brought you into the cars when we met
two years ago-was your SOM" ..
"You are right; he was the son Of
whom have spoken"
"The one-eyed mani" I gasped, for
getting delicacy in establishment.
The old lady flushed little.
"Yes, friend, understand whom thee
means; my poor Robert had lost the
sight of his left eye"
81 saw that man this morning p
cried. II saw him from the car win
dow, before we entered Lancaster
What strange Observation-Disclosures this?
"Thee has mistaken some one else for
him, that is all" said my companion,
gravely. "My boy thee could not have
seen, for he died fifteen months ago the
18th of this month. He died of cholera,
after only two days illness. Thee could
not have seen Robert"
al did, thought didw 1 cried ex-
citedly; and then l related to her the
whole incident, dwelling particularly
upon the signal I had seen him make
q signal had never seen but once be-
fore in my life, and then made by him
when he explained it to me. 81 was
not mistaken" l concluded; al could
not be; your son was not an ordinary
looking man, and remember his ap-
pearance distinctly. Surely as set here,
| saw this morning the man who you
tell me died fifteen months ago."
The old lady looked white and fright
ened, while, as for me, was growing so
hysterical with bewilderment and ex-
citement, that she would allow me to
pursue the subject no further.
She led me to my room, and per-
suaded me to lie down-leaving me
then, for she was herself too much agi-
tated by the conversation we had had to
be able to soothe or quiet me.
saw her no more that day. 1 did
not go down to tea, for the restless
night passed, in conjunction with the
excitement of the day, rendered me SO
seriously unwell, that was not able to
rise until late hour the following
morning.
was still dressing when there came a
rap at my door, accompanied by the
voice of my Quaker friend asking ad-
mittance.