The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-05-17

Thus speaking, Ellen took the can
die and went to the outer door bu
when she opened it the furious bias
swept in, bringing a cloud of snow
and extinguishing the light. As she
moved back, and brushing the snow
from her eyes, some one came into tht
entry and closed the door, thus shut
ting out the storm. =.
i am a stranger lady, said a deer
grliff voice and have lost my way
: IN the storm
Come in SIR she replied. Come in
where it is warm
/ III you can give me shelter for the
night he said, 4 will repay you well;
cannot go further in this storm .
Good, sir replied Mrs. Anderson,
moving chair near to the fire as she
/. spoke, you are freely welcome, My
/ daughter will take your coat, sir and
when you are warm you shall have
refreshments. Our pay will be in the
knowledge that we have helped you
Are you ill?' ..-
Mono, Madame, I am very much
fatigued. I have had hard battle
with the Storm
Can you tell me- he said after he
had warmed his hands, tif woman
named anderson lives hereabouts
My name is Anderson. sir.
Mrs. Mary Anderson?' ~
Yes, SIR
'Ah-am so near the object of my
search? I have a message for Mary
Anderson. I promised months ago,
when in a far distant land, that L
would find her if 1 could, and that
L would give her message from
-. From whom p asked the hostess,
trembling and. holding her breath.
I think replied the stranger,
spreading his hands out again to the
fire, that he was. once friend OF
yours, rs he has since been friend of
mine. Thomas Anderson his name
was. Do you remember him ?
The woman bowed her head upon
her folded hands, and as she seemed
ready to sink her daughter hastened
to her side. ...... .....,.
No, no, Ellen. ] am strong now,
Go and sit down. The shock is past.
He lives
A little while afterward Mary An
derson raised her head and spoke to
the stranger again. AS she told her
child the shock had passed, and she
had gained control Of herself.
Thomas Anderson my husband, sir.
SO he told me, Ma'am.'
you said you had seen him
| Where!'
In far off land, where the noon,
day sun rides high in the heavens
while it is midnight here
You said you had a message from
him.
Yes, lady ....
GIVE it. to me. o, tell me what
he said
The stranger put his hands ont
again to the fire, and his frame quiv.
cred as though he was cold. In a
few moments he said:
s'Thomas Anderson told me his sto-
ry-told me with tears running down
his cheeks, and many bitter sobs. He
told me how he had left his wife and
ehild-how he had sunk from bad to
worse, and how, in mcment of mad
ness, he struck his faithful companion
to the floor. When he saw what he
had done fear and remorse seized up
on him, and when his neighbors had
come in, and he saw his wife, in better
hands than his, he fed from his home.
Shame and dread drove him on, and
by the time the mad fire had gone
out Of his veins he found himself ina
IL ch
went. He resolved that he would be
a man again if he lived but he dared
not return to his home until he could
carry with him some proof of bis Sin.
cerity. He went in a ship bound for
India, and he meant, when he had
grown strong, to write home cheerful
words to his wife. But it was not to
be so. In the Indian, Ocean the ship
was cast away upon a. strange island,
and he. with three others, the only
ones saved of the crew, remained there
three years Finallya Spanish trader
picked them up, and once more they
were cast upon the A frican coast, where
two more years were spent. At the
end of tkat, time Anderson was picked
up by an English ship, bound for
Australia. He landed at Melbourne,
where he remained until 1 got ready
to leave him. He. has been a man
he has done well-and if he knew that
his wife had forgiven him, and that
she would care to see him, he would
come home; and he would spend the
rest of his life in trying to make some
atonement for the past
%, SIR cried Mary Anderson, clasp
ing her hands and weeping while she
spoke, you don't know how good and
noble he was before he suffered Q,
if he could know how have loved
him-how I have prayed for him
now I have borne his image in my
heart, forgiven always-he would not
stay away
But, lady, Thomas Anderson Will
come back to you no longer poor
In the sand he has gathered for HIM
self much weslth. He has gathered
a sum that might seem almost fabu-
lous to the honest people of this place
gathered it not for himself-no, no;
but for those whom he hoped to bless
for his wife and child
Come he rich, come he poor-come
he to give me succor, or come he to be
nursed in weakness and want-if ne
only comes with the love he pledged
me in the bright morning of our youth,
I will take him to my bosom and bless
him with a wife's true affection
So spoke Mary Anderson and as
the words fell from her lips the strong
man started to his feet with his arms
noon,enf ba etood