Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-02-22

sheepish, sorry. Once he had started
to go IN, but his courage failing, he lin
gered in dubious hesitation on the
doorstep.
"Why don't you come in, Josiah 2"
said Nabby.
" didn't know you'd want me, Nab
by" replied Josiah, with all the meek
ness becoming returning prodigal
| 3" Want you OF course | do, said
Nabby, heartily. "Come right in. Tn
going to have griddle- cakes for supper,
and You must tend 'em, while | set the
/ table" Griddle. cakes were one of
Josiah's favorite weaknesses, and Nab
by knew it.
Josiah came in. ii he ever gets into
/ heaven, probably his sensations
/ VIII not be one whit more delightful
that they were now, as from the bleak
ness and gloom of the night, the for
lornness of his Sretched wandering, he
came into the coy brightness of the
/ kitchen, and felt that he was home once
more. How good the tea smelled =
/ The fire roared and snapped. the tea
kettle boiled and bubbled its lids up
and down, and from the griddle the
| savory odor of the cakes assembled like
! homely incense. Josiah face. shining
with mingled heat and happiness as she
turned the griddle-cakes, was some
I thing worth seeing.
1 Nabby stepped briskly around get,
/ ting supper ready. 1t seemed so pleas
ant to see the table set for two again,
! to have some to praise and appreciate
hp, 1. i
might howl its worst now. It's hold on
Nabby was gone. In place of all the
bitter sadness that had hung heavily
around her heart, was a warm feeling of
happiness, comfort and hope.
All the explaI alton they had was
this: Josiah drew forth from under
his shabby coat an exceedingly awk-
ward and knobby bundle.
give bought something for you,
Nabby," said he.
/ The something" undone proved to
be very handsome Britannia teapot.
That teapot must have known that it
was n piece-otfering, with such prefer
natural brightness did 1T shine and
glisten. Something in Nabby's eyes
shone and glistened too, although She
winked hard and scorned the weakness
of a pocket handkerchief.
"Thank you, Josiah, she said, alt
IS regular beauty and | shall set lots
by 1t.
Which, so long as they understood
each other, was, perhaps, as well as if
Josiah had made long worded speech
of repentance and reformation, and
Nabby another of forgiveness.
| wish | could say that Nabby never
scolded Josiah again. But | can't.
However, she ''drew it mild, =" aad
there was general understanding be-
tween them that this was only a sort of
exercise made necessary by habit-a
barking by no means involving bling.
And Josiah was so accustomed to it
that he would have missed 1t, and not
felt natural without being wound up
and set going for the day by Nabby.
One day later in the winter, Nabby
was washing for Mrs. Hosley.
50 you've taken Josiah back again,
after all r. said Mrs. Hosley.
"Well, yes | have" said Nabby,
giving a last twitch to the sheet she
was wringing out. "Josiah maynt be
very much to brag of but then, you
see, he's my own, and all I've got.
We're getting to be old folks, Josiah
and me, and we may as well put up
with each other the little while we
have got to stay here.
"How has he been doing since he
came back r.
First rate. He's walked straight as
a string ever since. He's goodp rovider,
now he's quit drinkin', and master
hand for tiXin' up things, around the
house, and maxim it comfortable. |
tell YOU what it's Miss Hoslev, we've
got to make 'lowance for folks in this
world. We can't have 'em always just
to our mind. We've got to take 'em
jest as they are, and make the best
ont.
I'm glad to see you so much hap
pier and better contented, Nabby.
"Well. | used to fret and complain
good deal because things hadn't turned
ont as l expected 'em to but lately
I've thought a good deal about it all.
and I've made up my mind that there S
considerable comfort for every one iii
this world after all. We mayn't git
inst what we want, but we get some
thin
In which piece of philosophy | be-
lieye Nabby was right.
4 Russian Tragedy.