Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1872-12-17
mean to nestle there always"

Jones and Tewksbury might
have called this policy. Fanum
would have said it was acting
But it was very pleasant, and l felt
more than ever like man who had
found some precious jewel, and
wears it like an amulet on his breast.
So the thing went on until the
firm of which was managing part
ner, needed to send some one to
Calcutta, to see after a turband
scoundrel of an agent, who had alb
seconded with more money than We
could well afford to lose. Morrison
was old and feeble; Hewitt's wife
lay i'll, so l was the one to go. /
kissed Clara as cheerfully as could,
fully expecting to be back in three
months or so.
| had to follow the agent mp into
the mountains of India-I fell i'll of
one of those burning climate fevers
in the bungalow of an old native
priest, and the months flew by un-
til it was more than year before /
found myself on the deck of the
"Blue-eyed Mary steaming into
New York harbor.
And all the time Clara had not
heard n word from me.
/ had written to her to prepare
her for what seemed almost like my
rising from the dead, but ] after
ward found my letter in tho pocket
of the neglectful servant who had
undertaken to deliver the mail to
the Calcutta Office.
"But it don't matter much now,'
| thought; "she will be the more
delighted, poor girl"
And then q cold chill ran through
all my veins like November's wind
suddenly breathed across the bed
of flowers.
Clara haf heard nothing Of me
for nearly fifteen months-what
had happened in that time Al
l that Tewksbury and Jones and Al.
!, len and all the prophetic ravens o.
l my acquaintance, had said--recur.
; red to my mind like harden Of an
uneasy dream. / had been count
ing the hours and the very minutes
until we should touch port, but now
that my feet rang once more upon
the pavement of my native city,
actually dared not go home.
l turned into down town res
taurant, where | had been want to
go in my bachelerhood days and slid
into that dark corner-the twilight
was just falling, and was sheltered
10y the partition.
Hush! Tha. was Tewksbury's
voice, harsh and jarring as of old.
"Just what might have been ex-
pected,' said Tewksbury. "Pretty
and young widows don't so begging
in this market"
"Folliott might have known it,"
growled old Farnm. "Poor Fol-
lott, there were some good points
about him, too. Sad thing that,
very sad thing"
1--WE all must die" said TewlSs-
bury, gravely::
"Yes, but fellow would natur-
ally prefer dying in his bed to be-
ing carried off by an East India
fever and buried in the ,Jungles."
shuddercd. Had ! come home
to my own funeral, as it were!
"And is she going to marry young
Birmingham after all " added Far
mum.
The paper dropped from my
hand.
"I could have told Folliott so
when / found out what a confound-
ed idiotic will he had made" said
Tewlxsbury. $50 gold has fallen
again. Just my luck; sold out to-
day.
/ stayed to hear no more, but
staggered out in the darkness with
one idea whirling through by dizzy
brain-my Clara was mine no long
er.
1t was questionable what TewlSs-
bury had said; ! might have anti
cipated some such end. She was
too young, too lovely for such
rough fellow as |. My widow
what curious sensation the words
gave me as i mentally pronounced
them.
Under my own window, with the
ruby light shining through the wine
colored damask curtains, stood