Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-12-09

81 Terms CASH, payable quarterly.
Emma had taken charge Of the tea
table, which was set beneath the
glowing naples in the yard, Abeth
had given herself up to the enter
tainment of her young guests, had
played and sang for them, swung
them, crowned them with leaves,
and sent them home tired with hap
piness. When she came into the
parlor after bidding them good bye,
her face flushed with exercise, her
hair full of the leaves her admirers
had placed there she looked quite
as yenng and far more beautiful
than ten years before. She stood
by the window in happy reverie
humming an old love air as she
watched the lights glimmer one by
one, from the village. She was
reused by Emma, who Peered into
the room and said, "Berth, dear,
are you hearl A gentleman wishes
to see you, in the Library. We
showed him in there because it was
lighted" Wondering who it could
be Abeth went to meet him.
The Library was what used, in
the old time, to be the "living
room" The old fashioned dresser
with its array of blue china had
given place to a well filled book
case; where the almanac used to
hang, were pretty brackets uphold
ing figures in parian marble, and
the black framed, glaring print of
the "Prodical Son Returned" was
replaced by rich chrome.
"Berth, Berth, have you forgotten
Rance Z Don't you know me ?"
She did know after a moment,
shook hands with him, and with
voice, just a little tremulous at first,
asked if he were well, Of what h,
had been doing, and the welfare Of
his little girl. Then for half an
hour they talked quietly of past
events, while Abeth measured him.
He was saddened and different, but
: here her face glowel with some
thought; and she wondered if it
were possible that she had ever
borne heart aches and shed tears
for the sake of the man before her.
Bye and bye he told her of his
errand, plead earnestly for the love
she once gave him, asked her to
forget the past and be his wife, no
woman had ever won his heart as
she had, and if he had been weak
and easily won by a pretty face,
surely he had paid for it in years of
sorrow. While he spoke, Abeth's
face first grew pale, then flushed
scarlet as the leaves in her hair,
but when he paused for an answer,
she gave it in low voice Clarence"
by long striving you once won me
to think l loved you. My nature
is not variable, and / could have
been true till death. You knew it,
and cast away as worthless the
claim you had won. l thank you
for it. / thanked you even from
the first, but more and more Of
late. l outgrew my affections for
you as one outgrows their childish
garments, and youc nature could
not satisfy mine now for moment.
The next Sabbath which dawns will
be my wedding day; and, God will
ing, / shall be the wife of man in
every way my superior-noble, and
true, and good-"Philip my King |"
The last words were said more to
herself than listener, while she turn
ed the ring upon her finger loving
ly.
Half an hour later, when Clar-
ence Mines left the house, he real
lied all he had missed, and said to
himself, 81 always thought these
brainy women hadn't much heart
but the man who gets such a wom-
an as Berth Merrils is better off
than if he had thousand acres of
land, all cleared. Hang it! What
fool | was ~
God knows what key in the hu-
man soul to touch in order to draw
out its sweetest and most perfect