Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-03-19

MOWEk GU
"Well, dear, it seems much to pc,
sons of our limited income," Mr.
Ward replied" "And he must have
; new suit of clothes. But 1 hope t.
: manage it without running into debt
If you can help me little.
tottie did not speak. and her mothe
; tho"gntfnlly added, The girls viii
have to do without the new hats
promised them; and baby's peliss
must last another winter and"
But here her daughter stopped he
by pettishly saying, F." Oh, mother! pra.
don't tell us of any more wants the,
seem endless. How miserable it is t
be poor how sick of contrivances al.
makeshi{ts you must be. I know
am. And somehow the children al
ways seem to need most when one ha'
least to spare.
II did not know you were in tina
Ipreicament, dear or I would not hav'
lspoken 90 plainly" Mrs. Warle ne
lplied "but don't let it worry you,
lshe added, with the cheerful air thu
covereda multitude Of anxious thoughts
1--WE shall manage very we'll, I dar,
say."
L.ottie went away with her none,
still in her pocket, but with q load 4;
her heart-half shame, half selfisl
ill-humor-which was not lessened b,
standing at the mercer's window fol
another half hour before she went bacl
to Sir Johns. While her gaze wa,
fixed on the silk, her rebellious spiri
was murmuring at the difficultiesof he1
position. 1t was 80 hard that she SHOULD
always be hampered with the HON,
cares. Other young people coult
spread their salaries on themselves
while her purse had such constant CALI
upon it that there was nothing left fol
herself. And mother was not Thought
full for her; she never seemed to remem
Der that . girl of her age would natur
ally wish to be smart, especially wher
she visited persons in better circum'
stances than herself.
Miss Dayton wanted some triA<
brought from her own room that even
ing, and Lottie had executed her com.
mission and was retreating, when the
voice of Sir John, who was reading the
evening paper, arrested her. "Deal
me ? how sad these cases are one never
knows who to trust. Listen to this,
Lottie: The confidential clerk oi
Smithson Brothers absconded last night.
His employers had their suspicious
aroused by some circumstance or other,
and limited an intention of looking into
his accounts. Az soon as he learned
this he made business in the country q
pretense for his fight, and it il sup
posed that he is on his way to America. :"
To L0ttie's strained ears every word
Of this was horribly audible, and the
next minute she was running down
stairs, putting on her hat and shawl as
she went.
IF I am asked for" she gasped to
the wondering housekeeper, say that
1 am ill-that have gone to my moth
er's; but don't stop me-dont question
me, or shall die.
But it was to the home of Austin
Crawley, fellow-clerk of Charles, she
first took her way. She would not give
up all hope till she had seen him, and
heard his lips confirm the dreadful
tale and as she went along she tried
to comfort herself in repeating, ut
cannot be Charlie Morrison q default
e., q fugitive from justice it is impos-
Mrs. Crawley herself answered Lottie's
knock, and her smiling, cheerful face
made the girl feel her own misery grow
sharper.
No, Austin had not returned from
the city yet," she said. Would not
Lottie come in and wait for him : She
was quite alone, for Mr.. Crawley had
been at Smithson's all day, taking the
place (she believed) of Charlie Morrison,
whose absence seemed to have put the
firm very much out Of their way: There
was nothing amiss, was there?' she
added, as she took q closer survey of
her visitors face.
But her question remained unan-
swered, for Lottie was already hurrying
away. The last faint hope that the
report was dreadful mistake had per-
ished before Mrs. Crawley's placid
utterances. Austin, the gay and careless,
whose spendthrift habits had often dis.
pleased his parents, had preserved his
integrity; while Charlie Morrison, the
son OF many prayers, the A;eady, intel
leotual young man, who INDUCED in no
low taste, no. ''loud'' attire, had for
feited his high character and disgraced
his fanily-this was Her conclusion.
Away through the busiest streets of
London, hurrying on with her face
unified in her veil, lest any one should
perceive the anguish depicted on it. she
walked, till she found herself before
the well known Offices of Messrs. Smith
son: They had been closed hours
earlier; but the old man who was porter
and care-taker was standing at the door,
talking to some curious acquaintance.
Unpesoeived by the garrulous speaker,
lottie paused long enough to hear her
lovers name coupled with words
indistinctly caught relating to the sums
OF money that were missing.
'' His father was here this morning.
as soon as the news was made public, y
the porter went on" such q respecta-
BILE old gentleman" But here his voice
was lowered, and Lottie passed by, hear
ing only something about the young
mans broken-hearted mother as she
went; but it reminded her that she was
not alone in her grief; that the loving
parents, who had cherished their son
in his childhood, and seen him gradu-
ally expand into the bright, intelligent
man, must be well nigh crushed beneath
the blow that had 80 suddenly fallen
upon them. Oh what was her grief to
theirs?
And now Lottie flew to her own hav-
en-, the arms of her mother, and there
went the frat teara her hnrnino ovoa
had shed.
Shocked, and for some time incredu-
lous Mrs. Warde, with infinite patience
and tenderness, sustained her child du-
ring those hours in which her anguish
was almost more than she could bear.
Never again would Lottie accuse this
dear friend and comforter of being
wanting in sympathy. Who else would
have borne 80 kindly with her wild
bursts of impatient sorrow restless
pacings to and fro-her passionate
complainings? Who else SO skillfullv
taken advantage Of her better feelings
to bring her to her knees, and teach
ther to bow her head to the Divine will :?
How good you are to me, darling
mother !" she sobbed, when Mrs. Warde
had prevailed upon her to lie down, and
was bathing her aching head 'sand in
deed don't deserve it. I have been
so selfish, so ungrateful that if You
knew all my hard and bitter thoughts
y0u would surely cease to love me at
ALL"
Mrs. Warde's only reply was to stoop
and kiss her and that kiss uprooted the
Loot f3l,o~ ,f oo1Q.1.>>n- =: u - =,