Ellsworth American., 1875-11-25
count her cliiliren?'

Not at his mere beck would She 20 into
The house she had LEFT wi u such sorrow, ,
aud LETT by him also 80 useles-iy.
May walk back with you. then?' he
asked. She assented II was time: IN
fact. the train was nearly due. Mrs. Whit
low had slept IN her chair. and woke with
| crick In her neck and in her temper.
Where upon earth have you been Ma
ry? What have you been picking up? You
must be very weary OF ny company
| Nho's thatE she concluded in a loud
| whisper
The old friend mother and | made
| years ago. Cousin Ann. let me introduce
you to Mr.. Grafton"
Mr.. Grafton shook hands with the old
lady, and expressed deep remorse that
they should have suffered so long a deten-
ton IN such stupid place, through the
dententiop had been the means of his re
discovery OF y valued friend. lie learned
| through her all he wished To learn OF Mary
SAGE When the train arrived, and they
! were about To take seats. he coolly asked
her II she ever expected TO see Chelsford
again.
Not to wait there again. II Cousin
| Ann made her seaside resort OF the GINS,
she must. of course, pass through the
town"
Remember. then, that my house is
open. II YOU choose to come To it. Ii | am
there. will open my gate and welcome
you with all my heart"
lhey shook hands as they parted. and
Mary looked back TO him as he stood on
the platform. He smiled with hi, old cx.
preston. waved hi hand. and made the
motion Of word with his lips. II was too
mad dream, the last two hour. inr her
10 believe In. She might be suustruck; it
was very hot weather; good many pen
plC were having queer fiucir,. She exam
tued Mrs. hItlUw So closely Ia see il
there was anything strange about her that
Sue asked what the matter was. and Mary
said she thought It had b,-rn an uncommon
ly hot day. which Miss Whitlow dcuicI
There was a very improbable story ia
that paper you gave me- She said The
writers of fiction cram their readers with
foolish. Impossible lies"
Nv hat va, the story z
The husband nf a yuung woman, hav-
ing quarrel with h-r went oil In tie
course uf several year, she heard that hr
lot hi, II e at Vera Cruz "A, a soldier IN
SCOTS army. She married again. and ~
the end OF fourteen years the first husband
returns. with several scars aud an intcn-
pcTatr face. aud profrssrs great love, anN-
icit. and decentralization to regain her.
second husband willingly restore. her to
hi> arms. aud nuds another lov. inmcdi-
atrly. The original pair are remarked. aul
he strikes her within week. What pre-
pus,crous story"
What explanation did Number Oue
maxi OF the fourteen years s.leucc:"
None given
Did nj the wiic require oncE'
The story doe, not >ly 80"
Il should demand the history ot every
ulA .llI NJ I.
one I" give, though, that would be ld,nt,-
sibi-y"
"HHr' said Miss Wh,t,ow 1t aInt
live CHARACTER, hul ii , nrut uf sumrbuLy',
cracked brain"
Truth !, stranger than felton," saiI
Marl
Il have never found life ANYTHING but
th" plainrst Kind OF sailing. aud ha,Ius
got on So far expect To discover no inS--
ter'rs. You ought to know better too.
What ever has happened To you beyond a
pienIct"
Did you particularly notice Mr.. Graft
oni"
why. yes; | thought him very good.
looking middie-aged man. aud quite polite.
Where did YOU come across him:'
Heaven help me, Cousin Ann. | have
loved that man fifteen years, and had 10
Not 10 him, hope" said Miss Whitlow
sravelv.
He guesses il well enough"
at i. all nonsense. OF course You re-
fused him years ago, and made a mistake
When refused Deacon Watkins | never
allowed myself 10 suilcr a minute, though
he had The best house ia Walton. lou are
Highly In YOUR disposition. Mary, and al
ways w!lI be. You are a. red In the face
a a turAey-cock Til. minute"
Mary was thankful when the coach
stopped in Sackville Street. at their door
She ran up 10 her room like yOuHg gell
as B. idget, the servant. declared. la It's
familiar solitude Mary hoped to recover
conposure, and be able to Judge rightly OF
this, the most astonishing day she ever
passed. Anerward. when retired Tor the
night. she looked In the glass, determined
10 take strict account OF every indication
and seeti.e of age. 10 upruot all vanity
from her mind, and renOunce every ru-
mantle anticipation. She was stili fair
enough for a man OF forty, said the gia.,
smooth cheek, abundant hair. shapeN
hands, an erect. well-iormed person. A,
Tor romance. every woman was entitled by
ulVlne night To carry that Scripture on the
tablets OF her heart. A, for antiCipation
what right 10 thatt None. her reason told
her. Had not that obdurate Edward Graft
! on shown himself to-day. a. he had shown
himself years since, determined to be un-
uerstooN. III his own way. determined TO
De sought aud won n he pleased: IL seem
cd 10 her Tor an instant as il he had been
thus long waiting for her TO pass his gate
Ike spider in his web. Bu; she had re-
fused 10 20 in, that was comfort; and
then she fell 10 crying bitterly, and lunged
10 have the chance offered her once more
W hat was the cause ot his my sterious con-
duct! she queried The summer she h ID
spent beneath his mothers roof together
with her own mother had its history. Ed
wards cousin Helen, adopted by his moth
er when she became an nrphan-a feeble
eccentric e.ii-by some hocus-pocus had
obtained an unaccountable Influence over
him, and held him as her Promised hus-
band. When Mary appeared, Edward
sirai9htway Tell In love with her. and ia
an open way gave evidence OF an affection
which he believed. when he had reason To
suppose Mary returned il. would lead 10
It's proper and inevitable result. Helen
herself. his mother, Mays mother, must
see ihat it was The right thing that they
should be united. Love was the be all. end
aIi-tbe Bible OF the soul. teaching re-
| iIgi"n before whose mandates ever, thing
must bow. The consequence OF tins tne
theory was that Mary's mother took her
home immediately; his own mother wa,
oroken-hearted at the failure in choosing
happiness for him; and Helen, after play-
ing last and loose with hiun, suddenly MAJ
ried young man in the n-is hborhood who
was devoid of every attraction Edward
possessed. Edward went abroad. and on.y
returned, after long absence. because OF
his mothers prayers. A rumor reached
hiIn that Ltary Sage was engaged; then it
was cOntradicted. He thought OF her con-
stantly at that time. and could not forgive
her for forsaking him. As the years went
by he counted them, al finally settled in
the conviction that Mary had grown too
old to be any longer remembered as a
young mans ideal; too old, indeed. for
hun TO seek her with any sentimental OBJ
Ject, and so, as he thought, his love ghost
was forever laid. After all, reasoning
from any ordinary point of view, his con
duet was not to be accounted for. Mary
concluded as his past had been. so would