The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-12-30
The OAK CLOSET.

Margaret Gray was in some sort an |
unper servant i'm the household OF Judge |
Wallace. The judge lived in a hand
some house in the suburbs of the little
country village of Thorndale. i
Margaret was left an orphan at an
early age, and the judge and his wife had
taken her into their house TO save her
from being thrown on the charity OF the
They had done their part we'll for her.
They had two children of their own
Alice and AlgernoD, Withstand Mar.
garet had enjoyed great advantages OF
education in common with the brother
and sister.
AS she grew older and began to real.
ize how much she owed the judge and
his wife. she felt desire to be able in
some wav to make them return for
their kindness, and, as she was strong,
active girl. she soon became very useful
about the domestic affairs of the house
hold.
yery willingly resigned some of the cares
and burdens to Margaret, and in due
course of time the young girl came to be
trusted and depended on, until, by the
time she was twenty, she was really the
head of the establishment, although Mrs
Wallace still did the honOrs in her quiet
ladylike way, end pured the tea and col
fee at the head of the table.
Alice had married early, and gone tc
the far West with her husband; Alger
non was finishing his medical studies II
, a German University, and only the
, ;udge and his wife and Margaret-besidt
, the man and the woman servant, wht
had been with them for years-remalnet
l at home.
Some unfortunate speculations, largel!
. indulged in when the Judge was young
c had encountered the old estate with
d mortgage, and this it was the Judge
d ambition to discharge. He wanted 7
d leave the place totally free from debt
r his son Algernop.
The stlictest economy had been pra'
tised for wears in the1bousehold with tn
end in view, and at last the judge bel
,e in his hand the money with which
pr iuuidate the claim.
:. II was late on Saturday night when
. brought it home, and said to his wife,
e, he swung the little black leather truI
d, containing it before her eyes:
e. "Well, Annie, at last we are to be tr
tie from debt. There are eight thOusal
In in that trnnk, and on Monday shall p
49, Jones in full, and we shall burn
M abomipable mortgage together, you a
10 I. Annie. 1t will be the happiast day
'r- my life" o,,,a bonn,
rs, William" said Mrs. Wallace nervous
us "Do nut the money in some safe pla
.od II has cost us dear enough to scrape
n, together"
all The Judge bent down and patted
Ids little woman on the head.
sed al am going to put it in the little
rch closet and if by chance burglar sho
of enter the house, he would never ore
of finding any thing OF value III =
little stiacd up closet at the head o'
And with light heart the judge W
'e' of to deposit his treasure. :,
md Margaret was sittiDgin the room ia
mn. ing the Judges stockings when the
IVA versation took place, and of course ne
NOS where the money was to be pia'
l though at the time she paid little at
use. The next day John and Susan,
nall two servants, had a holiday TO WIS
rtly married daughter of theirs, who resi-
new fifteen or twenty miles away. ana
sbe was in November, and as the days !,
a ,o short, they would not return until
,.r,s day night. 49,, 80.
arce. there came an imperative message &c
tent, Judge from his sister, saying that sne
,non yery IN and desired to see him wit
hing delay. her nome S %Ss "s oorrss 49, she hc los
""e time in obeying the summons. lie
rags his wife with him, leaving Mar
bags alone in the house.
$. in at is barely possible, Margaret,
and we remain all night. II looks very
i;Le a storm. and in that case we
anu certainly stay. And If 80, you hat
ter get Sallie Turner TO stay WIN
for company" .o,,,d
ch Is But, though MargaIeI unb mU
N at liked Sallie's company well enough, q
A.. once decided not to ak for IL. .
INC brother would be sure to come
Is IN and the less she saw of Willie i
lamed the better she was pleased. WIN
asting an honest, industrious sort OF fellow
nj ex- he was Margarets most devoted adj
I, Ia but with the usual lncons'stency
~ 70 sex, she utterly refused to zee wh'
ca y, best for her.
found That afternoon wore slowly
,wn as Margaret read little, drummed
ID re. tunes on the old-fashioned piano,
n;,ro- with the black kitten, and hel
.s "a old cat curled upin her lap, like a
ol, anu anu caterpillar, and at last IT was 5. 5,
lgmted time TO milk the cows and smut tn
In any doors for the night.
hitting II was evident enough that th'
,on;zed storm brewing, for the nor
!. No, west were dark and gloomy WI
i' ,.v nv' nous black clouds, aud the east
KS, IKE sighed drcarily in the pine. woods
ted by the house. And indeed. beior
rploded saret had done up the chores
danger, barn, the great drolsof frozen raj
chem. TO fail, and by the time she nsd .s e
. % it,. supper aud strained the milk IN
h'.,o had act in in good earnest. ;,
rom the She closed and barred the de
II state, windows we're already fastened
'iving a shutters, and piled the hreplsc
L..lw The kitten had