The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-09


Had you made up your mind to marry
her?'
ssGod forgive me. had not thought about
it,
ssYou scoundrel''
Ask Pearly if am q scoundrel. jack
II have no doubt she worships you, you
most unworthy wretch. She looks like just
such a sweet, foolish little darling
ssDon't force me to call your attention to
the tenth commandment again.
'sGo on
sI'm ashamed to confess it, Jack, but for
| two hours in my life | was villian-only
two, though, and am thirty-fve years old;
the proportion is MT so bad, is it? One morn
| ing it dawned upon me all at once the mis-
| chief had been doing. And that very hour
told Pearly was going away and babe
her good bye
"What did she say"
..Not word; only put her little hand in
mine for moment and turned bacKto her
great ledger with a brave look. like the
true New England girl she is. Then, Jack,
I knew myself to be a scoundrel. But there
was the imperial Judith waiting at Sarato-
ga. worthy mate for the heir Of all the Van
derburghs.'
cat four that afternoon l jumped aboard
the train bound westward. The mills were
two miles below the station, and we must
pass them on our way. My heart ached
terribly when thought of the sweet little
girl was leaving behind me, and | chose
my seat in the car so that I could see the
great building as we passed it, and perhaps
catch glimpse of her.
GAS we neared it there seemed to be
great hustle and confusion-people running
hither and thither, women screaming and
clouds of steam and smoke that usually
foated around the building seemed increas'
ed numbered fold. A curve In the road
brought us in front of the mills. and IN a
moment saw that the largest of them, the
one where my little Pearly spent her weary
DAYS. was on fire. Dense clouds of smoke.
mingled with tiny tongues of fame, were Is
suing from the windows, frightened oper-
atiyes were rushing from the burning build
inc, trampling each other under foot IN
their mad haste. and the whole scene was
one of unutterable horror and dismay
sThe train stopped. In moment we were
all on our way toward the burning building
| among the first All. JACK. think what
felt when l heard terror-stricKen throng
of men crying. Where is Miss Smith? She
is nowhere to be found! She was known to
have been in the office when the alarm OF
fire was given. and had not been seen since.
One prayer for sefety from lips too unaccus-
toned to such exercise, and was in the
midst of the burning building. Up stairs l
rushed like a mailman, burst through the
door of the office, and there with her head
living on the open page of her ledger. lay
the girl loved In a moment I had my
coat off. wrapped it over her head and
claspest her closely as could, lest those de-
moniac darling tongues of fame and falling
cinders should touch her, l carried her
down the burning, cracking staircase safe
into the fresh air. What cheer they gave
us. jack Then there was dull rumbllng
sound. a crash, and myriads of SPARKS went
shooting up like stars into the smoKe-cloud-
ed air. One of the walls had fallen.
..But do not remember anything further
until woke up and found myself in bed
with a little blue-eyed nurse bending over
me with tender hands, one of which l KISS
, ed aud captured and never lost sight of un-
til had decorated it with a wedding ring.
One day, JACK. when we were first engag-
! ed. l asked her why she made no attempt to
get out of the mill when she heard the cry
, Of Fire. And what do you suppose she told
me- That l had gone away, and she
thought it would be easier to die there in
the FIRE than to live her life without me.
J Think of it, JACK. Just fancy the fair
/ Judith allowing herself to be burned to
death because her lover had left her! All,
INV little wife, my country daisy / with
YOU could have seen her when brought her
home, so frightened at my magnifcence. so
, overawed by the grim-visaged Dutchmen
+ looking down from their perches on the
| drawing room walls. was obliged to re-
/ assure her BY telling her that if she persist
e ed in being so frightened should have Il
Q dispose of my ancestors rs Charles Surface
e did. Fancy the first settlers knocked dowr
5 at auction. so much per head
y "But the imperial Judith
y s.The FIRE had burned all recollection o
: her out OF my head. The pride of tn
If Kuickerbockers had also disappeared IN In
e flames and when I learned my little Pearly
d sad simple history, l think I love her al
It the better for her humble, nameless birth
4, Her mother was farmers daughter. VII
n married a strolling vagabond by the nam
t. of Smith. She afterwards had reason
belive the name was an assumed one. bu
ia she chung 10 him faithfully. until he wa
10 found drowned under the mill. one day: an
lie then died herself in giving birth TO PearlJ
n or Margaret rs they call her Judith, frlen
a Jack. still retains her maiden estat'
4 through she replaced me in two weeks by
err French Count. Now if you are looking OF
n for a wife"
to Don't my boy. Are there nc more burr
N ing miles in New England! Those blue ey'
y. haunt me- Let me see them again
ar Il don't knoew whether I'll let you
clark, isn't that 3 babyss cry.
..Of course it is: bouncing youngste
ad the honor of VII ose paternity claim
a. Lets go and take look at him.
si- .All right. don't mind your admiri'
mt the child"
& Arm in arm they 20 up stairs. where
*. little woman, who Is not hnfcSnocSe
to kneels in mateeaal alteration before your
ILL., tyrant who IS
,es