The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1876-02-18

at me as we were whirled through the snow
drifts that last bright day, and saw her as
she lay like dead thing i'll my arms. And
fancy painted other pictures. l saw her as
Tom Armstrong's wife. | saw her-oh,
good heavens with his children on her
knee!
am not sure but that l should have
turned idiot, had not something happe ned
to alter the circumstances in my position.
This was nothing else than the total wreck
of our vessel. and my narrow escape from
drowning. but with an ann broken by the
falling of a spar. For a month lay on a
sick bed and then, with softened heart
and feeling that | was sick Of the sea, l
went home to sister Jennie, to be farmer
again, if | could.
In these two years she had never had a
line from ne. Not an angry word did she
give me- but ran into my arms and wept on
my bosom like a child; and she showed
me the wedding ring on her finger, and the
baby lying asleep in the cradle, and told me
whose wife she was.
She was Mrs. Tom Armstrong, and had
HeNti tity Iihec cdCii o1Hci.
"Aud I'm as happy as the day is long,"
she said, 'only fretting about you. How
eeHid you go away so, Ned? If you did
not think OF my feelings, you might have
remembered Nellie Brodie's.''
''Nelie Brodie's feelingsr' l cried.
''NelIie Brodie's! Don't laugh at me,
Jeunie.''
Laugh at you!'' she cried. Laugh at
you, my dear, haven't thought of it. Did
you quarrel that night? Ii mus, have been
a quarrel, think. Whose fault was it,
yours or hers y
ssMiss Drodic and 1 never had quarrel" {"
! said.
.sOh, Ned she resumed, softly, "don't
try to hide it from me, when l saw your
portrait in her bosom. l told you so, |
know, and thought it was all settled and
was so glad
started up ard caught Jennie's wrist.
''My pcrtrai; p I cried.
"Why, Ned, Ned, don't look at me so, y
screamed Jennie ''what does it all mean?
Your portrait, nf course ; one of those pho
tographs you had taken-I found tbe rest
after you went away. Oh, Ned, don look
so, dear?"
''t ihough5 you told me she wore another
mans picture said. "That drove me
away; thai and nothing else. Oh, wha5 a
wretched fool I've been l did not know
She bad my picture and mighc have cast
! her away, /, who loved her So, and have
! pined for her ali these years -
! But jennie, dear Jennie, with her kind
! motherly face, and loving woman's eyes,
/ came close to me- and puU her arms around
my uccl1, and whispered, 'Don's despair,
J Ned, she has never liked any one else, and
! / know for certain that she wears youi
! picture STILL"
And those words brought my youth bacl,
| to me !; and The yeas seemed blotted out,
aud ] was Ned Brown, who fell in love with
| Nellie BrotIie, once more.
Well, Jennie told The trrth. / went tC
see Nellie Brodie, and fou ld her sweet and
beautiful as ever and we were married
| when the spring came and the birds began
| to build their nests in The green orchard.
Afterwards when she had been my wife fol
some time, Nellie told me, under those very
apple trees, how she had found MY picture
one day when no one saw her, and worn il
! afterwards for love OF me-wore il and
wept over il while l was far away, trying tc
forget her-try;ng, but never succeeding
! for :he love / had for Nellie Brodie was
part of my life, and will be, believe, part
Of the eternity where, when death sewers
us here, " shall be reunited.