Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-12-30

the beauty of mathematical problems
and when he talked about the birds an(
the flowers and stars, she was very proud
of him, for it seemed to her that he was
the wisest man in the world.
4 She studied very hard so he might moi
think her fool, and his kind commenda
tons were the pleasantest thing in hel
lonely life.
One day. when Sam Weldon had fin.
ished his years teaching, he went away
and forgot to tell the people where he
was going.
Some OF them were very angry. and
| the gossips talked great deal about it
but you see he was nobody but Sam Wei
don, and what could any one expect OF
him?
Eightsyears passed away. during which
time Sans father died and was buried
| over or the hillside. while his mother
went to Il distant town to live with her
sister, it was said.
! Eight years, and once again Sam We'll
don walked about the old familiar streets
of his boyhoOds home. Everybody
1 knew him the moment they saw him,
for, although his face was bronzed and a
! blonde mOustache hid his sensitive
mouth, his big blue eyes were just as
earnest and honest as ever, and in them
lurked the old mischievous smile. With
his hands i'm his pockets he sauntered
about the town whistling in the old mer-
ry way, occasionally stopping to shake
hands with some one who remembered
him kindly, but generally giving only
a careless nod to those who recognized
him.
Dell Casey, a stylish young lady OF
twenty peeped at him through the
blinds and wondered if he had any money,
and wasn't it funny no one knew where
he had been or what he had been doing
all these years.
He had certainly grown handsome, and
it almost seemed as if there was a sort of
a distingtte air about him: but then he
was nobody but Sam Weldon, and so she
didn't put on her best dress and company
manners when her father brought him
home to tea While Sam talked with
her father, dapper young clerk from
the biggest dry goods store in the village
called on Miss Dell, and when Sam no.
ticed the scordiality of her greeting and
compared it with the GOODNESS he had
met with, the old smile which lurked
in his big blue eyes grew brighter and
more intense, until it illuminated his
whole face, just rs the sun, coming out
from behind the clouds after summer
gives at first but feeble ray,
and then grows brighter and brighter un-
til it floods the whole landscape
The next day Sam took cross lot cut
up to the old country school house where
we first saw him, He paused but mo-
ment, however, at tie school house, but
crossed the road and walked down the
path to the cottage of the Widow Bright.
Maggie. beautiful girl of twenty-five,
with soft, brown eyes. brown hair, pure.
pale complexion and an expression of
kindness and gentleness, in her face,
more beautiful than ever in form and
feature, was sitting in low rocking
chair near the door, absorbed in the Oc-
cnpation OF making boquets from the
basket of flowers near her. She was
humming i'm low tone, and did not look
up rs Sam approached her. Something
like tear glistened in his eye as he
paused moment to admire the pretty
picture she made. Then leaning forward,
he spoke.
maggie, have you no welcome for the
despised Sam Weldon?"
Maggie started to her feet with half
cry of joy, then catching the expression
Of the blue eyes bent upon Der. she be-
came suddenly embarrassed, and reaching
out her hand, said politely:
II am glad to see you, Mr.. Weldon !; |
will you walk in ?"
No. thank you, Miss Bright; / prefer
to sit on the doorstep. if you haven't any |
objections"
He sat down and few remarks were
10, ri 70 h0 vyaathor or
when he suddenly exclaimed, in his old,
way:
.Oh. come! What's the use? Let's |
just be Sam and Maggie, the way we used
to be. l never can talk to you if must
call you Miss Bright"
''All right, SAM" said Maggie. now
quite set at Ter ease, and i'm a few min
utes they were talking of old times and |
telling each other of what had happened |
since they had parted eight years before.
Sam learned that Maggie was support
ing herself and mother by giving music
lessons, and Maggie learned that Sam
had spent several years in Europe as tu-
tor of rich mans son, and very pleas
ant it was to hear him tell OF the far
famed mountains and cities of which she
had read so much. The afternoon slip
ped rapidly away, and it was ten in the
evening ere Sam had thought to take his
leave.
Of course he came again the next day
and the next; they took walks and rides
unmindful of the sneerS and insinuatiOns
Of the country gossips.
One day they had been taking longer
walk than usual and were tired, so they
sat down to rest on a messy bank not far
from the old school house where they
had first known each other.
Maggie" said Sam, lido you remem-
Der that day you came to my desk with
those flowers, and whispered so sympa-
shetically, Il like you Sam Weldon?'"
Maggie did remember and blushed at
the memory.
Maggie" he continued gravely, "do
you like Sam Weldon now?"
There was no answer. Something in
he tone of his voice had startled her and
Maggie's blushing face was turned from
him while her little hands nervOuslv
,lasped and unclasped in her lap.
"Maggie, dearest" whispered Sam, TAX
ng one of the little hands tenderly in his
own, IL love you. All these years your
ace has been guide star to me. want
you i'm my home. Maggie, will you mar.
y nobody but Sam Weldon %
That last sentence touched her. What
light had people to speak so of him (?
,he turned her face toward him, all
,eaming with the light of love and trust,
S she answered, you're the best man in
Ii the world, and 1 love you," then hid
Ter face on his shoulder.
A few days after that, as they were