Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-03-21

pennlleSS, had been compelled 10
take up the first pursuit that Of
fered itself. In his own land, nearly
everybody had some knowledge of
music but Andrea was an amateur
of more than ordinary merit aud
he naturally became teacher OF
singing. Margaret Ascot was his
favorite pupil. He saw in her
everything that youthful manhood,
in its highest type, admires she
saw in him a hero and martyr.
Compared with the prosaic young
men of business, or the cold, calcu-
lating lawyers, or the idle men of
fashion, who constituted the bulk
of her admirers, be was a prince in
disguise, young god! Parents
do not sufficiently make allowances
for the imaginative element in their
daughters. They fancy, that, at
nineteen, girls can feel as their
mothers do at forty that the dry
husks of a-matter-of-fact life is suf-
ficient for them. 1t is not so, and
Mr.. Ascot, though sensible man
in other respects, could not under
stand why his daughter was cold to
her wealthy lovers, and had given
her heart to the exile.
When Margaret, hopeless of al
tering his opinion, finally eloped
with her lover, his wrath knew no
bounds. He refused to answer her
letter announcing the marriage,
and when, few weeks later, she
came in person, he had her literally
thrust from the door.
After vainly trying to get some
other employment, for Mr.. Ascots
influence deprived Andrea of all
his pupils, the young couple went
abroad. For a while they lived in
London, but after short time An
drea returned to Italy, and there
struggled on until he died. He
left his widow penniless. She had
only money enough to pay her pas
sage to America, whittier she had
resolved to come, in hopes, by a
last appeal, to soften her fathers
: heart. 1t was a winter voyage,
and Margaret caught violent cold,
which threatened an inflammation of
the lungs. She could only crawl
feebly to the nearest lodging, no
the night she landed, miserable
; attic. The next day she wrote q
note to her father, trusting her boy
Q to deliver it, as she was too i'll to
l 90 herself. Knowing that Mr.
Ascot would be out during the day
;. she had deferred sending the lac
e until toward nightfall but hardl,
:, had he left, before she began t
+. think of the perils he ran, alone IL
" that great city. Perhaps, she sai'
: TO herself, he had fallen down SOM
open area. Perhaps he had sank
!, chilled aud insensible, in some banl
r of snow. When eight o'cloci
Il struck, from a neighboring steeplt
| aud still her boy did not return
e she bacame almost wild with frigh
J" Ten o'clock came, but still no sol
e She listened intensely for the soun
e of his feet. But she heard nothin
but the roar of the storm. At la
ID her anxiety and fear rose to frens,
She was sure now her boy W;
t, dead. Eleven o'clock struck. HI
"a candle had burned down into Il
e. socket, and was almost on Il
I'd point of expiring. Suddenly Il
~ sound of carriage-wheels, mutti'
ar by the snow, was heard. The ca
riage stopped. Surely that W
ch the opening of the street doc
ad there were steps ascending t
ga stairs; yes, she could not be mi
yet taken, they were the steps OF h
IL boy. The door of her room tit
on open, aud her son rushed in.
nd "Mother, mother" lac cried, fir
ro- ing his arms eagerly around h'
,ut 81 came as soon as | could. Al
oh mother, / have brought graz
Of father. See.'
tic She looked past her son, scarc'
ed. believing her eyes. There, j
by, behind her boy, stood her faith
of She rose up in bed; she held {
led her arms.
art "Father y she sobbed.
not "Margaretl My childT A
tic, then they were locked in e'
use others arms, and both were
In tears.
He IL can die in peace, now,
an murmured, after a while, as
a. .,. a. har father's hreast. "si