Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-02-01

brave little heart. It must not desert
you now. Are you prepared, my child,
to meet the worstp"
The young girl hid her face in her
hands, and, trembling from head to
foot. remained silent until she was
calm. Then we went together into the
hushed room.
Her hand was clasped in mine.
Whether she gave it to me or whether
IL took it LIDO not know. But l held it
fast, SIS [ am thankful to remember,
through all that gloomy hour, when the
lonely child blessed Heaven in her
heart for my poor companionship.
Kneeling beside the bed, We caught
the broken sentences that fell family
from the dying woman's lips.
"It is SO long ago-and she was such
a little child-it was almost as if I had
possessed her from her birth-my dar-
ling-my beautiful-my pet. I loved
her SO p~assionately before l thought.
And-it is wonderful-and very sad
how much q roma can love q child.
When the Ainslees went away, leaving
their babe with me-the only woman
of her own country Harriet Ainslee
knew in New York-they expected to
return in three months. Ii they had
come then, all would have been we'll
and why did they notP Where was her
mothers heart? Months grew to years
five years they were away-every day
knitting my soul closer to the child. l
foresaw my danger. When my sister
died, L adopted her orphan girl, just
Helen's age, and tried to love herb but
l could not. At last the Ainslees were
coming back-and then-in the anguish
of parting with my idol-came that dark
thought. If suffering could atone for
sin-why then-but it can not-and l
could not give up Nellie. That dark
thought-it was the seed of all this
horror of remorse-but Nellie darling,
the best l have is yours. / have
not wronged you-have I, my child, at
the lastp And Mr.. l., from the
time you were pointed out to me-when
the Ainslees were here last spring-as
Arabella's loVer-I was haunted by
your face. knew you loved her with
an earnest mars heart. Then-you
lost your property, and l heard-your
engagement had been broken off;-and
then my sin looked darker and darker:
it is Il fearful thing to wrong young
hearts. Yes-then L suffered too much.
But now-nothing a keep you from
claiming your wife. The Ainslees have
no right-Arabella is not their child.
And-Helen darlington must tell him
the rest;-for-it is growing so dark
and-where are you, Nellie-my dar-
ling-my baby-my little pet?"
1t was not until after the poor heart
broken woman had been laid in her
grave that | heard the rest-the proofs
of the children's parentage, and the
legal disposition of property to Helen
Arabella Ainslee, my godchild," and
"Arabella Reed, my niece" Compli-
cations arose, but they were finally ad-
iusted as her heart, so faithful to Helen,
would have wished.
Nellie's way of being sensible and
being brave, of using the present to It's
best and looking the future brightly in
the faee-an exemplihcation, dear read
er, of ~"disarming the ruffian with a
smile"-has brought her much happi-
ness.
Arabella, VINO, / had been long ago
persuaded, from her own heart, and
not from her foster-parents' ambition,
refused me when [ was denied the prop
erty-sinoe, by an u~nlooked-for Incl
dent, regained-has been in her way
equally fortunate, and her consistency
has been awarded by that browning
technique, "a brilliant match"
And now, rs I close this scrubbed
sheet, " is an autumn morning-winter
almost. There was a high wind last
night, and to-day the wheels CRATE
harshly on the icy street, and the win
dow-panes are white with frost.
Along the coast the night must have
been wild indeed. At Long Branch, I
imagine, the wintry tide swept ruthless
ly across the beach, burying, perhaps,
still deeper in the sand the gray and
rust-stained timbers of the deserted
wreck.
But here, in the warm breakfast
room, lat the table, a little white-frocked
long-aproned guest is seated in a high
chair at her mothers side. Beyond
them is the aviary, wide awake with
cheerful song, every voice of which
know. Windows on either side are
piled high with Towering plants.
And opposite my lucky self is the
prettiest woman l have ever met-the
lovliest woman, in fact, and the sweet
est in the Worldwide on account of q
little crimson morning sacque she
has put on to-day to ward off early
frost, looks exceedingly like "The Girl
in the Red Jacket. "-Harper's Bazar
Engineering Feats.