Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-03-14

L
to prove most willing benefactress to
the one-armed postman. Why is it,
thought. bitterly, that if one ever does
happen upon that rara dpis, model
servant, all the powers of darkness
seem leagued together to spirit her
| away?
Where is your child?" / asked.
with a strong effort
II have put him to board little
way out of town. replied the girl,
sadly. "He is with friend of mine,
who takes good care of him; and | al
ways go 10 see him on my afternoons
out; but l do miss him sor'
And here she broke down again.
g But what does it all mean %
continued. for my sympathies were
getting dreadfully worked upon.
"Why are you not living with your
husband, if he is alive? Or why do
you not know it, if he is dead? just
tell me the whole story, Mary, from
beginning to end"
At this point Brunhiida, who al
ways scents romance from afar, APP
peared upon the scene, and gracefully
established herself upon the kitchen
dresser.
"Seven years ago." said Mary,
"When l married William Murphy, |
thought there was no one like him in
the world; and should think so yet
if he hadn't nearly worried the life
out of me. But | shall always believe
that his mother was to blame for it
all. She was that jealous of VIII that
it sometimes seemed as if she would
like to scratch my eyes out. We lived
with the old people for year or two;
but after little Willie was born had
no peace at all for his grandmother,
who insisted on having her way with
him, and | naturally thought that |
had IA right to mine.
1.-THE old people had money. and
lived very comfortably, and VIII and
his father carried on coal-yard to-
gether; but VIII fell into bad COM
pany and took to drinking, and his IA
Their and mother Were so bitter toward
him, it drove him to desperation. You
see. they were people who had ALWAYS
been respected, and they couldn't bear
the disgrace; and many's the night
I've sat up watching for WILL SO that
they shouldn't know when he came in.
taught myself German, by way of
amusement, on those lonely evenings.
Some one gave the books to VIII, and
| had always been fond of study at
school.
after a while we left the old peo-
pie, and moved into two rooms of our
own; and | worked hard at sewing
and knitting and anything could get
to support us. WIZ did not improve,
though he was never unkind to me;
and one morning boy brought me
crumpled note from my husband tell
ing me he had gone to California, and
that he would never come back un-
less he came "a sober man, and with
money to support me and our boy.
His father HAD been harder with him
than ever, and he said he was sick of
it all; and as he was of no use to us, he
would not stay to be a disgrace. have
never heard from him since.
Wits mother came to me and said
that she should look upon the boy Us
hers now, and we must go home with
her at once. But | put her off, to
gain little time; for was young.
YOU see, and ignorant, and l was
afraid that she had the power to make
Us go; and when she left me. Just
packed my clothes and Willis, and
went off to the depot, and came to
l.. | had this friend living near
here-we used to 90 to school togeth-
er- and she got me place in "A store.
But | couldn't pay my board and
Willie's and clothe us both out of
that; and finally concluded to leave
the boy with Ellen, and get a place at
service.
And now don't know whether
Will is living or dead; but ! can help
thinking that if he was living he
would have written to me and sent
me some money, for he always loved
me-
1t struck Mary's audience that he
had very strange way of showing his
love; but then they were old maids,
and could not expect to understand
such matters.
Mary presently produced photo
graph, which was just the opposite Of
what we expected; for her Sweet
William was "a fine, manipulating
young fellow, and we felt drawn to
lin at once. But, then, we felt drawn
to the postinan, too; and it was abso-
lutely essential TO the latter's happi-
ness that number one should have de
parted from this terrestrial scene.
Until there was sufficient evidence of
this, however, there was reason TO
fear an Enoch Arden denouement;
and we assured Mary that it was posi-
lively wrong for her to give Mr.. Blu
menthal any encouragement.
1t was probably owing to this disin-
tereSted advice that we were hOnored