Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-12-26

took her home to the family
house at Owls Corner, one of the
prettiest villages l ever had the
good fortune to see. But Mamie
was eighteen when | first saw her a
woman, and this was the scene of
our meeting.
John had sent for me to come to
Owls Corner on certain July day,
promising to drive over TO the sta
ton and meet me, as my elderly legs
covered the ground but slowly
We had retired from business, rich
men both, some five years before,
and correspondent regularly. But |
had been abroad and this was my
first visit to Owls Corner in ten
years. | remembered Mamie as
romping child, fond of swinging on
the gates, climbing up grape ar
bors and imperiing her neck fifty
times a day. John always saying
on each OCCASION:
"She's a little wild, but she'll get
over that"
| waited at the station for half
an hour, then seeing no sign of
John, ] started to walk to the
house. 1t was midday and fearful
ly hot, and when | had accomplish
ed but half the distance | turned
off this road, and started through a
grove that gave me a longer walk,
but thick shade. | was resting
there on a broad stone, completely
hidden by the bushes on every side
when | heard Johns voice:
"Where have you been y
There was such dismay and as
tonishment in the voice, that l
looked up in surprise, to find that
he was not greeting me, but a tall
slender girl coming towards him.
Such a sight. She was dark and
beautiful, dressed in thin dress
of rose pink, faultless about the
waist and throat, but from the
waist down clinging to her, one
mass of the greenest, blacklist,
thinest mud and water.
"In the duck pond" she answer
ed, with voice rs clear and must
cal as chime of bells, "don't come
near me-"
"You are enough to wear a man
into his grave"
"There, don't scold," was the
coaxing reply, "little Bob Ryan
fell in face down, 1t did not make
any material difference in his cos
tune, but | was afraid he would
smother, so | waded in after bin.
The water is not over two feet deep,
but the mud goes clear through to
China, / imagine. 1t is rather
pity about my dress isn't it ~
"a pity" roared John, "you'll
come to an untimely end some day
with your freaks. AS if there was
to pick an Irish brat out
Of the duck pond but you"
"There actually was nobody else
about. There, now, don't be angry.
III go up to the house and put on
that bewitcbing white affair that
came from New York last week,
and be all ready to drive over to
the station with you at what time! 2"
"About three. Lawrence is COM
ing on the BIO"
And | had come on the 1910.
This accounted for the failure to
meet me, kept snug in my retreat
until John and Mamie were well
on their way homeward, wondering
a little how many young ladies in
nv circle of friends would have so
sacrificed a new dress to
pick up beggar's brat out of the
mud.
When ], in my turn, reached the
house, John was on the porch, wait
ing for Nannie's reappearance.-
He gave me the most cordial well
come, ordered a luncheon, called
Mamie, his mother, and man to
go for my trunk, all in one breath,
and seemed really rejoiced to see
me.
Presently a slender girl with a
truly bewitching white dress trim
med with dashes of scarlet ribbon,
and smoothly braided black hair,
tied with scarlet bows, came de-
murely into the room, and was in
troduced. Never, however, in that
first hour, could the widest imag-
alton have pictured Mamie Still
man waiding into duck pond.
But the half shy, half dignified
company manner soon wore away,
and Mamie and | were fast friends
before dinner. She sang for me in
a voice as deliciously fresh as a
birds carol, she took me to see her
pets, the new horse that was her
last birthday gift from papa, the
ugly little Scotch terrier with the
beautiful brown eyes, the rabbits,
Guinea hens, and the superannuat-
ed old pony, who had preceded
the new horse.
In week | was as much in love
as ever John could have desired.
Mamie was the most bewiching
maiden | had ever met, childlike
and yet womanly, frank, bright,
and full of girlish freaks, and boy
ish mischief, and yet well educated,
with really wonderful musical gifts,
and full of noble thoughts. She
was a perfect idol in the village,
her friends and neighbors thinking
no party complete without her,
while the poor fairly worshipped