Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-12-12
Quite n Happy Mistake.

my mothers pale and anxious gaz
rest on him.
Night after night did Maud an,
l lie side by side, and spend tn
hours-when sleep, they tell MS
lends us beauty - in wondering
what trouble was lowering over Us
But my knowledge came all to,
soon.
My father had lent money, which
he supposed he could call in at an!
time. The time arrived, but tn,
money was not forthcoming. Hi:
health was rapidly failing him, {
fact his business anxieties in nc
way helped, and we soon knew he
must mortgage heavily the farm
and that if his health continued tc
fail, he might soon be unable to
pay interest.
Then Maud and | began TO hold
our whispered conversations to
better purposes-to decide that we
were young and strong, and healthy,
and that such gifts were Civ
en- to be made use of. And so
it ended in sending off mysteri-
Gus letter to the old school teacher,
and waiting and watching days for
q reply, which came at last to tell
US she had succeeded in finding n
situation as governess, at compe-
tency which seemed to US wealth.
The lady was willing to take any
one on her recommendation, and
either of us, she felt assured, would
fill the role. So she left it for us
to decide-one must so and one
must stay.
AT last Maud said it would be
she that would go. She was older
than |, and she thought she would
be happier away working than at
home sitting with folded hands.
She was so pretty, so loving, and
lovable, that it seemed as though
we could not let her go among
strangers. At first, father and
mother would not listen to it, but
we overruled all objections, and
Maud M i'd wrote and appointed day
The intervening time passed rap
idly away in busy preparation, and
at last the one Sunday left US
dawned bright and clear. Maud
looked so lovely that morning in
her pretty hat, with its long, droop-
ing feather, that | did not wonder
the eyes of stranger in the church
wandered persistently to our pew.
1t was q tall, handsome man, sit
ting with the Leonards-a name
which, in our village, represented
its aristocracy and wealth. There
was gentlemen from the city visit
ing there constantly, but their gaze
did not often wander from the sty-
fish, elegant Miss Leonard to seek
any other attractions. | saw
them glance around once or twice,
as if to discover what else in the
church could possibly distract at
tention from themselves, and l fear
/ felt more pride in Maud's beau
ty than was quite consistent with
the sacred place in which we were.
But after she had gone, and at
night / went, for the first time, to
my room alone, | felt that she had
chosen the better part-that it was
easier even to go forth among
strangers, with your hand at the
plow, than to sit down quietly on
the vacant hearth-stone.
However, | soon found plenty
for heart and hands. Ny father
grew rapidly worse instead of bet
ter, and it was such hard work to
80 word my letters to Maud that
she could not know of the skeleton
in the home-the shadow of coming
death.
Her letters were bright and
CHEEKY, like herself; and when at
last / told her that father grew no
better, she answered, she had met
DR.. Melrose, who was relative Of
the lady whose children she taught,
and asked him to go down and see
father, aud that she would defray
the necessary expenses.
l almost gasped when l read the
name-Dr. Melrose. His fame had
reached even our ears. wondered
now she could have approach him
with such request, but | said
nothing to father of her desire, and
one morning, about week later,
his card was put into my hands.
With quick, trembling limbs, l
FASTENED down to meet him, and
opened the parlor door to find my
self face to face with the stranger
who, weeks before, had sat in the
Leonard's pew. Ny face grew red
and pale as | recognized him, but
he came forward very quickly, and
taking my hands, said:
"Come, we will have little talk
first, and then you shall take Inc to
your father"
/ quickly obeyed him and sat
down by his side, as he directed,
while he, not seeming to observe
my agitation, told Inc of my sister
of her happiness in her new
home; how already she had won
her way into their hearts, and how
glad be was that business at this
time called him to this spot and
enabled him perhaps to be OF as
sistance.
Then | found words, when he
left me TO visit my father, and l