Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-05-18

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come together again.
But there was little chance Of that.
We had met Mr.. Thornton elsewhere,
but he had never come across our thresh.
old since the day he went out with his
brides ring. And Aunt Helen's pecri.
iarity was that she never forgot. Could
she, then, forget the words he had spoke
! to her in his angcrY Could she ever for.
get his marrying another woman in less
than wcekP 1t had been in that week
and few following that her hair had
turned white. She had suffered mex
pressibly; she had never slept q night;
| but she kept up gay face. Perhaps
she would have suffered longer IL IL had
not been for our growing up about her.
| Her life was thus filed, every moment of
It; she had but very little time to be
| lonely, to brood, or mourn. She forgot
herself in us. 1t gave her quiet hap
piness, and kept her comely. And then
she was too proud; whenever the thought
thrust up its head, she shut the lid down,
as you may say, and sat on it.
But one day-after the time when the.
doctor had said Harry was hopeless
cripple and must lic on his back the rest
of his life-Aunt Helen brought home a
| little basket from the county fair, and
| took from the wool within it two of the
cunningest mites of chickens you ever
| laid your eyes on. IL hete them," said
she; "they make me crawl but they will
amuse the dear child. They're African
bantams." And so they did amuse him
and delight him, as he lay on his lounge
! in the bay-window and watched them
! growing up, full of business. And that
was the way, by the way, that we came to
have the chickens round the front piazza.
| One night, a year afterward, when the
bantams were quite grown people, some
body dropped over the fence pair of big
black COchins, that stalked about as II
! the earth was too good to tread on, or as
! if they were afraid of crushing bantam
with the next step. OF course we knew
where the Cochins came from-for no.
body else in town had any-but no one
said word. Only 1t was sport on the
next day to peer round the corner and
see Aunt Helen, with piece of bread in
her hand, in doubt whether to have any.
thing TO do with these fowls or not,
twice extending her hand with the
crumbs and snatching it back again, and
at last making one bold effort, and throw
ing the whole thing at them, and hurry
ing in the house. But from that mo-
ment the cver-hungry Cochins seemed to
regard her as their patron saint. She
never appeared but they came stalking
gingerly along to meet her, and at last
one even made so bold rs to fly up and
perch on the back of her chair on the
piazza. OF course he was shooed off with
vigor-wth little more vigor, perhaps,
because Mr.. Thornton had at that mo-
mcnt been passing, and had seen this
woman who would never keep hens pre-
senting that tableau.
In two or three days after that Aunt
Helen, coming home at twilight from
one of her rambles by the river bank,
was observed to be very nervous and
flushed, and to look much as if she had
been crying.
cts all right" said our Ned, coming
in shortly after her. 81 know all about
it; I've been setting my eel.traps; and
what do you think-she met old Thorn
tom"
"Nedr
"She did indeed. And what'll you
say to that mans check? He up and
spoke to her"
|
Fact. Before me? No, indeed;
lay low," said Ned, with chuckle
But, bless you! they wouldn't have seer
me if | had stood high"
For shame, Nedl Oh, how could
you-and Aunt Helen"
"Guess you'd have been no better il
my place." said the INSCRIPTIONS boy
but there, that's all If l couldn'
listen, of course you can't"
go now, Ned, pleasel'' we all choruse(
together.
"Well, then. He stood straight be
fore her. Helen said he, have you
forgotten meY and she began to turn
white. l have had time enough, sir,
said She"
"oh, you ought not to have stayed
Nedw
You may find out the rest by you
learning" said the offended narrator. g.
should like to know how was going t,
leave. Only I'll say this that if Aun
Helen would marry old Thornton TO-DAY
she wouldn't touch him with walking
stickp
To our amazcment, on the very mex
afternoon who should appear at our gate
Thornton; and who, bonneted and gloveC
to be placed in that phaeton and drive of
with him, but Aunt Helen. Nee
chuckled; but the rest of us could dc
nothing but wonder. Has she gone tC
be married9" we gasped, And Lill anC
Harry began to cry.
Well, I'll tell you," said Ned, il
mercy. "He said there'd never been {
day since he left her that he hadn'
longed for what he threw away"
"Oh, how wicked!"
"She told him so, very quietly anC
severely tell you Aunt Helen can bt
severe-and to be silent on that point
Forever said he. And ever sale
she. 1T is impossible said he. AnG
then he went over, one by one, a dozeT
different days and scenes when they were
young; and if ever fellow felt mean
was the one"
"I should think you would" we cried
with one accord.
"Now look here, returned Ned. "Ii
you want to hear the rest, you keep thai
sort of remark to yourself. 1t was toe
late for me to show myself, anyway
And I'll not say another word il you dom
everyone acknowledge you'd have done
just as did"
80 Ned, do tell the whole That's
a good boy!"
Well, she just began to cry-I never
saw Aunt Helen cry beforehand then il
seemed as if he would go distracted; and
he begged her not to cry, and she cried
the more; and he begged her to marry
IL 81 4. l. I
it now-only it doesn't seem very sue
cessful way-and she shook her head
and he implored her. by their old love, he
said, and she wiped her eyes, and looked
at him, and gave laugh hateful sort
of laugh. 'Our old lover said she.
Then, said he, If you will not for my
sake, nor for your own sake, nor for the
sake of that old love, marry me for the
sake of the motherless children who need
you more than children ever needed a
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