Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-08-07

my laNofite puuuinSS anu taTt
with her own hands, and general
behaving in what the servants call
ed an unladylike way.
And l thought of my other sor
row-the future-and picture'
with an agony l cannot describ
the day when should have to re
J sign my claims to another, and b.
left alone a desolate, old man.
/ am naturally a very common
hard, and business-likc old man
and terrible selfish. Cobweb ha'
woven herself so round my heart
that in my peevish, irritable way
was never happy when home from
the city without she was waiting
on me-filling my pipe. mixing m,
one glass Of grog, upon which the
butler frowncd in fact, he had
once suggested to me That his late
master always took port of an even
ing.
Cobweb was very quiet as she
glided down from my knee to her
hassock at my feet, and was evil
IDENTIFY thinking as much as |; and
at last l frightened up, for a
thought had came to me with a
selfish kind of comfort.
"She'll be quite away from all
temptations to leave me, there, any
how" l said to myself, as l thought
of the cat homes" and balls TO
which she was so often receiving
invitations.
This set me distinguishing, as
| call it in my great cunning-to
see if there were one Of the rocks
ahead of which l was in dread.
"How shall you be able to leave
all your fine friends, parties, and
set-outsi I" / said.
"Oh, Tm tired of them all J" she
said clappipg her hands.
"And gay cavaliers, with dandy
airs and mustaches, and program
mes ?"
"Ha, ha, ha !" she langhted merrl-
ly; and then, as it seemed to me in
my jealous watchfulness, turning
the subject, she began to talk
about the country place / had
taken.
A fortnight later and we were
settled down; and really, with all
my city notions, I began to find the
calm and repose of the country
delicious. Cobweb was delighted,
and constantly dragging me some
where or another into the grounds
Of the pretty, old place, where she
arranged garden seats in the snug
gest, shadiest spots for my especial
behoof.
As have said there was a wilder
ness of wood adjoining the garden
which the former possessor had left
in a state Of nature, saying that he
had had the old footpnths and
tracks widened in their old wind
ing ways, carfully turfed, and dot
ted with a chair here and there,
This was Cobweb's favorite place,
and If | missed her out OF tho gar
den, knew I should find her here,
with the sun raining a shower of
golden beams through the network
of leaves overhead, 20 dance and
fash among the waving tresses of
her long, golden hair.
One day found her leaning on
a dead bough which crossed an
opening in the wood, where all
seemed of a delicate, twilight
green.
She was listening intently to the
song OF a bird overhead, and as
stopped short, gazing at the picture
before me, said to myself, with
a sigh
"All that's bright must fade
My darling, wish l had your like
ness as You stand. Time flies," ]
muttered, "and the winter comes
at last, with bare trees to the
woods-gray hairs and wrinkles to
the old"
She caught sight Of me directly
and the scene was changed, for
was listening the next moment tc
her merry, happy voice.
A day or two later / was in tn,
city, where l always went twice |
week-for / could not give NJ
bnsiness-it was part of my life
when an old friend dropped in, ant
10 the course Of our conversation h
said:
by the way, Burrows, VIII.
don't you have your portrait paint