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

by the recollection Of Tom Elden'r
words-"He is gentleman, and a
man of honor"
"Tom Eden never was wrong" !
said, one morning, as i sat alone,
"and for man like that, after my
kindness, to take advantage Of his
position to win that girls love
from me, would be the act OF
the greatest scoun-"
"May come in, Mr.. Burrows y
said the voice of the man OF whom
was thinking.
"Yes, come in" said, and there
we stood looking in one another's
eyes.
"Mr. Burrows" he said, ~ have
come to say goodbye"
Goodbye !" | said.
"Yes, sir, goodbye. l have
awakened from a dream Of happi-
ness to a sense of misery of which
| cannot speak. Let me be brief,
sir, and tell you that / shall never
forget your kindness"
"But you haven't finished the
picture"
"No, sir, and never SHALL" he
said bitterly. "Mr. Burrows, | cam
not stay. THAT isl need not be
ashamed to own it, l love your
child with all my heart"
81 knew, sir" said bitterly.
"And you think l have imposed
on your kindness. No, sir, ! have
not, for | have never shown it by
word or look"
"No, you scoundrel," l said to
myself, "but she knew it all the
same"
"And, sir, such a dream as mine
could never be fulIilled-it is i'm
possible"
EYES," l said in a cold, hard
voice, sit is impossible"
"God bless you, sir goodbye"
"You will not say goodbye to
herr" | said harshly.
He shook his head and, as /
stood there, hard, selfish, and
jealous of him, saw him go down
the path, and hreathed more freely,
for he was gone.
Gone but there was a shadow on
my home. Cobweb said not a
word, and expressed no surprize,
never referring to the picture, but
went about the house slowly,
dropping day after day, month
after month, till summer time came
again, and | knew that in my jeal-
Gus selfishness / was breaking her
heart.
1t was rs nearly as could he a
year after that |, feeling ten years
older, went TO seek her one after
noon, and found her, as | expected,
in the little wood, standing dream
and sad in her old position lean
ing upon the tree, listening to no
bird song now, but with a far-off,
longing look in her eyes, that swept
away the last selfish thought from
my heart.
| dill not let her see me, Int
wcnt straight up to Elden's, learned
what ! wanted, and short tim,
after / was in n hands ONE studio |
in st. Johns Wood, staring at the
finished picture Ct my child
painted, of course from memory
framed, againgt the wall.
AS | stood there the door opened
and turning, stood face to face
with GRAVITY.
We looked in each others eyes
for few moments without speak
ing, and then in a trembling,
broken voice, I said:
"Grantly, I've come as heggar
now. My poor darling-God for
give me I've broken her heart !"
1t was my turn to sit down and
cry like child, while my dear boy
tried TO comfort me, telling me, too,
with pride how he had worded and
become famous, and in few more
months had meant to come down
and ask my consent.
But there, I'm mixing it up. or
course he told me that as we were
rushing along, having just time
enough to catch the express; and on
reaching the station there was no
conveyance, and we had to walk.
That scounbrel would not wait,
but ran on without me, and when
got there, painting and hot, found
my darlirg's heart was mended with
all of that belonging to the good