American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-07-27

widower, a stock-raiser, and d man af
ficted with many maladies, of which he
loved to talk. He had generously sent
down from the city, in pound packages
and In tin cans, samples of his available
goods, and had proposed this "grocery
counter " to the young ladies, which
they despised and would have none of.
{ the grocer himself found favor in their
sight. They aitted about him, filled his
button-holes with bouquets, his pockets
with bon-bons; they looked up in his
face, and tried to talk to him, poor chill
dren! as best they could. But they APP
pealed to me to take the ugly counter,
with its sordid pound packages for home
necessity, and took it with an ill-con-
cealed avidity. The truth was, kind
of hesst-sickness seized. me when l
thought that the evening must be passed
in making myself generally agreeable,
and l felt that to wander about this
place, distorted out Of its sweet SAVIOR of
| goodness and quiet Sabbath rest SO dear
to weary soul-to wander about among
the flags and wreaths and tents and ar
bors, with smile fer one, a nod for an
other-was like the protracted and ag
onizing pilgrimage of a lost soul beyond
the borders of the Styx.
So I speedily put myself behind the
counter, which comfortably hid half my
tall, gaunt figure, and was so glad of
the shelter that found myself beoom-
ing interested in these ,despIsed parcels
piled up before me. 1 determined, if 1
could, to make my mission success, so
that 1 and other poor weary women
might have this fefuge to fly to in these
gala seasons of misery.
The successful grocer, who had not
been very well pleased with the open
ingratitude for his bequest, took heart
and frightened up When Be saw me Civ
ing an air at shiartness to his goods
He extricated himself from a bevy of
young and fair ones, and came gener-
ously over to help me. In sheer graft
tude began to praise his young colt
that was pastnring In field adjoining
our garden, and he remained with me.
Shortly after, when he found that queer
feeling in his head agreed with the same
discomfort in my own poor Uranium,
he brought a chair behind the counter,
and in low tender voice he detailed to
me the interesting diagnosis Of his pet
maladS.
On the other side of me the minister's
son, who was home from college, and
suffering from that period Of eg0tism
which comics to young men of his kind,
remained during the entire evening, to
show his contempt for the young, the
fair, the frivolous. A few old married
friends, whose wives were sick or away,
lowered about the grocery counter, so
that it really did happen that / was sur
rounded by men. The evening was
passing pleasantly enough. My dark
corner was we'll patronized, and every
woman who has to do with church en-
tertainments will understand my graft
fication and relief when found it was
nearly 10 O'Clock and all was well. At
this time letter was put into my hand
by one of the little post-office messen-
gers-we always made feature of the
post-office at our festivals, where pink
and parti-colored missives, with doves
and other doting designs upon the en-
velopes, were distributed at extrava-
giant rates of postage. had just been
favored with liberal offer from a GUS
toner, and, elated with my bargain,
proceeded to put up my bundles, not
giving much heed to the love-letter from
the neighboring booth. Truth to say,
felt a little tingling of the blood at the
idea of the mockery that might be con-
cealed therein by one of those witty vii
lage youths, and the letter lay there for
a full half hour, when somebody said,
in the most commonplace way,
$50 Jack Hunter is back from
| China.'
In a moment every thing was black
before me. 1 dropped my hands and
my eyes to the counter, and when this
sudden dizziness was gone, saw upon
the little tawdry envelope jack scrawl-
ing handwriting. Here was the little
line had coveted all these years, and
this is what my half blinded eyes made
out:
81 came home because was mad to
see you-because all these years, and
your old peridy, couldn't kill my love
for you. I find you just as expected
to. in space small enough to be filed
outside and inside with-men. You are
rs beautiful and fascinating as ever, and
as fond of admiration. 1 hear that you
are about to be married to the grocer at
your elbow, who SO engrosses your at
tention that you do not care to look at
the passers-by. God help him, and God
bless you! Ihave had my lesson. Now
shall, perhaps, be satisfied. Good-by."
Five minutes after that I was running
home, without my hat, and with his note
crumpled up in my hand. The people
at the festival no doubt thought that
mamma was taken suddenly ill. They
could not have fancied 1 was running
after Jack, because he had been there
at the church for an hour, and I had
been totally unconscious of his presence.
Dear Heaven! how could it be that 1
didn't know, that something didn't tell
me, that didn't feel he was near meP
But 1 didn't. I went on talking to
the grocer about q remarkable opera
ton for an ulcer that he had undergone,
when Jack must have been only few
rods away! ran down the road, my
heart in my throat. Fortunately, the