Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-09-19

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mistakably red-haired, good natured
looking young girl in a'plain travelling
dress stood before me.
"Good gracious! is this the beauty %
thought l; and Carroll fell back ster
or two.
Are you Miss Carmody?' she asked.
g.! am" l replied, holding, out my
hand; and lat me welcome you" when,
turning from me, she gently pulled for.
ward into the room the loveliest little
child l had ever beheld in my life, with
large soul-lit brown eyes, and sunny hair
the exact color of our lost darling's.
"This is Miss Ashbell," said the maid
"and l am to stay or 60 back as you see
ft."
looked at Carol. He INDUCED in a
long, under-the-breath whistle. :
Helen buried her face in the sofa
cushion and laughed Historically.
The child came forward, and holding
out her little hand, said, with pretty
drawl, ~ am to love you, and you are
to love me. Aunt said so.''
l went on my knees on one side of her
and Helen went down on her knees on
the other, and we kissed her till her dim
pied cheeks glowed again (you see the
house had been SO lonely without our
little sister, while Carol looked on with
establishment, admiration, and tender
ness blended in his handsome face, and
Will stole in with the only bud from my
precious tea rose, the stem carefully
stripped of its thorns, and put it in her
hand.
"Thank you, boy" she said. IL will
have you for a brother; and you too"
looking with bright smile up into Car
rops face. "There is an angel home, in
big picture, with hair and eyes like
yours"
Carroll caught her up in his arms,
and ran with her to mothers room.
And there she had no sooner said, "My
papa and mamma are both in heaven"
than mother burst out in blessed fit of
weeping that left rainbow behind it.
And from that hour the weight began
to be lifted from her brain, and soon l
had to resign my position as housekeep-
er, for we had our mother back again as
she used to be of old-a little quiet in
her ways, perhaps, but just as sweet, as
kind, as unselfsh as ever.
And Carrolls picture of Miss Ash
bell" gained him place on the wa Is Of
the academy that autumn; and Will,
who entered college last week, never ran
away from her again, but has ever since
been giving her roses freed from thorns,
as he did the first night she come among
US. bringing light and happiness-God
bless her!-to our sorrow-clouded house.
And I often think, looking at the two
heads (there is only four years difference
in their ages) bending over the same
book, that some day Will will tell her
the old, old story, and she will hear it
with smile.
~ shouldn't wonder if you were
right, Brownie" says my husband-how
I laugh when think of my jealous fears
about him once on time!-"you almost
always are"
And aunt's speculation turned out
splendidly (she is still living, a hale old
woman of seventy-fve), and she insisted
upon our accepting what she called faith
er's share, and that share was no incon-
siderable one.
And the seven-roomed house has
grown to a twelve-roomed one-.Betty,
by-the-bye, has allowed her daughter to
assist in the house-work-and the twenty
five by twenty-five garden to hundred
by a hundred, my corner just. filled with
rOse-bushes. -l
And everything has prospered with us,
and no frightening shadows, have fallen
upon our paths, since the rosy June
afternoon we so unwiliingly opened the
door to let in the darling who loved us,
as we loved her, at first. sight-sweet,
brewn-eyed, golden-haired Miss Ashbell!