Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-21

his penkn1fe, and looked at me as II he
was half tempted to do me further butch
cry; And God knows didn't care then
if he had drawn the knife across my
throat; [ should not have resisted him.
Don't go, Jackr' cried out at last,
holding the edge OF his coat. "D3n't 90,
anyway, so far as China; if you do,
shall commence to dig q hole when you
get there. They say that China is right
under Us, and ri begin with little
pick and shovel as soon as we get news
Of your arrival. Then you can begin on
your side, and Well meet each other
halfway"
He flung me from HIM with something
like an oath. "You would joke and
laugh over my grave" he said, and went
away, not to come back again.
Who would have believed it possible?
That the years could come and go, the
sweet summers bloom and fade, the heart
Of the roses lose strength and fail and
fall away, to come again as sweet, as
strong, as fresh as ever. and Jack, ma
Jack, never come back to me? Yet he
was not dead-nor we'd That was one
good thing. And he was out there
among those women with narrow eyes
and stinted feet. and he didn't as yet
know one word of the language. He
was growing fat, he wrote home to his
people next door, and bald, which didn't
matter on the top of his head SO long as
he could keep enough to cultivate apigtail.
This was necessary, as he meant to set up
for a Chinese mandarin, and was already
embroidering gown for the purpose on
spare nights. And felt, when they read
me the letter, that it was Jacks turn
now to make merry, when other hearts
we're sick and sad.
II he had only sent me one little line /!
He showered gifts upon other people
bits OF decorated china, big soft beauti-
full shaw.s of Grape. He sent gewgaws
and gold to so many others; if he had
only given me one little word
They must have told him I had been
sorely punished; that my mischieyous
gayety he had whitfield out like the flame
OF a candle; that even the beauty Of which
he had been 50 proud and fond was gone
every bit Oh it gone. Sleepless nights
and useless repining, long wearisome
days, and endless years filed with wild
yearning for that which seemed forever
hopeless, had robbed me of ALL The old
bloom of the heart took with it the Grim
son cheek, the laugh ng eve, and the
light elastic step, Even my hair fell out.
Alas! poor me, the flesh fell from my
bones. AS limited before, it was not a
very alluring object that greeted me in
the glass on the morning of my twenty
seventh birthday. "Aroint thee, witch =
| CRED, and wiped away with the hand
towel some salt tears that fell upon the
dimity bureau cover. and upon the grave
Of sad sweet memories. Then | put on
my ugly brown dress, and the hideous
bonnet to match, and went off to the
church, pausing at the portal to look
longingly over at the cool, quiet graves
of some of our old neighbors. A soft
wind stirred the long grass there; few
birds hoped lightly and fearlessly about.
How calmly, calmly smile the dead
Who do not therefore grieve!'
''The Yea of heaven is YEA" [ said,
and went on into the church, where the
ladies were grouped around the straw
berries that had just arrived. I took
possession of whole crate of these, send
ing the young pretty maidens home to
recruit for the evening.
There were few faint polite remon-
strances when | declined TO take any
active part in the evenings entertain
ment. "We must leave that part to the
young and attractive" | said, and there
are abundant of acquiescence. I had
the consolation OF hearing several re-
marks upon my extraordinary good
sense, and practical capabiity.
was graceously allowed after I had
hulled whole crate of Strawberries, to
hold step ladder and some nails for
Mrs. Smith, the apothecary's wife, while
she hung some gorgeous drapery, and
otherwise deformed the cool gray walls
of our little chapel, SO that l was pretty
we'll tired when I went home at night
fall. Mamma met me at the gate, and
looked at me so dolefully that burst out
laughing.
Never mind, mamma" I said; III
won't look so cadaverous after I'm rested
and dressed for the evening"
But Pm afraid [ was rather painful
object for the gaze of dotlng and once
ambitious mother, even when 1 had don
ned my black silk, and was ready for
the evening. My hair was neither crimp-
ed or curled You see, l had depended
upon that switch, which was bought 70.
purposes of that kind, and failed me ig-
ANONYMOUSLY at the last moment. My
head ached. and | could not bear many
hair pins thrust into nv scalp; in no 9th
Ell way would the obstinate thing be in
duce0 to stay on. Mamma was heart
broken, and 1 was disappointed; but
even inanimate articles become pervcrse
at times. | thought perhaps the switch
was grieving over beloved and lost
| head OF which it was once part and par
Gel, and I torgave it, and left it to its
peryerseness from that time onward.
When [ reached the church l was i'm.
mediateiy siezed upon Tor something
they called the grocery counter an
innovation brought about by the adyen,
OF a well-to-do grocer in our midst, q
widower. q stock raiser, ana man at.
| fiicted with many maladies, Of which he
loved to talk. He had generously SEM
down from the city, in pound packages
and tin cans, samples of his available
goods, and proposed this 6 grocery coun
ter y to the young ladies, which they de
spised and would have none Of.
The grocer himself found favor in their
sight. They fitted about him, filled his
| button hoIeS with bool1ntS his pOckats