The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-08-28

Tor her, Tor Mary was altogether to lnd0.
lent to work herself, and if she could
make any Of her numerous levers work for
her, she never failed to do it. But at
length they all gave up in despair; for
she evidently, as they thought, was very
unfceling girl, and It was really too bad
to spend one long evening after another,
when the old folks had retired, pceling
apples,or reeling yarn, for young lady
who kept swinging back and forth in the
rocking char without saying more than
to indicate where they might find more
apples or more yarn, although sue ,oas
the pretticst girl on the river.
But Mary F. was not proud girl,
nor did she want feeling. Her character
needed only to be aroused 10y something
new or exciting, and it would soon give
evidence Of as much feeling as is compa-
tiblc with safety. 1t resembled that clear
and placid lake, somewhere in the inte-
rior Of Vermont, which had slept on in
beauty and repose, until some accident
caused its waters to break away, when it
suddenly rushed from its basin, tore its
way over the surrounding country, and
was finally merged into river that bore
its impatient waters to the bosom Of the
sea. There are few Of us who can saw
what may bc the resulting destiny which
some latent principle or energy in our
own characters will produce. We pass
the first years of life Ill Indifferent re-
pose; accident rouscs us from this tor
por, and We 60 rushing on to the great
ocean Of Eternity, in that path which the
lieadlong: intensity apd weight of our own
feelings ploughs through the obstacles in
our way, to be once more at rest and at
peace.
a. Very carly tho next morning after their
arrival, the strangers left the house and
took ttcir way into the woods, carrying
the trunk with them.
= They were CONC nearly the whole day,
and when they returned IN the afternoon,
Mcdad F., who was standing before
the hsusc, observed that they brought
back the trunk, which was evidently
much less wcighty than it had been. The
leader Of the three took the old deacon
aside, and told him that he found it
necessary to change his plans; that in
stead of going directly to Canada, it was
ACNCocoIy AOA Hill " SCuu HIS HlCu DaCk
to the sca-coast t, get new instructions
from his employers, whom he represented
to be some English merchants, who were
sending him on Il secret expedition into
tho then territories Of the French, and
that, if possible, he should be glad to IT,.
main there, until his men should return
promising to remuncratc the deacon lol
cntcrtaing him. Tho deacon gave re.
luctant conccnt,' and the two men did not
return. In the meantime, the strange,
had become interested in Mary, and the
daily habits Of the family, as we'll us the
intercourse with her, began to soften the
distant character of his manners, and to
relax tho lofty expression Of his counte-
nance. Mary become more and more Gu
.rious, or should say, ercited about him
His strange and foreign air, the energy
and fire that seemed to Turk in his mar
ncrs, and the mystery under which Ii
had como there reused and fixed her whole
attention. She thought it all very strange
and thought him the most of characte,
that had ever crossed her simple path
and from Ter very wondcrment ana Gu.
r1osity, she became fascinated. This
worked an entire change in her whole ap.
pearance. She was constantly occupied
her mind had become reused and kept
her constantly III motion, and she could
only relieve it by having something to do,
when she Was not listening to the marvel
Gus stories of the stranger about foreign
countries.
The stranger was absent in the woods,
for considerable time every day What
he did, where he went and for what pur-
pose, no one knew. Mary's curiosity be-
came 50 great Oh the subject OF the cxpc-
ditions into the same wood, that She
could not resist the impulse of following
him one morning tor a short distance
only, in order to So whether he went far
from the house, for she Observed that he
never seemed fatigucd on rcturnicg, after
an absence OF whole day. According
ly, short time after the Stranger had
gone, she tripped lightly along a narrow
path, made by the sheep, into the woods,
and after crossing small brook, soon
| discovered the stranger seated on a fiat
stone that lay embedded ina bank, and
wlthvarious tools about him. He started as
he saw her coming forward and endeav.
ored to throw some light brush over the
! stone, before she could discovered what
he was engaged in. But she saw the
movement, and told him if he was pre-
pairing a gravestonc, she should see it
some time Or other in the burying- ground
and he might as we'll let her sec It now.
The stranger withdrew the bushes be had
thrown over the stone, and discovered a
number of letters and other characters
engraved upon it in no order or language
that Mary could understand.
"Whats this nonsense z" asked she.
"Sit down here answered the stranger
"and you shall hcar.''
| But what he told, or what he sand in
those few minutes that they remained to-
gethcr, and whether it was really non.
sense, know not, only when Mary went
back to the house the stranger was hcr
avowed lover, and she had promised.
About fortnight after the interview
the good deacon, his wife and son were
surprised one morning that Mary did not
make her appearance, and that the stran.
ger was also absent. The old lady wen,
to Mary's room, and found she had gone
somewhere, and the strangers room was
found equally tcnantlcss. Medad was
instantly dispatched up to his Aunt
keziah's to see if Mary was there; but
Aunt Keziah had not seen her since las,
Sunday afternoon, coming out of meeting
she had evidently gone off with the strapg
el; and when the deacon found, on chat,
in the strangers room, purse Of none,
with Il slip Of paper, saying that it was
left as remuneration for his board, til,
old man felt his heart sink within h,m
at the thought that he should never SCI
his daughter again. And truly enough,
nothing was ever seen Of Mary F----L b,
her teicnds from that tine to this. Ont
OF tho ncighbors who had been down t.
the river that evening about dark, t.
catch some GELS, said he saw quito 8
number Of canoes ut the landing place
anu several Indians had been seen prowl
ing about tho dcacon's house. But ne
| trace of the furitivrs co,ld In d;,,,,,,