The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-02-15

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9 lashes over her beautiful eyes aud speaking
with sweet hesitation, "I--lovc-you."
i kissed her pretty mouth MY darling
r | said, you have been my little darling evsl
since that bright morning heard you sing
r ing Annie Laurie 10 the roses"
And you mire,, she replied looking in my
= face with bcwitChing, saucy frankncss, 'cycI
i. since the morning you flew out as though shot
| from Cannon-your eyes flashing and youi
. hair in the widest disorder, with no collar
, let alone a cravat on, and dehcd my uncle,
, thought you simply dcliciOus-so different
!! from anyone had ever seen befOrc-so very
E unlike my cousin But Elmer" and a shade
stole oyer her bright face, uncle will never
never consent to-to--"
"Our marriage, my dearest'''
: Yes to our marriage, for he has set his
heart on my marrying Chester, and he's my
3 guardian, and I'm only nineteen"
: "Only he true tonne, Milliccnt," | interrupt
) ed, and III wal, for you patiently-faithfully
only say that your promise"
I Nicer forgot will be-" sang she.
! And" | took up the song, ''for bonnie
Annie Laurie, Ia lay NJ" but stopped very
=, suddenly.
Uncle Gardiner-hs shaggy eyebrows bent
in an ominOus irOwn-stOOd before us. lie
had returned from business much earlier than
usua! that afternoon, and that laundering Bub
had brought him to us, and stood there wag'
ging his heavy tail ~ though he had done The
most friendly thing in the world
\ The next morning, before | had ceased
dreaming about her, my Millicent had been
spirited away.
And in "a weeks time-vhat long wretch.
ed, dreary week 1t was Il had left Appcland
and WAS once more installed in my little den
in the attic of great lodging house in the
noisy city. And to keep the great sorrow
I from breaking my heart worked like tiend,
and the book, to which have referred before,
came out and reached the third edition, and
came down from the attic to the second floor
front, and dotted my flannel suit for something
more seasonablc.
Autumn passed away and winter came, and
spring followed, and summer brought her
roses, and then came autumn again, and IN
| turn retired for the months OF cold and snow,
and every day hope grew less and less bright
! for in all this time had not heard one word
of my lost darling.
| The second New Years day since our sepa.
ration dawncd bright and cold, and as came
up gasping from the basin Of icy water into
which ! had plunged my head Dick Van
Clcve danced in from the next room, in eX-
| IRENE dishsbillc, vaulted over y chair or two,
tossed my shaving mug in the air, caught 1t
cleverly, and then asked:
| Going to make calls.'
Make calls" repeated |, contemptuously.
I"Dld you ever know me to do such silly
Ithlng:'
! "Oh I don't mean the regular business
said he, "only friendly drop-in on some of
our fellow women writers. There's that little
Clark girl, she'd BE delighted to see you
thought you looked vastly entcrtsning-morc
than l dd-and she's poor, young thing
and very lonely, needs cheerful companion
ship. They Say ehc lost her lover year or so
ago went abroad and never came back again
! IN 60 said |.
That. good fellow, and well take her
something nice to est by way of Il New Years
! gift Don't believe she gets anything nice in
that dingy old boarding house, and Dick pi
rouetted out again to complete his toilet
An hour found Us crossing -- avenue
on our way 70 the Old-fashiontd street where
dwet the little Clark girl, where, pausing
moment to give a cent or two to IL poor child
who had just left the basement OF handsome
brown stone mansion voice rang out from
! the drawing room above that sent all the blood
madly leaping through my veins
"Maxwelton's braes are bonnie,
Where early fa's the dew,
And twas there that Annie Laurie
Gave me her promise true,
Gave me her promise true,
Which nc'er forgot will be;
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and dec
grasped my friends arm and held him I'M
| til the last note died away Il have call to
make here" | said then.
"By Jove!n he exclaimed, "are you sure?
This is no end of swell"
assembled the steps, walked without a word
past the C0lorcd servant who opened the door,
straight to the parlor.
! She had ust risen from the piano and with
u cry of Joy she flew to my arms.
The uncle, the aunt and the cousin were all
there
Dear uncle," she said, turning her lovely
face toward him, while my arms still embodied
her "releasc me from my promise, beg you.
have tried to wait SO patiently, but he has
found me, and we love each other, and come
what may will never, asrer be parted again.
Wish us u Happy New Year Dear aunt, dear
cousin, speak for u.s.
God bless me" SAID the uncle.
ours was a love match, Robert" whispered
the old lady:
II hope you may he very happy, MIlicent,"
said the cousin.
God bless me-" repeated Uncle Gardiner
again, land God bless you, my dear, and the
young man, too, for that matter, although he
has ntertered SO seriously with my cherished
plans. But if you've fully made up your
minds not to part again, come what may
why there's no more to be said, except that
wish you both Il happy New lear"-.Hdrga-
ret EytiRge, in Detroit Free Press.
For the FIRM TRADER.
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