The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-12-11
E. I thought you would know of

be sure. l thought you would know Of
tsDoctor, are you sure of this?' asked
Jack, a little unsteadily.
- OF course, j am. Mrs. rockingham
told me; and have even more positive
proof, for I have just left the house,
and Miss NJ aFgery was nursing the young
man, 1FtErf
After that Jack staid in Bakers only
long enough to see, from the door of the
little shop opposite ,Alargery taking leave
of Mrs rockingham, at the head of the
great flight of stone steps. Then he shut
his sore heart up within an iron viii, and.
went back to California.
The years that followed werea long
and dreary desert in his life. Perhaps
God permits us to 1--WE through such
years of Darkness and WEAKNESS to
Show us by contrast, the exceeding
preciousness of the Joy he has IN store
for us. And so Jack lived on until the
autumn of, which. we have been speak
ing, Then all his misfortune seemed to
eliminate. He could nowhere find en-
ploynIent and he was very poor. As a
last resort, he accepted the position of
bartender in a saloon. He was new to
the business, and the proprietor
proceededg % give him some g in
structions The veteran in drinks first
concocted a mint ihlep, after some in
fallible recipe of his own. ~
"There!" said he. 'sTry that,
young man, and own up that you never
tasted any thing like it in your life. y 5a,
81 would rather you would taste and
see if it is right, SIR replied Jack. A
proposition readily. complied with.by
the compounder Of Intoxicating bever-
ages, and followed by a fright
ful scene of choking and Fl, ex-
pectOration. 50 There is something
wrong about the mint he 'sputtered I;
and then, examining the pail of green
SPANS upon his counter, he exelaimed,:l
g Blessed if that stupid market-woman
hasn't left me sweet marjoram instead
of spearmint - .r,-...r
The word sweet marjOram recalled to
Jack the dear girl for whom it always
seemed TO him that the little plant must
have been nanaedE EWhat would she have
thought, of his present occupation? And
then and there he resigned his position
as bartender, obtaining from his would
be employer the little bouquet of sweet
marjOram and pressing it between the
leaves of. his neglected BibleH But now
he had nothing to- look to for asubsist-
ence, and be strolled disconsolately to-
ward the depot, wondering what would
be the next scene in the strange drama.
The train from the mountains was just
ins and springing from it Jack was sur
prised to see his old friend, Fred Froth-
ingham. The two young men greeted
each other pleasantly. Fred said that he
had been spending the Summer in Calls
fOrnia, and had invested in q fruit
farm, which he had hoped to visit once in
two years, and that he was now in
search of some one to1keep it for him.
g am the very man you WANT cried
Jack, impulsively. And then, as a sud-
den thought struck him, he asked ::
Shall you bring your wife with you,
when you como, Fred?''
:.'My wife died five years age" re-
piled Fred gTaYely. ara nm
|. Jack staggered as though he had been
IStrueB.3s' Margery deadi he exclaimed.
s' Margeryl'' reiterated the other, in
surprise. My wife was Rose Bateman.
[ would not tell every one, Jack; but
your Cousin Margery refused me, and
after / met Rose I was not sorry for it. -
And so it was settled that Jack should
keep the fruit-farm for his friend.
" There is a very pretty cottage on it, -
said Fred, /" and, with all those pears
and grapes, you win soon be a rich
manSt He was surprised thatJack was
/ not willing to enter upon his duties at
once; but the.syoung man insisted on
/ purchasing afticRet to Baxter's with the
/ advance money which Fred gave him.
| And this was how it happened that
there was a Thanksgiving dinner that
year at Margery's, and that the Sultan
| left his prison in the kennel, and was
decapitated, on the same evening with
his generals of the oft-repeated name OF
| Pasha.
Dear me!'' said Margery, in dis
may, as she dressed the turkey, 'Fa and
to think that among all my herbs,
haven Z q sspTig ofssweet majoramSfol
the stuffing.'
''But I have,1'' replied Jack, as he
brought forward his Bible with the lit
tie sprays pressed between its leaves
! .Thestears stood in Margery's eyes as he
told their story andsI do not think one
of the precious leaves would have beer
used in the. SUltan,s stuffing had she not
thought that nothing was toe good fol
her wedding dinner.
Fred rockingham was at the wed
ding g And newyou can understand, /
said Jack to nm, ''why was so anx
iOus to come East. Even in a land flow
ing with milk and honey one may long
for cold water, and an your orchard O.
pleasant fruits could not make me for
get little garden of herbs.''
% And you wanted to transplant one
of its flowers to the Pacific Coast?'
queried Fred.
- What flowerPi'. asked Margery, I'm
consciously.
A peal of laughter ran round the ia
BILE, and Jack passed up his plate (fol
Margery had insisted on carving tn,
Sultan herself), with the demure re
quest: My dear, if you please, vii
take 1sSweet Marjoram. 'e-LSzz5e "
Chd2lp11ey, IN the Independent.
Vol -. : -. - &c.