Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-07-15

longer, and the day was done. Then
be would say. gently, Come, Maggie,
and she would obey in sweet duti.
full fashion, lifting her face to bis, full
OF some sort OF affection-he didn't
stop to consider what it was /: but
Maggie knew that she owed this
luxury of melancholy entirely to Mr..
| McGraw. He had coaxed her moths
er into giving over Maggie's ordinary
drudgery to other hands, so that she
could have the comfort Of nursing
her grief under the auspices OF Mr..
McGraw. His landlady had, indeed.
needed very little persuasion, and
met his entreaties half way. Mr..
McGraw found nothing distasteful
IN this maternal solicitude, having
for years parted the thrusts and
caterings OF anxious mothers in be-
half of their portionless daughters,
the more so as it furthered his own
happiness, and rendered him more
and more comfortable as time went
by.
Now that the hot summer was
gone, and the stormy winds of winter
began to blow, the old brick lodg-
ings were not SO gloomy. The
obliquely visioned ancestor had been
taken from the wall the horse. hair
furniture covered with a gay chintz;
the rusty CRATE was rubbed into a
rubicund brightness, and therein the
Goals blazed generously. There was
no stint in the maternal blessings
showered upon this loiger, and Mr..
McGraw, for the first time, appreci
ated his dealings with . commercial
woman, who was willing to spend
| money when there was considerable
to be made by it. This excellent
woman even endeavored to put an
air of smartness into Maggie's ward.
robe, and garnished her cloak with a
crimson trimming. Maggie wore
the cloak, but her face was sadly out
OF keeping with the brave garment.
She had grown sc much more sub
dued, and SO much older N her man.
ner and appearance, that Mr.. Nc.
Graw felt more and more at ease in
her society, and of the two he began
to appear the brightest, and wore an
air OF briskness and vigor that went
far to make up for his mature years.
His lawyers declared that never, in
the whole course of their experience,
had they seen a man possessed with
such admirable philosophy.
'At least FIVE thousand pounds
swept away with this un lucky sailor,
and Mr.. McGraw never murmurs
about it, said one of the legal gen.
tlemen.
Adversely seems to soften him.
replied the other. He hasn't cursed
anybody or anything for six months
Still he don't seem crushed or
oldened by the blow
On the contrary, he gets younger
every day
Which really was a fact Happi,
ness was an extraordinary renovator
to Mr.. McGraw, and the neighbors
declared kindly that he and Maggie
looked very well together. 'Oh,
man is always young if he's got
means,' they added.
As the months went by, it began
to be generally conceded by all con.
cerncd that Mr.. McGraw was pay
ing attention to Maggie, and she
was treated with that rare considera-
ton that her good luck demanded.
The only creature that seemed
utterly ignorant of the situation was
poor Maggie herself, who had never
for a moment forgotten her dead
sailor, or ceased reviving his memo.
ry to Mr.. McGraw, who seemed the
only one that could fully sympthize
with her and console her. Prodded
on by the encouraging hints and al
lualons of the girls mother, Mr.. Nc.
Graw had endeavored 70 infuse into
his manner something of the bearing
of lover, but Maggie invariably re-
celved these advances with the gen.
tie gratitude that had become part
of her nature, and Mr.. McGraw in.
stinctively shrank from anything
that might shock her delicacy, or es.
TRANCE her from him. lie resolved
to blde his time, winning gradually
all of her heart that was left from
! the possession of the dead sailor, &C
customing her to the practice of as
sociatipg their lives together, teach
ing her to lean upon him, and seek
from him what happiness she could
call her own. Then when some hap
py moment arrived in which he
could win her to share her life with
him, he would trust to his own exer-
tons to win her love. Life was a
weary burden in the old boarding
house, compared to the luxury he
could offer her. Then he could see
that he was msking himself nsoessa.
ry to her. One morning, as they
stood upon the long pier and looked
out to sea, he said to the girl cling.
ing to his arm, Shall you be sorry,
my dear, to see me one of these days
sailing away from you in ship like
that one over yonder, never perhaps
to look upon your sweet face again 2
She said no word, but clung closer
to his arm, and two big tears rolled
out of her eyes. He took courage
then to put his arm about her-not
but that it had often been there be.
fore, but that was in a fashsrly sort
OF way.
'Would you be afraid, Maggie, to
cross the sea with me p he said.
afraid 2 she replied & could
never be afraid of the sea-
There was an unpleasant infection
in these words that was closely con-
nected with the dead sailor, and Mr..
MeGraw essaysd still another in.
quiry. Don. you love me little,
Maggie he said.
& love you better than anybody
now,' she said.
He longed to ask her if her love
was anything of the nature of the
ardent PASSION she had once hel3 for
the sailor Mslloy, but of course be
refrained, aud indeed was well con-
tent with his present happiness. Mr..
| McGraw felt certain OF the future.
There seemed no obstacle TO his hap
piness, and that very day he re-
solved to get his affairs in shape so