The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-07-29
He has lost his money and

come to me. He has lost his money and
/ have lost . .,els 50
Here the words froze on her lips, and
she held out her hands to Mr.. McGraw,
who had reached the couch upon which
they had laid her. She put her arms
about hisneck and sobbed like q little
child. Mr.. McGraw had lived lonely
bachelors life; his kith and kin were far
away. This was new experience for
him--new and strangely sweet. For
years and years the fragrant breath of
woman had not famed his lips. His
eyes were wet and blurred "a queer, chok-
ing sensation arose in his throat, and his
voice was husky as he blurted out some
consoling words.
"He can never come back to speak for
you" said poor Maggie. .You have lost
all your money. I am very sorry for you,
Mr.. McGraw.'' ,
She meant she was sorry for herself, but
the poor child craved companionshlp IN
her grief.
Heaven knows she got it from Mr..
lASVA0"s IAOA Lilac NAAC OuG uc U6CdIOe
devoted to the duty Of assuaging the
grief Of the bereaved girl. He filled
his pockets with bonboas, and ribbons,
and the various gewgaws that he thought
would soften the affection lof the girl of
twenty, and failing with those, sought to
distract by junketings to parks and prom
enades and shows, and finding these were
distasteful to her, at last yielded to her
desire to go down to the wharves. where
the big ships lay. Here they spent hour
after hour, Mr.. McGraw content to hold
one of her hands in his while the other
lay idly in her lap, and her eyes went
wistfully wandering out over the water,
till the shadows grew longer, and the
day was done. Then he would say. gem
thy, "Come, Maggie" and she would obey
in sweet dutsful fashion, lifting her
face to his, tall Of some sort of Affection
he didn't stop to consider what it was;
but Maggie knew that she owed this lux
ury of melancholy entirely to Mr..
McGraw. He had coaxed her mother in
to giving over Maggie's ordinary drudge
ry into other hands, so that she could
have the comfort OF nursing her grief
under the auspices of Mr.. McGraw. HIS
land-lady, had indeed, needed very little
pursuasion, and met his entreaties half
way. Mr.. McGraw found nothing dis
tasteful in this maternal solicitude, hav-
ing tor years parted the TRUSTS and
caterings of anxious mothers in behalf of
their por6onless daughters, the more SO
as it furthered his own happiness, and
rendered him more and more comtorta-
BILE as time went by.
{ Now that the hot summer was gone,
and the stormy winds Of winter began 10
blow, the old brick lodgings were not so
gloomy. The obliquely visioned ancestor
had been taken from the wall, the horse
haired furniture covered with gray
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 ledger, and Mr.. Nice raw, for the first
time, appreciated his dealings with COM
mercial women, who were willing to spend
money were there was considerable to be
made by it. This excellent women ever
endeavored to put an air of smartness in
to Maggie's wardrobe, and garnished her
cloak with 8 crimson trimming. Maggie
wore tho cloak. but her face was sadly out
of keeping with the brave garment. She
had grown SO much more snbdued, and so
much older in her manner and ap-
pearance, that Mr.. McGraw felt more
at ease in her society, and of the two he
began to appesr the brighter, aud 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
q man possessed with such admirable
philosophy. ~ ....
"'At least five thousand pounds swept
away with this .unlucky sailor, and Nc
Graw never murmurs about it, said one
Of the legal gentleman. .n g,.r4,,.ss.
sAdversity seems to soften him. re-
piled the other. .s'He hasn't cursed any
body or anything for SIX months.''
s'Stl he don feel crushed or oldened
by the blow" --.. ...... IF @
son the contrary he gets younger every
day. ,gs,r.-,.rT
Which really was a fact. Happiness
was an extraordinary renovator to Mr..
McGraw, and the neighl,ors declared
kindly that he and Maggie looked very
WA eNEoSAAAS1s SAS @ IAdA Ii always
young if he's got means.' they would
add. ~ aau- /. z} fcs
As the months went by, it began to be
generally conceded by all concerned that
Mr.. McGraw was s'paying attention to
Maggie, and she was treated with that
rare consideration that her good luck de-
manded.
The only caeatlre who appeared utter
ly ignorant Of the situation was poor
Maggie herself, who had never for mo
ment forgotten her dead sailor, or ceased
reviving his memory to Mr.. McGraw, who
seemed the only one that could fully
sympathize with her and console her.
Prodded on by the encouraging hints and
illusions of the girls mother, Mr.. Nc
| Graw had endeaVored to infuse into his
manner something of the bearing of a
lover, but Maggie invariably received
these advances with the gentle gratitude
that had become a part Of her nature, and
Mr.. McGraw instinctively shrank from
anything that might shock her delicacy,
| or estrange her from him. He resolved
to bide his time, winning gradually all
of her heart that was loft from the