Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-06-12

years.
She sold her jewelry, Walters gifts,
and most OF her furniture, removed from
her pretty cottage to two rooms in a
tenement-hOuse, and went to work sew
ing for the shops.
She heard no word, no tidings OF her
husband, but two years after his depart
ure bis sHsnceilce was proved beyond a
doubt. The junior partner of the house
in which Walter had been employed abb
seconded vita all the available funds of
the eompstny. He was followed, captured.
and imprisoned for the crime.
He committed suicide i'm prison, but
before he died he performed one aet OF
lnstiee. He wrote a confession, declar-
ing Walter Gales innocence of the crime
OF which he had been suspected, and adj
mitted that he was the real GRIM
inaI.
The particulars of the mans arrest,
imprisonment, confession, and suicide,
were published ia the newspapers far
and near. Surely, If Walter Gale were
living, they must have reached him. But
three years had passed since then aad
no tidiHgs had been heard of him and
the inference was that he was dead.
Mrs. Gale and her family were known
to be ia great poverty, but still there
were few who were aware that they
ever suffered from actual want, for Ellen
was very prOud-tOO proud TO complain,
much less to beg. Alasl Tor the poor and
proud.
And. indeed, when she could obtain
wefk, her Himble fingers earned enough
to supply herself and children with food
and decent clothing just that and no
more.
For the past month, however, il had
heeff impossible for her to obtain work.
ana tonight there is nothing i'm the
house but half loaf of bread, half
dozen potatoes, little meal, and few
handfuls OF coal. And the next day is
Thanksgiving-the day Of pleasant and
happy family reunions.
Ellen Gale sits .shivering i'm the cold.
bare room, while outside the wind howis,
and the rain beats against the windows.
Her thoughts go back to the past-tO
the happy Thanksgiving she has spent
in her fathers house, the dear old farm
house up among the hills of New Hamp-
shire. She thinks of those whogathered
around that festal bOard--father, mother,
sisters and brothers. They are all gone
all except one brother, who has re-
moved to the far West.
Then memory recalls to her that hap
piest Thanksgiving of all, her wedding
day, when she stood up in the Oid-fash-
toned parlOr OF that same old farmhouse,
with her handsome young lover and the
words were spoken by the gray-haired
man of God, which made her his wife.
Oh! the happy days and years that fol-
lowed. How tender, how true, how noble
he was-that husband of hers! How he
had loved her. The children had come.
How proud he had been of them. What
future he had planned for them. And
now they were suffering from want,
from hunger, and from cold.
She rose and walked to their bedside,
There they lay fast asleep, looking so
fair, so angelic, but, oh! so thin and
pale!
"Oh! God" she cried, II cannot, OH 1
cannot endure that they should suffer,
my dear ones. hisand mine. Oil Walter,
Walter, come back to them, to mer'
Many and many time in the past
four years has that cry, waiter, come
back to me-" been wrnng from the
depths of her agOnized heart. She had
we'll nigh despaired of that prayer ever
being answered.
But as the sound of her voice dies
away upon the air, she hears loud rap
on the door.
She is not afraid, as many a woman
would have been, for 1t Is past ten
o'clock. She goes to the door and opens
1t. A man stands before her envelOped
In heavy Oyercoat, buttOned up to the
chin. He is bearded and brOnZed, and it
Is no wonder she does not recognize
him.
. But he knows her, and, taking a step
forward, says, Nellie, my darling" and
folds her close to his heart. Her PRAYER
has been answered at last.
That first heart-warn embrace over,
and the father has imprinted kiss
on the face of each of his sleeping chill
dred, he locks around the bare room and
says:
Nellie, dear, you are very, very poor"
Il have been out of work lately, Wal
ter, dear, and we have but little food In
the house, and handful of Goals"
Put it ON, dear Nell, for have much
to say to you, and the roein is like a
barn, and you, my own darling, are
shivering with cold. Heaven forgive
me! was a coward to leave you, but /
could not stay at home and be looked up
on as thief"
Your name was cleared long ago,
dear Walter" said Ellen, as she poured
the Goals over the kindling-wOOd. 1T
was Hartwell who was guilty. He con-
fessed it before his DEATH"
''Eilen, is that really true?"
Eyes, dear Walter" said Ellen, and
sitting upon his knee, his loving arms
around her, she told him the whole
story.
Thank Heaven said Walter, fervent-
ly, that my name stands unblemiShed
before the world, for your sake and
theirs" he said, pointing to the bed
where Law his sleeping children. al
could have borne anything but to be
suspected of dishonesty. That madden
cd me. must have been mad, think,
or should not have left you and our
babes to starve. Invent away determine
ed never to come back until my innO-
eeBse was proved. l went to New York
and shipped on a vessel bound to India.
The ship was wrecked off the Cape of
Good Hope, and and a few others of the
crew were taken on board an English
vessel bound to Australia. Arrived there
started Immediately for the gold dig
gings.
For a long time had no luck at all,
and had not the courage to write home,
having no good news to communicate.
But at last fortune favored me. found
a nugget worth three thousand dollars.
went Melbourne and exchanged it for
Bank Of England notes.
II was now able to repay Jones & Co.
the money they accused me of stealing,
L hnm0 a L
half an hour ago. inquired with fear
and framhlinn for Alrc Cola xr,a q