The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-09-09

rage, with rebuke and lecture or
early rising he was swelling to deliver
to the offending Mark. "Why, Mark
Mark :" he began, but ended by taking
from bare table and reading the fol
lowing explanatory note:
DEAR UNCLE: I cannot beg. I can claim
nothing that is mine till am of age. Yor
know the one desire Of my heart is an educa,
ton. To rid you of daily disappointment and
vexation, and to keep my own life from starry
ing, leave your home and care, confidently
not want" That He will bless You and yours
here and hereafter, is the prayer Of
MARK MAYNARD.
CHAPTER Ill
Poor Mr.. Huston went back to the
breakfast table with breaking heart,
for he really loved all of the boy that
his narrow life could understand. "]
am afraid" said he, "that Mark is only
new edition of his father; and he frit-
tered all his time away and fretted him.
self into the grave over his books
and my poor dear sister seemed to
think it was all right, too, for her
last words to me were DO give
my son a good education;' and by
way OF silencing an uneasy conscience
continued, t'I am sure. there was moth
ing in the way Of the boys education
had he remained here and tried to learn. ~
Search after search was made for many
and many a day all over the country,
bat all in vain no clew could be gotten
OF the runaway. Buried in the desert of
a great city, Mark Maynard entered the
home as errand boy of one Of the best
educators in the land, and eventually be-
came his pupil. There he remained for
six years, at which time, through the in
fuence of his teacher, he was made
principal of the High School of l..
For five years he labored there with all
the zeal of an earnest teacher, and was
then made superintendent, at which time
Helen Woodruff glided quietly into the
school and filed her place with becom-
ing dignity. and as quietly in short
time afterward was made the wife of him
who had been marked out by his friends
for an old bachelor. .'-s...-..,.s -a
The marriage created no little excite
ment in the gossipy circles of the city,
but a calm followed Marks innocent
confession that Helen was his ss first and
only love-" which thread led to the I'M
raveling of both their lives. Busy-bod-
les were satisfied when the heard that
Mark Maynard, at the age IA, had kissed
Helen, child Of 8 years, his only play
mate in his uncle's neighborhood, just
the evening he ran away, that he had
not forgotten her, that he had intended
to go back and claim her, who, by a
strange coincidence, had come to him.
All the city bade them good-by regret
fully, after two years of happy life spent
in their midst. They sold Bachelors
Button" and took their departure for
the old Houston home, now all their
own, and so near the one still dear to
Helen in spite of all the bitter memories
that clustered around it. Theirs was a
charity, work of reformation that was
to begin at home.
The Illusions had settled down to
easy, quiet life in neighboring village
and whispered not the secret intrusted
to their keeping, that the Maynards,
who had taken possession of their old
place. were no others than the two run
Always, Mark Huston, as he was called
in his boyhood, and Helen Woodruff.
From cellar to garnet new life ran
throug h the old home large old rooms
that had been dark and dusty for years
were filled with sunlight and fresh air
and flowers happy birds sang in bright
colored cages that hung from vine
tangled windows where all had been
silence before, music gushed forth in
sweet, enhancing tones. The Maynard
place became the admiration. if not the
envy, of the whole neighborhood. More
than q year had gone by, and what of
the new neighbors ? There had been
enough gossip about them and their new
way Of country living, but nothing was
positively known of them save that
Mark Maynard had once been Mark
Huston, that he had run away from his
uncle, educated himself, made money
enough to buy his uncle's interest in the
farm, that he had married lady, and
was living in elegant style. None Of
the country people, except Mrs. Carroll,
had ventured to call on the "high-fy-
ers," as they had been termed by
those from whose inner lives the ideal
had been crushed and driven out by the
rude hand of the real. None, shall /
say? Mary and Ned Woodruff, that
'oAJ ov0AuS Iuoy udu etdl ttu 80 B1OOuy
of soul after the cows, had wandered on
beyond the limits of their own meadow
into an adjoining wood of the Maynard
farm, wandered, talking busily of their
trials, hopes and fears, when they came
upon vision that was light indeed to
their weary young lives. There, on q
large, messy stone, sat sister Helen.
Mary sprung toward her with q cry Of
Joy Ned stopped suddenly, turned pale,
and stood as motonless as q statue.
Helen Maynard was not long in securing
the entire confidence of her sister and
brother, and they were ready to obey
any command, or to act upon any sug.
gestion from her. She understood the
partshemustplay to accomplish her work
and struck the notes accordingly. Theil
father must not know anything of thei,
designs until they were all executed
and right well was their secret kept
Ned was hired to saw wood once or twice
aweek at the Maynards'. Mary was EN-
ployed at so cents week to take charge
Of baby Maynard on washing and iron