The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-12-15

Then Sans parents died, and he went
over to help John Ellsworth in his mill,
and the work prospered under his strong
blithe hand And as the days passed by,
Sam and Mary shrank coyly away from
the atfectionate intimacy Of their child
hood, and ended by falling as deeply in
love with each other as though they had
now for the first time exchanged glances
across the rapturous bounds of manhood
and maidenhood. Their love, having
such tender root in the past, sent out
bright branches of hope for the future.
and was as strong as life with them both.
Mary would have borne anything for
Sam; and Sam, who was Of a quick and
| impetuous nature found his equilibrium
III the sweet firmness of Mary's character,
and adored her for the loving sarcasm
with which she rebuked his pet faults
such bright and captivating faults as
Sans were then.
Sam and Mary were engaged when the
war broke out; and the two men Of John
EllSWOrth's household went away, and
| the two women waited in their solitary
home on the mountain, cheered by letters
at first; afterward, their only hope lay in
some chance returning figure along the
road that came winding up from the vii
lage below John Ellsworth never came
back along that dear familiar road and
when Sam returned one day, weak, ague-
shaken, demented but still fondly, fool
islly faithful, Mary, called Of God to en-
dufe this greater sorrow than any death
could bring, spent the solitude of one
| black night in terrible rebellion, and
when the morning dawned, laid her
| broken heart at the foot of the cross, and
rose with calm "I 2rW- for eveTmOre."
Sam went back wonderingly to occupy
the long deserted home Of his childhood
but it was Marys hand that brought him
bread and meat, that made his bed, and
swept his floor, and furnished his poor
home with every comfort,
Sam knew that it was all changed some
how. The tongue once so Winningly sar-
castle was now ever too thoughtfullv
kind, the once laughing eyes too deeply
compassionate. He sorr0wed over it
| with the vague sorrow Of child. But
he trusted Mary she knew she would
set it ali right in time The light, the
hope, the promise of his youth, So help
lessly, SO mysteriousy lost-they were all
kept waiting for him somewhere in Mary's
great dark eyes.
But when Sam came t0tterlng up the
hill on his return home, he had brought
with him parcel the contents Of which
he had not revealed to any eye. 1t con
tanned his wedding clothes new and sleek.
of the finest broadCl0th. In the pathetic
lo1 elines6 OF his home he acquired Il habit
OF tondllng these, of gl0ating over them,
even of trying them on before the glass
and then, as he stood III his best mood,
with his bOnny hair carefully curled, one
never saw SO sweet and weak d face Sam
longed yet ever hesitated to appear be
fore Mary in these splendid habilments,
That strange trouble or his mind deter
ed him. He was never s0shy, SO simple,
SO conscious of his lost estate, as when in
''Aliss Mary's presence-neyer Withal 50
strangely happy and content. one eve
ming, as he sat before her, the wedding
thought.
Il l never cared for any girI but you,
Mary" he exclaimed abruptly, with a
spark Of the old fire in his eyes. III
never c0uld."
"No, Sam" Mary answered, gently. Il
don't believe you ever could"
"lou-you promised to marry me
once," said Sam, that brief fire changing,
for another instant, to look Of solemn
wonder and reproach
y deathly pallor crept over Mary's face
Then she came close to Sam, and laid her
hand on his, and looked into his eyes
with all the beautiful tenderness and pity
of her deeply tried soul
II shall always be true to you, Sam
she said. "Ihere are some things we
can't understand. We must be patient.
But hat-what we hoped for once-noW
in this world-that, dear Sam, must
never be-"
"Yes, Mary" Sam answered, sweetly
obedent, thrilled through and through by
the touch OF her dear hand ''ttat must
never be- And he repeated the words
simply all the way home, "Ihat must
never be" 1t was all right, somehow
"A1ary knew" But he folded the we'd
ding clothes and put them away that
night as one who should never need to
take them down again.
After this the ruined life clung closer
to that strong and patient one, and the
little service which Sam was accustomed
to perform for Mary, when not suffering
with the ague, or following after the fond
hallucinati0n of his "pensiOn' the fetch
ing Of wood and drawing of water-tbese
lost to his poor adoring mind every base
and menial quality, and We're like the Of
terng of deyOtee laid trembling at the
feet of an angel.
And the time pa ssed swiftly for the
work Of AIary's hands. Besides her min
istrations to Sam and her mother, her
generous thought for the Wretched Tray-
ers family, the name OF Mary Ellsworth,
for the gracious help and sympathy which
it implied, was known and loved in all
the villages below ; and in times of sick
ness or sorrow, or added care, the Journey
up the mountain side was cheap which
could procure day Of those convicted
services.
ltwas the atfiiction OF unexpected com
pany which had overtaken Judge Hol
combs wifeless home and refractory ser
wants. Mary. with rare tirmness, estab-
lished there in a day her universal rule
Of peace. Among the other guests was
young actress from New York, the judges
niece, blonde, handsome, magnificent. vt
evening, as Mary stood, before her return
nome, waiting an instant ID tue udll, 50
quite and demure, with her hair parted
in an old, old fashion, and her dark eyes
and her face breathing that inetfabe re-
finement which the calm endurance of
some hidden and exalted sorrow alone can
give, the dashing young actress advanced
upon her suddenly, and folded her with
an impetuous gesture in her Strong white
arms. al love you" she whispered, 81
love you. love you desperately"
The judges own wooing was less I'M
passioned, when some weeks atterWard,
he left his smart horse and buggy at
Mary's gate and entered the house
''I formed a very favorable opinion Of
you Mary" said this grandiose parsonage,
"a good many years ago, and I've never
had any cause to alter that opinion. In
fact, | came here to say that | should