Richland beacon., 1881-12-17

| IL HhNcS mo Noulei IOihS tlOubic 10 IL GA
things over when I drive down. III
Jest hang this eau of paraifine lie on i'.-
maybe you 90. Tie sugar-loaf ia aut
coffee can go under the scat JUS; ~ VIII
as nor. How's your health, sir. and
how do you like Vale Of C-uix 2"
ANSWERED that my health was good.
and that had not, Il, yet, seen much ot
Vale OF Cruix.
"No, you haven't" said tho old gcn-
tleman. "Well, you'll drive through
it now" And he shook the reNs, aul
the old horse began to stumble along.
And on we drove past certlin rows Of
brick houses, very much like each
other, and with the same flowers in
their front gardens, Until, having passed
the church, We came to one happily set
about by old oak trees, before tho gate
Of which lie drew up.
A girl stood at the gate--a fair girl in
. blue muslin dress and apron.
"Take this sugar, Mary, before i. gets
upset, said the deacon. "This is Mr..
Mactaggert, that's to preach for lis.
Mr.. Mactaggert, this is my daughter
Mary"
We bowed and she vanished with the
parcels.
"What a lovely little creature :" sad
Ito myself. Nothing like Angelina.
but SO pretty" Aud l found myself
thinking of her as l washed my hands
and my hair in the blue-wailed bed
room on the second floor. with white
friuged cOunterpanes and curtains. aud
two black silLouettes over the mantel-
piece, ON either side OF the china vases
Of roses.
There We're oply four of us at the ia
ble-the deacon, his wife, n stout lady
who never said more than she could
help, and Mary. She had spent the last
winter in Glasgow, and We talked about
all she had seen. She WAS self li-posses>ed
without being forward, aud oh, so pretty !,
Now, Angelina was splendid and queen
ly, so this WAS mild praise that she could
not have objected to, only 1 said it very
often. Ipreached / on the next Sunday.
1t was settled that l should spend the
summer there. l wrote this to Ange-
lima:
"Since you cannot be with me it does
not matter where l am-tllis stupid
place as we'll as any other. Address to
the care of Deacon Stevenson. I shall
remain with him while ! preach here"
1t was a pleasant summer, despite the
dullness Of the place. How good the
quaint old deacon was when one really
knew him! How moilierly WIS Mrs.
Stevenson ! As for Mary, size grew
sweeicI every day! l often wondered
ni,at Angelina would have said ;....l
she have seen me helping her to pick
bIackberries. to find the runaway COW,
to carry home the milk pail, driving her
over to the country grocery and return
ing with q freight of groceries-Angeli-
na, who knew nothing of domestic de-
tails, and whose mOnogrammed and
perfUmcd notes were often brought to
me from the Office in company with the
paraffine can. wrote my sermons at
one end of the round table while Mary
sat at the other, sewing. Now and then
a big bug would fly into the window and
go humming about our heads, or 4 moth
would try to SINCE its wings over the
chimney, and ] would drive it out. Tie
old people would so to bed after while,
and then Mary snd would find our
selves hungry, and ,e would go into
the kitchen to find something good.
/ always held the light for her. When
something good was found WE ate it in
the back porch, sitting side by sid; IN
tue step, like two children.
She was solike . child, that little Mary,
that it seemed 10 harm to ask her to
kiss me goodnight, or TO hold her hand
in mine, as it rested ON my arm, in our
long walks home from church on Sun
day evenings.
The summer passed October came.
Angelina returned to the city ana wrote
to me. II was while we were eating
peaches and cream III the back porch
that evening that l said to Mary, u
will tell you secret, Il you will keep it
for while. Mary"
"Oh, Of course, 1 will, Mr.. Mactag-
gert."
81 am going to be married this au-
tumn, Mary" l said. "These pretty
letters you always thought came from
my sister are from the lady who is to
marry me. She is very beautiful, very
rich, very stylish, but very kind. You
must come and see us, Mary, when we
are married. shall tell Angelina how
good you have been tome-what e sweet
little sister I found out here In Vale Of
Cruix. Why, Mary"
For, - I spoke, 1 felt the little hand
] held grow cold and heavy il mine. I
ssw her sink backward. The big china
bowl Of peaches and cream slipped with
n craah IN the oround and shatfered tn