Smyrna times., 1882-02-08
Ella Bowen's Luck.

" 1t never rains but it pOurs! I"
Ella Bowen quoted the well-worn saying
in very rainy weather sort of voice, and
handed a letter to her husband. He had
just come in from his days business, and
his face had a shadow on it, too, although
he spoke cheerily
Don't look so doleful, Nell. We are
not any worse off than we were Q. month
ago"
81 know that But, oh If we only
had five hundred dollars"
But we have not The next best thing
is to be cOntented without it. Who is
your correspondent ?''
Aunt Margaret Cooper; she is my
mothers aunt, but she has always been
very found of nae. The letter is not
directly from her, but from her servant,
Annie Smith, who has lived with her for
years. Aunt Margaret is very sick and
wants to see me-"
But it is dated Magnolia i
"Yes. 1t will cost me considerable to
go, and yet Anne seems to think she is
very ill. She is ninety-two years old"
Rich 2"
"Oh, no, indeed She has nothing of
her own, unless it may be some clothing
and furniture. She lives upon an income
from her sons property that goes back to
his family when Aunt Margaret dies.
! "Then you must 60! If she were veal
thy, there would be plenty of others to
comfort her on her death-bed but as it is,
you had better get ready to start"
But you?"
Oh, I'll get along. Jane will give me
meals until you come back"
4" 1 do think, Harry Bowen, you are the
best husband that ever woman was blest
with" said Nell, putting her arms around
his neck.
Thank you, dear, For wife of five
years experience that is a charming
speech.
Five years. Nell thought, as she
busted herself about the tea-table, $50 il
is!'' And Harry is lover yet. Perhap:
, if we had children we would not be SC
ford Of each other, but he is all | have
and excepting his sister, Jane, hs has nc
one but me. If only had five hundred
dollars, now, to give him.
BY which wish, many times made dur
ING; the month just passing away, it will
be understood that the Bowens had not :
large bank account. Harry was managel
and head clerk in a hardware store, the
only one in Creyton, the little town where
he lived. Ella had been the distric
school teacher until her pretty face haC
won Harry's love.
They had married on a narrow incom,
but by economy had saved enough to buy
the small house they called home, apC
furnish it very prettily. But it had takor
all they could save in those five years.
Just one month before this story opens
one of the partners in the firm wher,
Harry was employed had died, and hi
widow had moved away from Creyton
taking out the money that had been he
husbands share of the business. 1t wa
a very desirable opportunity, as the bust
ness was settled and prosperous, out Har
ry was not willing to sell or mortgage hi
hard-earned home, and the money wa
not within his reach in any other way
So it came to be the refrain in all Ella
nusIng, and often spoken aloud, "If w
: only had Ave haRdFel dollars ~
1t seemed to work itself into the Jog O
the train, the puff of the locomotive, TN
jar of the steamboat machinery, as sh
sped over the road to Magnolia.
1t was ten years since Ella had mad
her last visit there with her mother. He
life until then had been a carefully cher
|. ished one, although she had never hat
possession of money. Her mother hat
taught music in large city spending he
suAmer vacations in Magnolia, and he
income had been sufficient to give ELL
every advantage of education, and t,
make her childhood apd girlhood happy
She was eighteen when her mother
death-a very sudden one-threw he
upon her own resources for daily bread
and after teaching music for time, tax
ing her mothers pupils, she had accepte,
the district school at Creyton for the SAX
of the country air, loving the life in tn
country better than in the city.
Always busy, she had not been to Mag
nolia since her mother died, althougl
frequent letters were exchanged wit
Aunt Margaret. 1t was pleasant to rec
ogaize all the landmarks familiar in he
childish memories when the yearly visi
with her mother was the Pleasantest pal
of her life.
But when Anne opened the door of tn
little cottage home, saying softly
"Oh, Miss Ella, dear, I'm glad you'v
come. You're aunt's frstted sore to Sc
ycu," everything else was forgotten !
the duty before her;
For the dear old aunt who had alway
. loved her bright pretty niece, was i'll unit