The Penn's Grove record., 1882-02-11
Ella Bowen's Luck.

ut never rains out 1t p0urs !"
Ella Bowen quoted the well worn
saying in a very rainy weather sort Of
voice, and handed a letter to her hus-
band. He had just come in from his
days business, and his face had q
shadow on 1t, tpo, although he spoke
cheerily.
Don't look so doleful, Nell. We
are not any worse off than we were q
month ago."
II know thatl But, oh ! II we only
had five hundred dollars!"
"But we have not The next best
hing is to be contented without 1t.
Who is your correspondent ?'
"Aunt Margaret Hooper; she is my
mothers aunt, but she has always
been very fond Of me. The letter Is
not directly from her but from her
servant, Anne Smith, who has lived
with her for years. Aunt Margaret is
very sick and wants to see me-"
But 1t is dated Magnolia
Eyes. 1t will cost me considerable
to go, and yet Anne seems to thirk
she is very i'll She ninsty-two
years DID,"
"Rich?"
"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 prop
erty that goes back to his family
when Aunt Margaret dies"
"Then you must go! If she were
wealthy there would be plenty of
others to comfort her death bed, but
as 1t is. if she wants you, you had bet
ter get ready to start"
but your"
"Oh, Irl get along. Jane will give
me my meals until you come back"
At do think, Harry Bowen, you are
the best husband that ever a woman
was blest with" said Nell, putting
her arms around his neck.
THANK you, dear. For a wife of
five years. experience that is q charm
ing speech"
Five years !" Nell thought. as she
busted herself about the tea table, 80
1t is And Harry is a lover yet. Per.
haps II we had children we would not
be 30 fond of each other. but he Is all
/ have, and excepting his sister Jane,
he has no n but me. If / only had
five hundred dollars, now, 10 give
him."
BY which wish, many times made
during the month just passing away,
it will be understood that the Bowens
| had not q large bank account. Harry
was manager and head clerk In a
hardware store the only one in Grey
ton, the little town where he lived.
Ella had been the district school
teacher until her pretty face had won
Harry's love.
They had married on q narrow In
come, but by economy had saved
enough to buy the small house they
called home and furnish it very pref
tily. But 1t had taken all they could
saw In those five years.
Just one month before this story
opens one Of the partners in the firm
where Harry was employed had died,
and his widow had moved away from
Creyton, taking out the money that
had been her husbands share Of the
business. 1t was q very desirable OPP
portunity, as the business was settled
and prosperous, but Harry was not
willing to sell or mortgage his hardly
earned home, and the money was not
within his reach in any other way.
So 1t came to be the refrain in all
Elias musing, and often spoke aloud,
"If we only had five hundred dol.
lars |"
1t seemed to work itself into the
jog of the train, the puff of the locomo'
tive. the Jar of the steamboat machin.
cry, as she sped over the road and
river to Magnolia.
1t was ten years since Ella had
made her last visit there with hel
mother. Her life until then had beer
q carefully cherished one. although
she had never he'd possession o
money. Her mother had taught must,
in a large city, spending her summer
vacations In Magnolia, and her In
come had been sufficient &c give Ell,
every advantage of education and I.
make her childhood and girihood vsry
happy.
She waa eighteen when her mother
death "a very sudden one-threw he,
upon her own u for daily
bread, and after teaching music for
time, taking her mo hers pupils, sh,
had accepted the district school a
Creyton Tor the 8 he of the countr,
air, loving the life in the country bet
ter than In the city.
Always busy, she had not been b
Magnolia since her mother died, al
though frequent letters were ex
changed with Aunt Margaret. II wa
pleasant to recognise all the land
marks familiar In her childish memo
riss, when the yearly visit with he
mother was the most pleasant par
J Of her life.