The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-01-19
ELLA BOwEN's LUCK.
{ never rains but it pours"

band He had just came in from his
days business, and his face had shadow
on it, too, although he speaks cheerily.
Don't look so doleful, Nell. We are
not any worse off than we were month
agor
'I 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 Hooper; she is my
mothers aunt, but she has always been
very fond of me. The letter is not di-
rectly from her, but from her servant,
Anne Smith, who has lived with her for
years. Aunt Margaret is very sick aud
wants to see me-"
"But it is dated Magnolia"
Eyes. 1t will cost me considerable to
go, and yet Anne seems to think she is
very ill. She is ninety-two years old"
''Rich?"
"Oh, no, indeed! She has nothing of
her own, unless it may be some clothing
and furniture. She lives upon an in
come from her sons property that goes
back to his family when Aunt Margaret
}ies."
"Then you must go! If she we're
wealthy, there would be plenty of others
to comfort her death bed, but as it is, if
she wants you, you had better get ready
to start"
'But your"
"Oh. I'll get along. Jane will give
me my meals until you come back"
81 do think, Harry Bowen, that 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 it
isl And Harry is a lover yet. Perhaps
if we had children we would not be SO
fond of each other, but he is all 1 have
and excepting his sister, Jane, he has no
one but me. If only had five hundred
dollars, now, to give to him."
By which wish, many times made dur.
ing the month just passing away, it will
be understood that the Rowens had not a
large bank account. Harry was manager
and head clerk in hardware store, the
only one in Creyton, the little town
where he lived. Ella had been the dis
trict school teacher until her pretty face
had won Harry's love.
They had married on narrow income,
but by economy had saved enough to
buy the small house they called home,
and furnish it very prettily. But it had
taken all they could save in those five
years.
Just one month before this story opens
one of the partners in the Arm 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 opportunity, as the bust
ness was settled and prosperous; but
Harry was not willing to sell or mort
gage his hardly earned home and the
money was not within his reach in any
other way. SO it came to be the refrain
in all Elias musings, and often spoken
aloud, eff we only had five hundred
dollars"
1t seemed to work itself into the jog
of the train, the puff of the locomotive,
the jar of the steamboat machinery, as
she sped over the road and river to Mag
nolia.
1t was ten years since Ella had made
her last visit there with her mother. Her
life until then had been carefully cher
ished one, although she had never had
possession of money. Her mother had
taught music in o large city, spending
her summer vacations in Magnolia, and
her income had been sufficient to give
Ella every advantage of education, and
to make her childhood and girlhood very
happy.
She was eighteen when her mother
death-a very sudden one-threw her
upon her own resources for daily bread
and after teaching music for time, tax
ing her mothers pupils, she had accepted
the district school at Creyton for the sake
Of country air, loving the life in the
country better than in the city.
Always busy she had not been to Mag
nolia since her mother died, although
frequent letters were exchanged with
Aunt Margaret. 1t was pleasant to
recognize all the landmarks familiar in
childish memories, when the yearly visit
with her mother was the pleasantest part
of her life.
But when Anne opened the door of
the little cottage home, saying softly:
''Oh, Miss Ella, dear, I'm glad you've
come. Your aunt's fretted sore to see
you," everything else was forgotten in
the duty before her.
For the dear old aunt, who had always
loved her bright, pretty niece, was i'll
unto death, with painful illness that
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