South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-03-03
Ella Bowen's luck.
1t never rains but il pours.'

90 mug al IL NSit fanny weather sort
OF voice and handed letter TO her
husband. He had just come in from
his days business, aud his face had
shadow on it, too, although he spoke
cheerily:
Don't look so doleful, Nell. We
are not any worse than we were Il
month ago.'
Il know that. But oh! If we only
had five hundred dollarsr
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. This letter
Is not directly from her, but from her
servant, Anne Smith, who has lived
with her for years. Auat Margaret
is very sick and wan;Suio sec me-
But ii is dated Mdgnoliap
yes. 1t will cost me considerable
to go, and yet Annie seems 70 think
she Is very i'll. She is ninety.two
years old
'Rich?'
oh, no, indeed She has nothing
OF her her own, unless it may be some
clothing and furniture. She lives
upon IN 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 o.
theirs to comfort her death bed but
as it is, il she wants you, you had bet.
ter get ready to start
But your
ooh, I'll get along. Jane will give
me my meals until you come back
i do think, Harry Bowen, you are
the best husband that ever woman
WAS blessed with said Nell, putting
her arms around his neck.
THANK yoH, dear. For wife of
i've years experience that is q charm.
ing speech =
Five yearan Nell thought, rs she
busted herself about the tea table, so
ii is and Harry ia lover yet. Per
haps il we had children we would not
be SO toad Of each other, but he is all
| have, and excepting his sister Jane.
he has 40 one but me. If only had
tive huadred dollars now, TO give
him.
By which wish, many times made
during the month just passing away,
it will be understood that the Boweus
had not q large bank account. IIar-
ry WAS manager and head. clerk in n
hardware store, the only one in Grey
ton, the little town where he lived.
Ella had been the district school teach
or until her pretty face had won Har-
rvs love.
They had married on narrow in
come, but by economy had saved e..
uough to buy the small house they
called home, and furnish it very pref
tiiy. But it had taken all they could
save in those five years.
just one mouth before this story
opens one OF the partners in the firm
where Harry was employed, bad died,
and his widow Lad moved away from
Croydon, taking out the money that
had been her husbands share OF the
business. 1t was q very desirable OBJ
p0rtuuity, Is the business was settled
and prosperous, but Harry was not
willing to sell or mortgage bis hard
earned home, and the money was not
within his reach in any other way.
50 1t come to be the refrain in all
Elias musing, and often spoken a.
loud, IF we only had five hundred
dollars =
1t seemed to work itself into the
jog Of the train, thepulfof the locomo-
tive, the jan of the steamboat machi-
merry, as she sped over road and river
to Magnolia.
1t was ten years since Ella had
made her last visit there with her mo.
Their Her life until then had been a
carefully cherished one, although she
bad never had possession of money.
Her mother had taught music in a
large city, spending her summer va
cations IN Magnolia, and her income
had been sufficient to give Ella every
advantage of education aud 10 make
her childhood and girlhood very
happy.
She was eighteen when her moth
cr's dcath--a very sudden one
throw her upon her own resources tor
her daily bread, and after teaching
music for a time, taking her mothers
pupils, she accepted the district school
at Creyton for tho sake of country air.
loving the life in the country better
thar in the city.
Always busy, she had not been 10
Magnolia since her mother died. al.
though frequent letters were exchang.
cd with Aunt Margaret. twas pleas
ant to recognize all the landmarks
familiar to her childish memories.
when the yearly visit with her mother
was the pIeasantest part OF her life.
But when Annie opened the door
of the little cottage home saying
softly
oh. Miss Ella, dear, I'm glad YOU
have come. Your aupfs frefted sora