Daily Republican., 1882-05-11
JOHNS THANKSGIVING.

years sta in this city to wait upon
uy p' &c TO mingle in society at all
.eple wondered at It, too, for hs wa
tall and hne looking, with p!easan
face and large grey eyes that coul'
flash when animated; In fact he wa
one that, judging from his personal ap
pearance, had no right to shun society
Some said that he was bashful
others that he had been Tilted and hat
turned woman hater. Men said it wa
shame, for he was as noble hearted ;
fellow as ever lived. Yet the worlt
was half right in its surm isss ; Johi
Mitchell could look back through tn
nists OF five years and see himself, no
as he is now, Il promising merchant
but poor country boy, struggling 70
an education that would fit him for
higher place in the world.
All it was, shall say an evil day
when Agnes barnard came to thai
quiet little village. a young girl jus
from the city, schooled in all the arts O
coquetry, bright and sparkling, with {
fascination that wSs irresistible, and
while John Mitchell was gazing into
those dark eyes he forgot that they
could be untrue, forgot that they had
smiled as tenderly upon others.
Yet Agnes Barnard was not % bad
woman as heart, she was only what hel
education had made her. She would
have been true could she have cast oil
the chains the world had thrown around
her, making her sacrifice her best feel
ings for pomp and sho1. There were
times when she felt her own littleness,
Eel. that there was something better
worth striving for than to reign a star
in fashioDa able life and coquette that
She was, this man h had awakened deep
interest in her heart. lie was SO true,
80 noble, SO different from the shall
low hearted men that she had known
all her life, aud as time rolled on she
was forced to acknowledge to herself
hat che dearly loved John Mitchell;
but could she marry him? She weighed
;ha question well in her mind. Could
'he give up the handsome establish
nent that was "aiting to be hers, "a
soon as she consented TO become Archer
Deane's wife, the old gray.haired bank
,r, worth half million, and settle
iown in that little obscure village for
ife?
She shook her head. The sacrifice
vas too great. Gould she tell him this
NJ and she closed her eyes against
he vision of the future, that in spite of
III efforts to prevent it, whould float he
ore her mind, and reveled on in the
Hiss of the present. All they were
iappy days. Earth and all its vani-
les seemed 30 far away; and in after
ears the remem brauce OF those days
anne back to her as a bright oasis in
he desert of her lite. And John
no one could tell the worth of
hose days to him. He lived in a.wOrld
f his own creation, where sunshine
vas perpetual. What If he were poor
Earth held no impossibllitie while his
ife was bounded by her love. But the
ruth must be known at last. Agnes
new that her dream was over
vhen he pleaded his love. oh! it
eemed so cruel to blast his hopes.
,ut she told him all : told him how she
owed him, but could not marry him.
old him to hate her--t0 cast her from
is memory that she was not worthy
f his slightest thought, and then offered
ack with tears, the ling he had given
er.
"No. keep it," said he. "and if in
ftsr years you should regret the words
on have said to me, this ring will re-
all me-"
Aud they started; she to her home,
nd he to a city to become clerk in a
tore. He gave up his studies, for they
cid no pleasure for him now; tho |
orld had become o blank, and he
ought relief in labor.
Three long years passed. John Mitch
i was but clerk still but he had
.ithfully performed his duties and won
AZ esteem and confidence Of his en-
loyers, and one morning he found
imself junior partner Of the firm.
At last his efforts had been crowned |
ith SUCCESS, but he was not happy.
he old dream was not dead, though he
led hard to bury it in oblivion.
There ore some SO constituted that
)thiag, not even time, can efface their
rst love. Such was John Mitchell.
o saw Agnes Barnard not as others
d--a gay, worldly woman-but one
lder whose surface vanity there
owed warm, true heart; and al.
lough he pitied her because her moral
urage was SO weak, yet he loved her
fervently as he had in the days long
nee gone by, and he Knew that
herever Agnes was she was suffering
greatly as he.
IL was Thanksgiving Day. j. Mitch.
| stood at a window Of the store gaz-
z out on the passers by, but he was
mixing Of the past, thinking OF a
lanksgivipg Day years ago, when the
rth seemed to hold 50 much happi-
ss for him. Then he was poor, now
was rich; but OH! how changed. II
1t was with reluctance. he bade adieu
dreamland, and taking the letters
Q carrier handed him. ran his eye
reloss J over them; but his heart
We sudden thrill when he
.nced W a small white envelope t
rected in a manner that looked 8
niliar, in spite of the years that ,
d passed since he had seen it. :
lastly tearing il open, he read: Ii
DEAR JoHN:---I am in your city. G
u once said that ifever regretted s
, words said to you, this ring would t
ng YOU back. l cried to forget you;
ed to bs happy in the way that | had
2seu; but l could not, and if sulfering
! make an :.tonsm ent, have atoned. f
re is the ring. Come to .ne, and let {
. day be real thanksgiving.
"AGNBG BARNARD" r.
he earth receded, heaven came P
Vn, and in O moment John Mitchell y
$ among his castles in Spain, prom- n
mt among which was the dark-eyed, p
Ching. faced brunette, that had been o.
idol of his youth. II
In hour later John Mitchell held
nes Bernard in his arms, 9
pride vanished from her heart, all N
0 from his, aud looking down in her'