Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-05-13

l haretoOted; baby lies sPraWuhS Oh
ner knee, while its chubby sister, her
| face half lost i'm "lint white locks"
hangs on TO her mothers back In mercy
| romping. As approach the postmis-
I tres struggles 10 her feet.
"Yon's letter for ye. Mistress psfr-
sic, she says.
Ii was a letter from India, addressed
in a strange handwriting. Alas, even
when read the first few lines, j
| did not guess that the writer was al
ready dead, lying, in d distant land, ia
an alien grave. Yet is not the whole oil
this earth equally Gods acre"
This WIS the letter: ,
DEAREST MARGARET: Ii il several
years since / have seen you, but surely
our old affection binds our hearts to-
gtther still. Ii is several years since L
lett the dear old country, and gave up
nov profession to follow my husband
out to India. never regretted doing
so. q, Daisy tlet me call you once
again by the old girlish name y, he has
been so kind always, 80 good that he
has never allowed me u moments uu-
happiness. But now must leave him f!
Cod sees tit that | should die. My ca
reer ~ an artist has long been over. |
have done but little painting since l
came here. My health and strength
have ebbed away; even my happiness,
that best of physicians, has had no pow
er to stay the gradual decline. We
have one child, little Daisy, named In
remem brance of you, a tender blossom,
and the doctor says she must not stay
here; she must gotO England.
dearest Margaret, in these last days
my thoughts have often turned tO you.
DO YOU remember our old friendship,
our talks and walks along your lovely
northern gray-green links, your peace
ftll regrets, my restless aspirations? l
know you have not forgotten me; your
letters have brought 10 me your loving
thoughts from time to time, and so do
not feel myself a stranger when VEN
ture TO ask you to take my Daisy FOR
little while. | should like to think OF
her trotting by the side of her mothers
best friend, comfnrtcd in her innocent
grief by the kind heart that has 50 Of
ten guided and cheered her mother.
ave are rich, dear Margaret; ! will
not permit my little Margaret to he q
burden upon your slender resources, for
slender | know them to he, as mine
were Of old, when you, dear friend,
helped rue through many difficulty.
You will love her-will you not: and
keep her with you for awhile for the
sake Of auld lang syue, for the sake of
yours aHtctionately,
MARY MNCDONALn.'
With this waS slip Of black-cdged
paper:
IL address and inrlu>e my dear wtfr's
MI |
earnestly beg OF you to accCde To her
request. | have lost her, alas to my
incXpressible sorrow. The doctors urge
me TO send Daisy soon: | will write you
araiu. To-day can say no more.
The wind was blowing in lightly from
the sea a. | walked slowly home. y
Whitc-sailed ship was drifting down the
firth; tears blurred my eyesight rs |
gazCi out dreamily, tears for the friend
whose last act perhaps, on esrlh, had
been To write to me, whose hand should
never write again, whose face might
never see in its earthly aud therefore
faulty, but dearly. oh, dearly loved hu-
manIty. Friendship, like love, Is
stronger than death. bent down
among the corniieldS, and picked up a
daisy, and kissed it. | am not a person
of much emotional feeling; have y
hard exterior; 1 have II hard heart,
perhaps i will not say that | am not
sometimes proud of that very hardness,
yet. how long to fold nay coming lit
tie Daisy in nv arms. Will she learn
to like me, [ wonder? Can any one
care for an old maid, woman Of ~,
worn and weary, one who has naught
of beauty or grace lett to recommend
her, who cannot attract, and may pos
sibly even repcl"
Vending my way back to the mill
farm. my soul was filled with newly
born dread, shy humility, rs deep as
that Of any baShlul lover, lest might
not be worthy t. win the affections Of
this little child.
As | passed into the house, noticed
with pleasure the tluttcring pink roses
that climb up against the porch. Sure
" our hearts, when at the warmcst, e&-
pand most readily to the tenderness Of
nature. Love is q key that quickly I'M
locks for us the book of this worlds
beauty, and the soul that has no hu-
man sympathics must ever remain deaf
to the language of scenery aud flowers.
Janet was awaiting me- in fact she
had been leaning out of the parlor win
dow, shading her eyes with her hand,
straining her sight to see me come
down the Jill.
"Ee'l be tired and good for naethiug
MOO" she murmured discoutentedly.
''Oh, but have news, Janet, | must
tell you."
Maybe yen take yer dinner first, land
the news mauu bidC u bit" said Janet
contemptuously.
Janet is one Of those old family re-
tanners who are treasures in the earlier
stages Of their existence, but who, later
On, are apt to develop into the sternest
tyrants. Ii is natural, nay, praise
worthy, i'll me occasionally to assert
myself against Janet's authority, but |
am speedily quellcd. And she is doubt
less right: she il q good honest creature,
possessed evidently Of greater worldly
wisdom and common SENSE than the
simple soul ironically termed her mis-
treSs.
One day, not long since, Janet and |
had little till. | had asserted myself
wise Oh my part, for | knew ! was go
ing too far.
Janet" said then, with much dig
nllyp lHiuSS CalIOl COUlIuue luuS.
One of us two must leave this place"
MA certie, Miss Darcie," responded
Janet, much surprised, land where will
We be so weel a. in yer ain hoos"'
My good Janet reminds me some
what Of Jock, the minister's man, who
resenis any interference from his mas
ter. One morning Jock was about to
drive the cart on an GRAND, when the
minister stopped him to see that all was
right, and finally asked if ne had said
his prayers.
Deed 10 sir" said Jock ~ had nae
time, end was jiSt gauu 20 say them on
the road"
Hoot, toot," said the minister, "go
into the stable and say them before you
start, and that will make sura work
'Weel, then, air." said Jock dry1y,
Yell hauld the horse. and I'll gang in
bye and pray
Meanwhile rain began to fa.l heavily.
Jock, who was III the stable, was i'll no
hurry; he had seated himself on sack
of straw, from which he was eying the
minister. The latter, nearly drenched
to the skin. lost patience and cried out {;
4. 81