The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-07-19

you guy tlldt OAO ou1-N1nSVH VI !oV'uSG
ray? believe the reason Mr., Rogers
saatsd har we because s h H thought Ugh! j she
II HEioofedid not belle hiswords as be
stood there, 1.-the and strong IN his man
hood. and 1he went up andsplaced her
hands in Ms, saying softly:->s~r"
/, II know will, it is not my money you
want but I cannot marry without Aunt
Margaret's consent"
."Weu," he returned, eff something
cannot be done, shall go to China.
Uncle Rolfe wants some one whom he
can trust to 90 for couple of years or
10. and I think I had better be the
one."
They walked slowly back tow Ard the
house, where AuutA Margaret sat alone
with her grief. The one love-atfair OF
her life had proved a miserable failure:
When the autumn leaves began to fell
and while preparations were already
under way for her ap preaching nuptials
q blow worse than death came to her.
Her digni6ed, mature lover, Mr.. Rog-
ers, ofwhose business little was known,
except that he spent the greater portion
of his time in the city whose smoke
could be seen and whose bells and
whistles could be heard from the Matt:
land COTTAGE was Suddenly arrestedJ
charged with burglary. How she sur:
1ixed the shock she herself could never
tell. She had perfect filth in his limo:
cence, but she dared not visit the court;
room while his trial was in progress for
fearf that she might be called
upon asa aitness.$ ,ss i So i -.
But she was spared this, and after he
received his sentence,--t years at
hard labor,-she would sit hour after
hour with his picture before her and
weep bitter tears wrung from her
widowed heart. She did not relentt,
however, in regard to Rose and Will
"You are better off never TO-. marry.
Rosalind," she would say. ''You never
can trust the men, though | believe
oftentimes they are more sinned against
than SHINING" ,,,.,,
AS Rose stepped upon the piazza, Will
walked somewhat dejectedly down the
street. Aunt Margaret shook her, head
near her, and then she said in voice
that had lost all its old-time decisive
ring:- Il i, V
"Rosalind, I have a favor to ask of
you. 1t is now year since Mr.. Rogers
asked me to be his wife, and though !
must believe him unworthy, l shou Id
like to visit the prison workshop where
he drudges out his life. suppose it is
Justice, but it seems 80 bard for human
beings to he kept year after year, de-
prived of. freedom, of com aanionship
and of the pure sunshine"
She worked her thin hands nervously,
while the young girl regarded her pity
inglv.
"You know how fond he was of roses -
She put her hand up to her throat.
''There is little scar here that he un.
Willingly made. Alas, there is a deeper
scar on my poor heart"
She had grown so into the way of be-
moaning her cruel fate that she: had lost
all consttaiut before her niece.
IF yon would so with ne we would
take d lot of flowers and give them to
the poor convicts. The ladies' flower
mission would furnish credentials that
would insure our admission. Will you
60 with me?- cannot go alone, and it
seems as though must zee poor Mr..
Rogers at his work. / wish to see how
his eyes will ght up when he sees the
roses he loved So well" saN{ .
Poor Aunt Margeret's voice was. filled
with a pathetic earnestness as though
her tender heart were breaking. but il
was the younger woman's turn to grow
hard-hearted.
"You have no mercy upon me-" sale
Rose coldly. "Will is going away be-
cause you will not give your consent
Again the withered hands clutchet
each other and the. faded eyes grew al
most CLASSY. <.
"If you will CONSENT to our marriage
will 90 with. Yon as often as you wish
and do all that + can to cheer yolI, anc
this Mr.Regers," continued Rose.
It wasga bitter struggle, but Margaret
Maitland yielded. !, As soon as arrange
ments could he made the, two ladies
armed with numerous bouQuets, presen
| ted themselves at the portal of the re
| foimatory institution where the unhap
| ply Mr.. Rogers was doing penance to
his transgression.
''You will please not speak to any on
of the men," admonished the prison Of
ficie':: as he led the way into long
roola where a great multitude of mer
| were working stolidly away. Some o
them smiled at sight of the fragran
flowers and the fair young donor, Will
others seemed totally Indifferent.
"Where is Mr.. Lafayette Rogers?
asked Rose, who failed to distinguis
him in the motley crowd.
''That's him just beyond there: putin
soles on Shoes answered the keeper
and Rose looked in the direction indi
Gated, but Aunt Margaret's. eyes SCENE
to have recovered their former keen
ness, for she had already singled hir
out and taken step toward him, whe
he turned bis head.
Tf<h1 no in hio 1oI 1ox,
was great the change in himself wa
even greater. His hair was croppe
short to his et-sbaped head, and tt,
flowing moustache, which had hithert
hidden his wide, sinister mouth, resen
bled the bristles of ooth-brush, bot
in color and length, for the lack of dy
had robbed both hair and moustache {
their former raven hue, and the CRUZ
shears had done their work effectually
He scowled savagely as he reco{
nized the visitors, and muttered {
Rose presented beautiful bouquet
him, for Aunt Margaret had drawn has
lily back and dropped her remainin
flowers upon the floor.
Cursed rubbish" he said; and the
he resumed his work with never
glance toward the two philanthrc
"He's a hard lot" said the official in
tow tone, and then he added in alarm
for Aunt Margaret's face had become
a corpsse-like hue Are We faintin'
"Let's go out into the air." gasped tn
elder lady, and they made their wa
from the building as speedily as POI
sible.
*I feel that thorn in my throat nov
and I shall hate that scar as long as
live, butt my heartache = is cured" sal
Aunt Marga ret, vindictively, when the
reached home, and three months lattt
when Rosalind Maitland changed h
name to Vernon, the smiling spinRt,
had regained nearly all her former GOO
looks, save for her Whitened hair and
few wrinkles.
| How They Married in Boston.
Boston Saturday Evening Gazstte..
The statistics of marriage. in this cit
the past year are interesting The nun
Der of marriages. registered during tn
was 1881, an increase Of 261 over til
previous year. The most marriages. o,
Cured in November and the smalles
number in March. There. were 500
grooms who were married for the tirs
time. Ofsthis number. 345 married vic
ows; and married brides who had bee
twice widowed. There we're 5S3 groom
who we're married for the second TIM
OF these 4l8 married spinsters, 100 wer
united to widows, and S married bride
who had been twice widowed. OF til
4B grooms who had been twice widowe
% married spinsters, IA married widow
and 4 q, we're, united to brides, who .ha
lost two husbands. Of the 4 remainiu