Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-10-18

over ani oVor aRain-shs SittiDs hnnind
her counter, and he before it, gazing at
her with ecstasy. Sometimes it was a
bureau they had caught glimpse OF Ia
kslverstrstt stor-, snd which they would
hu7 for the bedro the very day they
should begin housekeeping sometimes,
again, thsy would discuss how the chill
dren should be- brought up-hs uould
tlka lsu Shtsr most, to begin with she
wonld prefer a SON.
Ons evening sh expressed ! nav whArn.
'D1,t know" (they always thee'd and
thou'i each o,hsr) -''dost know what We
mat 10 rhou wilt doubtless ,ay | an
nniish, but nave my heart sst upon it.
We must buy, b4tween us, lottery
ticket"
This Dutch. government maintains -
lottery, aud derives considerable rsvpnu;
-herefrom The drawing is oouductsd by
ieTies OF numbers, aud Ia prolonged I0r
several weeks. The capital priz4 Of
0uO,oOO horias ia always drawn Oh TIM
last day. Now the ticket which A,,nt
B3s b,ught b're a number which had
not hasa drawn on the previous days,
aud therefore had chance in the gr4a.
and last chance.
F'ncy for yourself how high they must
have bsen building castles in-the-air for
a few days bsfOrs the drawing
III you ses me coming in carriage
tomorrow night" said Karel to Aunt Ess
then you may be sure our ticket has
drawn the capital prize"
And nsxt day Aunt Res was at her
door very early in the morning. How
Impatient she was Every time she saw =
carriage sppro Iching her heart pal pitatei
violently. Luckily there were few car
riages that day upon the Amsterdam
quays. AT last, however, her brain sud
denly reeled. She felt that she had
turned white as death. A yigilante (cab)
b i'd halted right before her door.
She caught glimpse OF Karel's head
in the doorway. In one second all thu
protests nursed for so many long years
rushed through her mind It wes hers
At last, then-that happiness so earnestly
prayed for. There could be no question
| about 1t 4; they had won 10 the lottery 4;
for kafel was in carriage. Then sh /,
Tau to the door OF the cab, which opened
slowly. karel's face WAS terribly
| sgitated.
What hast thou - she asked, all
trembling-'is it the capital prizs ~
NO." he replisd-"but have
broken my Leg
| She nursed him there in her shop
gave up her armoire to him, and contented
berself with sleeping on chair. When
hs was fully restored again, he recon
menced his cigar trade.
Aud thus it was that years and years
passed by, that disillusiols succeeded to
iisillusions, without ever breaking down
their faith in better future; and side BY
side they grew old, never percaiving that
their orows were wrinkling that theii
hair was turning silver grey-that she
was 64-that he was 20, and that even
their health was growing feebler and
| fesbler.
Aunt E3s was very sick, but she sail
nothing about it to any one. She wa.
dying, o! consumption, but mastered her
sell sufficiently to carry on her littl.
business in some sort of fashion. Aitel
sil, she suffered but very little, and neve
murmured and never even dreamed O
calling in doctor.
Oae day, feeling herself weaker tn az,
usual, she retained her be:rothsd Will
her-although lie had an order for q
cigars 70 fill. They talked great deal
Their eternal hopes seemed nearer realiza
ton than ever Indsfstigsble ants, tn.
two lovers had finally been able to la,
some money by. They only now neeiet
nSlf the sum that would only be tn.
work of few years.
While they We're talking together thu
night csme-a lukewarm autumn night
Aunt Ess was feeling very well.
~ hsva an idea !" she said. See
80 are old now, after all It is yer
likely we shall have no children. Suppos
We content ourselves with the little "
navs--to get married upon ?"
he th0usht that was very Reasonable
What was the use, in fact, OF waiting an,
Logger 7 Yes, yes they would MARI,
Wthout farther delay. She had takei
his hand iu hers, pressed it with force-.
tlen she had close her eyes
well, then, it ia settled" he sal
10 her 81 Will nave everything a,
ranged a, once"
She did not answer him.
} He went out on tiptoe very softly
, thinking her 10 be asleep.
/ She was dead.
VII.
When | returned to Amsterdam Il
, last time, saw at my friend's house,
tall and powerfully built old man, a
clad in black,
> 1t was Aunt Ess' betrothel.
,, The poor woman's relatives had take
care OF him they surrounded him wit
kindly care aud atfeotiouate oonsolati II
,, lie ia still one of the family circle.