Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-04-26


at that very moment, was u little not
which read as follows:
'DEAR ELLIE:-When met you at churc
yesterday. did not have time TO say TO yo
what wished to say, though knew i woul
not see you again. Won't you write to me af
er you are at homes / have no sisters, as I'll
other fellows have, and have cared gres
deal more for your smiles and pleasant word
than you know. should be very unhappy II
thought should never see you again. Won
you write me a little word Of replyi
Very TRULY your friend, ;,
Enclosed i'm the sheet was photo
graph of very agreeable young fellow
with pleasant eyes and blonde nous
tache, which Ellie had privately pro
nounced the most beautiful moustache il
the world. So it is not to be wondered
at, perhaps, that she experienced sud
den shock when she saw her aunts fac,
paler than ever she had seen it in he
life, and with hollows under the eye
that seemed to have changed it utterly
why, Aunt Margaret, have you beer
sickP" she asked.
"No, dear"
"Why, it frightens me to look at you
somehow. What has happenedP"
Aunt Margaret took Ellie's hand and
drew her down to q seat at her feet.
''You are woman now, Ellie, and
perhaps | ought to tell YOU"
Eyes, tell me, auntie. What is itP'
"Well my lines have fallen in hard
places, Ellie. have been well off, but
now / am poor. let my lawyer, Mr..
Perry, use large sum of my money in
speculation which promised well, but
proved an utter failure. Then they
taxed me heavily for my house. | could
not pay the taxes, and was obliged to
sell it; but l rent it again, and let part
of it to dodgers, which brings in the
rent. But | have literally no home
any longer, Ellie-none to offer you.
The house is old-fashioned, and does
not let well. People of taste and means
prefer more modern habitations. have
hardly any income and am worried
about my next quarters rent"
''But where is the money you receiv-
ed for the house. auntiep How long
ago did you sell it?''
''More than year ago, Ellie, and the
money has gone in different ways-some
of it for your schooling"
Ellie was grave enough now. She
saw how it was. Dear Aunt Margaret,
who had been as mother to her, and
her dearest friend all her life had come
TO want. Her heart swelled in her
throat, and her lips quivered. After n
moment she controlled herself.
"Well, auntie," she said, Il am young
and strong, and have q good educa.
ton. / will 60 right to teaching, and
that will be an income for both of us.
I'll begin tomorrow getting a school.
Trying and succeeding are two differ
ent things. There appeared to be a
wonderful overplus of teachers. 1t SEEM
ed to need IA remarkable degree of out
side influence to secure the ear of the
committee, in the first place. Ellie and
her aunt had always been quiet, retired
people, living much to themselves, and
Ellie had no one to recommend her to
the august trio. Again, there seemed
very few vacancies. aud though she was
examined, and pronounced competent,
and offered some encouragement, she
never gained position. She became
tagged and exhausted in her endeavors,
and though several sweet little notes
came from Harry Hayden, she could
hardly lock glad over them. She must
do something TO support herself, at least.
She could not burden her aunt. What,
she did lot know. She was SO young
and inexperienced.
just ut this time Captain Jerry came
up from Appleton Beach.
"Why, Ellie. you have grown as pref
ty as pink" said he.
Ellie did not feel in the least like a
pink. She had walked the day before
until she was utterly worn out, and
when night came, she had slept so
soundly that she awoke in the morning
with headache. Then she had cried a
little before coming down to breakfast,
which did not tend to improve her APP
pearance, she thought.
$50 you are worried, are you?" said
Captain Jerry, then.
Ellie looked up eagerly.
HAS Aunt Margaret told you, thenP"
"Yes. and we have concluded that it
would be good plan for you to go down
to Appleton Beach to live"
ITO your houseP"
"Yes, will you goP"
A sudden thought flashed over Ellie.
Through all Captain Jerry's bachelor
days, he had repeatedly declared that
Ellie should be his little wife some day.
He meant now that she should marry
him.
She turned pale as snow, and then
flushed from head to feet. Before she
knew what she ras going to do, she had
turned and run out of the room.
She locked herself in her chamber and
sat down to think. Could she do itp Yes,
she would. Aunt Margaret must be
taken care of, and there was the COM
Portable stone house atApple ton Beach.
She wasn't any more in love with Capt.
Jerry than if he were her father; but
she put herself out of the question. He
was good, safe man I'D trust in any
emergency, and Aunt Margaret would
always find him friend. She would
live with them, of course, and have the
little south room that overlooked the
garden, and the terrible weight and
horror which had been accommodating
on Ellie's spirit for weeks gave way to
n nervous delight. She thought of
Harry Hayden, and her heart seemed
to stop beating; but she said, "Never
mind, / must do nay duty; / can'tdream
any more about him."
So, when she had entirely settled it
all in her own mind, she ran down
stairs to her aunt's room, where Cap
tain Jerry's laugh was to be heard, and
entered.
If Ellie hadn't been so excited and
absorbed, she would have seen that
Aunt Margaret was looking very happy.
Her cheeks had their old color, and she
uas actually smiling with hnr old hrinht