Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1883-04-12


! aw him a few hours ago. II
! had been.to tho bank and ha'
drawn tho money for his, lant
!, He Is making q day of it, that
all. And IL he has not altere'
entirely, he may come homo 4
'Iyon not quite sober. Jim use'
to go on q good many sprees L
. the old times. Inever quite be
,, lieved he had settled down d
. entirely ns he seemed to hav,
!. doneg Perhaps, though, it woul,
not be quite safe tonight will
so much money about him. III
go and hunt him up"
Then DIR. Handel went away
and Lottie sat down again
The moon set; the night grew
dark ; the rising wind moanet
about the house; still no well
known step came UP the little
!, path. s
When the gray dawn broke
she sat upon the threshold still
and knew that her forebodinga
had been true.
! BY this time .neighbors had
learned what had happened, and
some came to her. Her hus.
bands horse had been found
fastened In the wood, and there
were footsteps on tho soft
ground that seemed to Indicate
% struggle. At the tavern he
had been seen drinking a good
deal, and exhibiting his money.
A rongh-looking stranger had
been seen to follow him, it was
now remembered.
Noone doubted that he would
be found murdered in the woods
hard by !; but though search was
made, it was year before some
one telling trees at some dis
tance from the spot where
James Handel's horse had been
tied, found a dead body, cover.
ed with leaves, and quite un-
recognizable.
Popular opinion, however, de.
cided that it was all thatrcmain-
ed of James Handel, and as
such 1t was buried.
The ceremony over, all doubts
as to the poor mans death were
at an end. Lottie wore her
widows cap, and assumed o
Widows rights over her proper
ty ; and years went by, and the
boys grew tall, and the CIR
4IE91 M9ge p her mother's smile hp3 hn3
| be SO sweet u Woman as her
mother was, he believed.
The few penetrating women
had been right. He had never
ceased to love Lottie; ho loved
her still. He know also-what
no one else knew--that her mar
ried life had been a disappoint.
ment. jim had cared for her
% great deal for awhile. But
the end of his loving had come
speedily, and hencefOrth she
had been the woman who cook
ed his dinners, and washed his
dishes, and nursed his children,
and little more.
Now, as the years went by,
Charles began to feel that q
hope he scarcely dared to cher
ish at first was growing strong
er. That Lottie cared some.
thing for him at last. She had
been q widow ten years surely
there was nothing wrong in his
telling her his heart at last.
One evening he went out to
the old farm with a purpose IN
his heart. He found Lottie
alone. The boys and their sister
had gone to singing-school to-
gether. She sat BY the fire side,
knitting, and he drew his chair
close to hers, and the soft light
of fire and candle, the silence of
the country winter night, her
beauty-for she was very fair
to look upon still-and, most of
all, the kindly looks she gave
him, made that easy to say
which had seemed to be so
difficult.
He told her that he loved her,
and had always loved her, and
asked her to bc his wife. And,
rather by looks than words, he
1 learned that, however it had
been in the past, her heart was
his at last. Then he sat beside
. her, and his arm lay about her
waist, and her head dropped
upon his shoulder.
"The happiegt part of my life
lies before me, though l am for
ty,n he said. 81 believe / cal
make your future happy also,'
he said /; and as he spoke ther'
came a tapping upon the win
, dow-pane.
"The children have com
, home,r said the mother, am
, with q telltale blush upon he
: cheek, arose and opened tn
door.
!, But the children, as she caiIe
them, were not without. II
/, stead of their slight figures sh
. saw the heavy form of a ma
leaning against the door. Sh
4 looked closer, and started bac
: with a shrek, fof he Wake
y past her into the room, and sh
saw that it was her HUSBAND
a Jim Handel.
q He was older, of course; HI
| ..,.c .an,, ,rpnu aud his tnl