Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-11-29
Miscellaneous.
a Happy Mistake.

NO, life is not fair. Its troubles are Civ
en- to the many; its pleasures only to the
| few" mused Mrs. Merriam as she stood
I IN her cottage door looking after the fine
! carriage of an old schoolmate that had Just
dashed by. "She has so much and so lit
4 lie . And yet, once had the opportunity
4 Of accepting that rich husband of hers, and
she would have given her eve, in those davs,
! if Tom Merriam would have cared for her as
he cared for me, | wonder how il would
! have been if had taken Jacob Marabout
/ instead of telling him that was engaged to
/ Tom, and seeing real tears as he listened
wonder if Tom-But what am | thinking
Of? am quite sure that Tom could never
have cared Tor her,-never :"
Mrs. Merriam's face softeEed u little as
her memory went back TO the days when
Tom woocd and won her. and when she
was glad to secure him after her long fear
that iermione Macy would be his chosen
bride.
! But the next moment the bright sunlight
| flashed upon the highly vanished panels Of
! Hermione's pony carriage far up the George
road. She turned away from the open door
I with heavy sigh and entered the plainly
Y iuiH4>Iltu s!lllllS-IUoui NttTc ltl TWO ltlIe
girls were getting ready for school.
Put it away. Hide il under your apron,
Rosy. or mamma will see it ;" she heard her
twelye-yea lnez say in frightened
whisper as she laid her hand on the latch Of
the door.
Ros, was shutiiing something out of sight
under her white pinafore with very guilty
face. Both the children were anxious 10 set
of to school before their usual time, and
when the mother had allowed them 10 do 50
she saw them turn out of their road To 90 to
their father, vino was at work in the field on
the hillside
The two trim little figures stood or the
hilltop, in strong relief against the pale-hlue
horizon, and Rosy's apron was unfolded, and
father was evidently made the participator
II the secret which mother was not 10
know
Il was little thing, but it added 10 the
discomfort with which the neat and capable
housekeeper went about her usual tasks that
morning.
Tom Merriam was unusually silent that
noon when he came to dinner. lie partook
Of the tempting meal in an absent minded
kind Of way and went back to the hillside
the moment he had finished, instead Of lin
gering to talk to his wife as he generally
did
And yet this was her thirty fourth birth
day Tom might have remembered il suf-
ticiently TO say u good word or two in praise
of the extra good dinner which she had Civ
en- him. But no there he was on the hill
side again and actually leaning over to talk
10 Hermone Marabout As she drove hy on
her way back 70 the beautiful little villa
which her husband had taken for her during
his absence in Europe on important busi-
ness.
The hillside conference lasted nearly ten
minutes; then the pony carriage rolled By
the small brown farmhouse once more but
liermlone's face was persistently turned the
other way.
'She has forgotten. too thought Mrs.
Merriam, bitterly. And yet her own birth
day comes only one week after mine
She finished washing and putting away
the dinner dishes and swept the kitchen
floor. Her house was none the less spot
less and tidy because her heart was aching.
In the pantry were tiny loaves of fruit
cake-ono for each member of the family
which She made in secret, and the wheaton
bread, the graham rolls, the clipped beef
and homemade preserves were ready for the
supper table on the shelves.
No work was pressing for this afternoon.
Fer a week past she had planned TO secure
four leisure hours at this tine, and now they
hung heavily and sadly on her hands.
She wandered round from room 10 room IL
few moments, biting her lips hard every now
and ihen 10 keep back the unwe!come tears.
1t last she sngched up her sunbonnet, and
leaving the house by the back door she hur-
ried across the garden and a small neck OF
pasture land. and reached the cool, green
shadow Of the woods.
In the silence and beauty of the naples
she flung herself down and burst into tears.
Long. long she wept, till the sadness and
discomfort which had been making her heart
sore ali through the DAY we're entirely go;ir.
Raising herself on her elbow at last
quick whr of wings close beside her cheek
startled her. She searched among the mess,
and found under the root of three linv ma
pies, scarcely two inches high, lovely little
hair-lined nest with four little. warm, white
eggs in il, the latest brood of tine season.
Il will not disturb YOU, pretty one She
said 10 the small brown mother who sat on
barberry bush close by chirpng pitifu!ly.
She rose and walked on.
The great trees rustled and waved their
green and golden leaves about over her head
in the sunlight and fresh air.
A brilliant red bird with jet black head
and wings, flashed past; golden robin
chartered and scolded from tail ash at her,
and red squirrel barked himself away, just
above the robins head, when he saw her
coming; sweet-scen,ed thistles. honest-faced
muileins, and the cheerful golden-rod were
s,J ha~r L..
raspberries and crimson '.Scotch- caps" over
| ran the woods, and barberry bushes hung
full of yellowish fruit. A bird, unseen in
| the depths of the forest, sang every moment
| three fiute-like notes. halfsweet half-sad.
! Toward the west deep bell tinkled melo-
| ,.iouslv, and the strawberry roan-cow came
| in sight, leading the rest of the herd to
| hicbe pastures. A woodchuck, standing
| on his hind feet at the door of his house,
, bolted down the narrow path as she passed
by.
All was life, movement, happiness, sun
shine. blue skies, and perfumed breezes
wherever she turned. She stopped to won
der at the curious tunnel that the wood
spider wove for hiding place in the midst
Of her net, the rounded shafts sunk through
the dried grass BY the meadow mole, and
the busy ants carrying their eggs about when
stone CHANGED to be upturned, alike at
tracted and enchained her attention.
Two hours passed before she was aware Of
their flight; and in all that time she had
forgotten to be unhappy.
"The woods have taught me lesson that
l needed" she thought as she turned back
TO the lonely cottage home that had never
before seemed half so dear; land have
had pleasant birthday after all"