Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-12-06


II am beset with invitations, which
have refused until / am weary. Save
me from my friends by asking me to
dine with you. Then don't expect
me, for you know where | shall be.
Miss Poole had answered:
IF / invite you, Laura, you must
come. 1t will do no good to spend
your day at the cemetery. Dear, why
! don't you look up and believe that
your loved ones are absent from the
body, present with the Lord, and that
all is well with themT
Simply because / cannot, sighed
the unhappy woman. 1T is easy to
tell people to have faith, Annie but
it is the hardest thing in life to exer-
else it when we are put to the test. y
yet there are those that can say,
Though he Stay me, yet will | trust
in him, was the gentle answer.
There was a great love between
these two women, 50 differently CIR
I cumstanced- ore a wealthy lady,
the other an humble seamstress. They
had know each from childhood, and
Mrs. Swift remembered Annie Poole
as the cherished daughter of fond par
ents. Later, as a very lovely girl,
she had been an acknowledged belle,
and many hearts had been laid at her
feet Then had come a great sorrow.
All, well 1t was not the first time
that falsehood had done its work, and
an unknown wedding dress was laid
away with a shuddering sigh. Twen-
1 ty-hve years had passed since then
years in which Mrs Swift had been
sheltered as a happy wife Fortune
had smiled upon her, and beautiful
children had gladdened her home.
1 To-day, like Rachel, she was weeping
/ for them, and worse, she was wild
1 owed Yet this sad eyed mourner
would not, if she could, have changed
places with her friend who had never
known a husbands devotion or the
/ joys of motherhood
That soft response smote ner heart.
She tried to look cheerful as she said:
well, Annie, you may expect me
] if you will make no trouble on my ac-
count
Miss Poole was ecstatic. Troubled
/ IL would be pleasure, and she could
give Mrs. Swift something which she
could not return, and that was a fine
/ view of the bay. Indeed it would be
! unusually attractive on account Of
the regatta, and there would be such
I a display of sail boats and other crafts
/ to say nothing Of the ferry boats ply
1 ing back and forth, which was always
a cheerful sight She would also re
member to keep Jerry out Of the way
as Mrs. Swift liked him at a distance.
| (The lady smiled family at this allu-
sion to her friends canine protector.
/ Yes, and how pleased Dora would be,
dear child. She would sing and play,
and they would have the contest time
/ The smile was succeeded by sigh.
Dora For three months that name
/ had been ringing in Mrs. Swift's ears.
Night and day, sleeping or waking,
/ the image of this motherless girl had
been haunting her Should she open
| the door of that dainty room, and bid
| this stranger come in} Would she
open her arms and say, II viii your
mother2' But there was a pause in
the cheery talk, and almost before she
/ knew il Mrs. Swift had asked
"What are you going to do with
1 that child, Annieln
81 will keep her until | can find her
a home, Laura. Poor girl | wish
! that | were able to give her the privil-
eyes she deserves If she could only
ret a good musical education to fit her
| for teaching, as her mother did But
signing she is far to pretty to re
main with me. have to leave her
alone too much, and although there
never was a better child, she is con
/ tiuual anxiety to me.
Mrs. Swift could not understand
this.
And among all the people you
meet are there none that would liketc
take here
Miss Poole bhlshed
IL have spoken to no one but you,
dear Laura, do You know that hen
name signifies gift from the
1 Lord y
There was silence i'm which
+ Mrs. Swift struggled with the selfish
ness of her grief Then she said
81 viii bring her home with me on
Thanksgiving Come tomorrow An
ME, and help to arrange Pearl S room
for her Then shiverlngly: Every
thing must be different, or ! coult
not stand it,
Aud that was the reason Mis-
Poole nad appeared SO happy that Dc
ra had questioned her,
Mrs. Swift had rushed sobbiugly q
. her daughters room as soon rs Sh
was alone. She opened the close
door and caressed the articles hangin
there She kissed the little memento
/ about the walls. Her tears droppe
! ON the white-draped bed Then sh
leaned against the window and sol
I rowfully impressed everything upo
$ her memory. Tomorrow Other
S would enter, and the work of chang
3, would begin. Ii would no longer b
+ Pg0IS room
But Mrs. Switt's grief took a ditle
4, emit shape from that hour Peace en-
tered her heart Her husbands pu
ture seemed to smile approviugly "a
ON her That night I'M her dream
,. her children's kisses fell ON her fac
q and sWeetcr than all, the words
s. divine commentator seemed adres