The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-11-29
MADGE.


1t was very poorly furnished room
in cottage home; II small cottage, one
of many. all small, mean, and scantIly
furn shed, aud the "hauds" liyed there.
This one was MJrgau's cottage, and it
WAS jack Morgan himself and lis sister
Md % who were seated Il. breakfast Sun
day morning.
Jast one week had elapsed since an
nunt, from whom ia bad never hoped
for aid, had LETT them each Gl0O, and
jack bad resolved to Try his fortune in
Cana ir, while Madge pat hers aside for
q rainy Gay.
Jack, We must do something, Think
what We owe Tom King
"Wsat can you dc? IfTom King chose
to lose his money iu speculatin9, low
are you responsibility
~ am not; but, jack, there is Aunt
Knte's money"
All through the morning sire was
lhiuking OF what she owed Tom King,
When her mother, crushed by the death
OF her husband, unhbls to meet the
change from comfort to poverty, sapk
down lrcstrated, when Jack, unable to
work, was curaiug fortune, Tom King
came, as their fa.her's friend, and kept
them from starvation. And when the
whole town knew that Tom King lay IN
The Newton hospital, sick and penniless
Tho whole noble, grateful heart Of Madge
Morgan went on. to him. Many stories
reached htr. He bad made fortune and
lost i; c had invested in mines, aud
the miues had failed and ruined him.
Bat one broad, iudispuabl1 fact re-
mained, if ali the rest were false; he was
lyIog in the hospital fiek from the ex.
citement that had put the last stroke up
On his Ili-luck,
Pm going over 10 the hospital Jack .
she said.
Here, upon low iron oot.bed, pale
and omac.ated, bu. evidently on tue
rood TO recovery, Tom King lay when
Msdgs Morgan came up to the ward
with n nurse, her face 30 grave and ten-
der that the strong will ANA patient en-
durauce Of its usual expression were lost
in the pure womauly sympathy that rest.
cd there.
My friend~ she said, taking the
wasted hand extended to her, aud Tom
King wondered il ever two words held sc
much as these two.
"Tom-I came to tell you"-the word:
came slowly have some u oney
thnt-lbat is Of no use to me. Il viii
start you again. Ysu can borrow it,
anxious not to hur, his pride. land som,
day-when yon are rich-you can return
it, and here It is"
H. opened the envelope and took i
ont, one note, just as the lawyer haC
sent it 10 her. Tom King laid it on th,
broad palm Of his hand aud stroked i
tendeIlyi then lie began to speak, Iii
eyes still GXed on tho money, his voic,
steady but mouotonous, as if he wer,
reading a story there.
when 1 went away. nearly three year
ago. he said, II went to see if I could
not shake myself free from dream
had. l dreamed that l could win th,
love Of a child, a mere slip of girl, wht
was forced into premature womanhoot
by trouble, She was utterly unconsciou
of my love, but knew could not hid,
it if l stayed beside her. Out of be
sight, far from the sound of her voice
the dream, instead OF fading, became
clearer, more vivid. Day and night
dreamed, but 1 worked as well l pu
what money l had into investments tha
promised well--but there, I will no
speak Of that. Providence was merciful
am alive, at least" be paused there
, but low, sweet voice took up th
story.
! "And the dream will become reali
t ty, the voice said The child-woma
. did not read her own heart, nor unde,
. stand why nothing in her life met q
filed the longing there Not until
sharp sorrow came, aud she heard of fbiI
she loved lying i'll and in poverty and i