Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-01-05

SL0Uu naked anu Dafe Ills IHS dtl
Its object had been mistaken ones
nAH alonel all alone y" he KEEP
saying TO himself, In i sort of vagu
self.pity. sspve t0iIed and worket
for nothingi'' ne
lsut during this time, even now
AE he sat there, message OF love
was on its way to him. Perhap:
Heaven had but been preparing hi
heart to receive it.
He heard ring at the door-heli
Heard it without yaying attention
to it,. Rings were aothing to him
people did not come on business tC
4 his res itience, and OF visitors he ex.
pected.none. Down went his head
lower and lower with its weight Oi
thought
Meanwhile two people were adj
mitted into the hall below, a man
and little girl. The man took of
the chiid's warm cloak and hood,
and she stood revealed; dainty,
delicate creature of some eight
years old; her golden culr5 droop-
ing softly round her face, with its
large blue eyes and its cherry lips.
The servant who admitted them,
not knowing what to make of this,
called Mr.. Golding's housekeeper,
old Mrs. Osgood. The latter went
into tremor as she came forward
and looked at the face.
/ ''It's Miss Amy's child ~ she ex-
/ claimed to the man, nervously. II
couldn't mistake the likeness"
''Miss Amy that was,'' he an
swered. MRS. Harry Church she
has been this many year"
81 know. It's as much as my
place is worth to admit any child of
| hers"
"You are Mrs. Osgood," exclaim-
ed the little girl. "Mama said /
| should be sure to see you"
"Hear the blessed lamb! And so
she remembers me-"
"She talks of you often: she says
you were always kind to her: mo-
body but you loved her"
"Weli, / did love her. The old
house has never been the same since
she went out of it. What's your
name my pretty one ?"
"Amy."
"Amy! !" repeated the housekeep-
er, lifting up her hands, as n there
were some wonder in it.
"And mamma said you would LET
me go up alone to grandpapa."
"And so you Shoit," decided Mrs.
Osgood, after minutes hesitation.
81 won't stand in the way of it, let
master be as angry with me as he
will. Heis upin the drawing-room,
all by himself"
The man sat down to wait. And
the child went up alone.
Opening the door, she went softly
IN, not speaking; perhaps the stern
looking old man, sitting there with
bent head, awed her to silence.
Joseph Golding, waking up from
his reverie, saw letter held out to
him. He took it mechanically,
surprising its messenger hidden be-
hind his large chair, was one of his
servants. With singular quicken
ing of pulse, he recognized his
daughters handwriting.
She had waited all these silent
years, she told him, because she
was determined never to write to
him again until they were rich
enough for him to know that she
did not write from any need of his
help. They had passed ten years
in the West, and Heaven had pros
pered them. Her husband WAS a
rich man now, and she wanted
from her father only his love-wAn-
ted only that death should not come
between them, and either of them
go to her mothers side without
having been reconciled to the 9TH
5r.
"How did this come here ?-whO
brought it?'i demanded Mr. Col
ding, in his usual iinperious man
ner.
II did: gEandpana."
7 He sprarg the soft, timid
voice, AS If SOME fright took him,
and stared at the lovely vision,
standing there like spirit on his
hearthstone, with her white face
and her cleaning golden hair.
Was it real? Where was he?
Who could this child be? But as
he looked, the likeness flashed up
on him-and he grew hungry to |
clasp her to him. 1t was the little |
Amy of the old days grown into |
beauty-for Amy had never been
so wondrously fair as this.
"Come here my child; don't be |
afraid. Tell me what your name
ISL
"Amy, grandpapa."
Another Amy! Grandpapa! he
felt the sobs rising up in his heart
with a great flood of emotion; !; but
he choked them back
"What have they told you about
me ?" he rejoined after long
pause.
"Have they bid you hate me?"
"They always told me that you
were far away toward where the
sun rose; and if l were good they
would bring me to see you some
day. Every night 1 say in my
prayers, sGod bless papa and mann
ma, and God bless grandpapa.' I"
"Why didn't they bring you |?
What made them let you come
alone ?"
"Mamma sent me with John to
give you the letter." was the SIM
pie answer. "rhe carriage is at the
gate, waiting for me-"
"Who is John 2"
"Papa's servant"
"And-where are they staying ?"
"At the hotel. We only got here
this morning"
Mrs. Osgood, towering In The hall, 4
looked on in wonder Her master
was coming down stairs, calling for
his hat and coat, and leading the
child. He got into the, carriage with
her and 1t drove away. Mr.. Gold
ing was wondering vaguely wheth-
er it were real.
They arrived at last, and the child
led him in, opening door at the
end of long corridor. She spoke
''Mamna, here's grandpapa. He
said he would come back with me-"
Mr.. Golding's head went off in a
swim. Advancing weakness tells
upon. people in such moments as
these. He sat down; and there
were Amy,s arms-hi5 own arms
about his neck. Which of the two
sobbed the most, could not be told.
Why had he never known what he
lost through all those vanished
years?
"Father,we are reconeiled at last?"
81 don'tknoW my daughters un-
til you tell mekif you forgive me-"
"There should be no talk about
she said. "You went
according to your own opinion of
what was right. And perhaps ! .
was to blame, too. Father, it is
anouoh that God has hroupht us fO- | ,