The Mineral argus., 1884-07-03

stalwart, sun Drowned man sittina
posite to Miss Abby, by the red GLOW
of the fire. e'0"
The old lady % up in an odd. I'M.
certain way.
Ladies', she said, fumbling in hon
snut-box, "this is my dephew. Cvrra
Dubrey, he as ran away from homo
twenty-nlne years g come MiebmImas
Day, and we all supposed was dead
Cyrus, these are the ladies who are sa
good as to visit me here. 1 don't quite
recollect their names; but then it DOM
matter much, and after all my memory
amt as good as it used to be. Notbing
matters much now-a-daysl"
And Miss Abby sat down and fell in
to a "daze" again, as if all necessity f.,
| conversational effort were over.
Cyrus Dubrey stood up-a bronzad
bearded giant, with dark eyes and a su.
perR stature.
Ladies, l beg your pardon. - no so;5
But Supposed when l came bora T ~o,
coming home! l knew nothing of all
these changes. | never could have
dreamed my cousins would let this crea.
ture go to the poor house. Idont know
who you are, ladies', " with a husky rat.
tie in his throat, "but 1 thank YOU from
the bottom of my heart for giving her .
shelter in her old age. And if money
will pay you for it"
ut will mott" said Mary, sharply, as
If the words conveyed a slur.
mo, l suppose not, said Cyrus with
4 sigh. But I've plenty OF money now.
The dear old aunty shall live like a
queen the rest of her days, for she was
good TO me when all the rest set me
down as a black sheep. I've made my
fortune out in Panama, and have come
home to redeem myself"
IL have heard of Cyrus Dubrey, " said
Mrs. Miller, gently.
And I'll venture, nam, you heard
no good of me-" said the YOU ? piant
with a short laugh. "IlI not deny that
l was 8 wild boy enough, but there
wasn't any actual evil in me, let folks
say what they would. And now I've
come back a rich man, and there's
nobody to bid me welcome home.
except old aunt Abby out of the poor
house"
He could not long have made this
statement however.
All the town was up to bid the rich
government contractor welcome to
Tewkstown within twenty-four hours.
But Cyrus cared little for the friendly
overtures of the old neighbors.
Aunt Abby was the only person for
he seemed to care, and his great
grief was that the old woman re-
fused to leave the old Dabney farm
house to live in the stately brick man
sion which he built on Prospect Hill.
And then he asked permission to deck
her little bedroom with the ~curiosities
he had brought from the Isthmus, and
in lacking up draperies and arranging
shells and silver coine he and Mary I'M
consciously became quite good friends.
Friends. She neve knew that it was
any thing else, until one day old Aunt
Abby took a strange idea into her head.
And Mary, holding a rich Oriental cord
for Cyrus to loop into knots for picture
heard her introduce Mrs. Mil
er to a neighbor as my guest, Mrs.
the mother of the young lady
hat nephew Cyrus is to marry"
Cyrus looked at Mary. Mary drop
BED the ball of cord and turned crimson.
"MLary!"he said piteously, SAY that it
hall be so. For l love you! And
nd You were good to old Aunt Abby
When all the world turned against her.
sometimes think, Mary, that you must
'e like one of heavens angles"
And this was how they became en-
aged.
They still live at the old farm house,
he happiest of married lovers, and
unit Abby firmly believes hat they are
Ii her guests; for to her the woare
lands eternally still-the world that is
, full of bloom and beauty to Cyrus
nd Nary