The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-05-01

| Mary and her mother came back from
brisk walk TO the village, and found
staiwaIt, sun-browncd man sitting
opposite TO Miss Abby, by the red glow
OF the fire.
y'ne old woman rose up, in her old,
| uncertain Way.
Ladies. " she said, fumbling in her
old snun-boX, "this is my nephew, Tom
Burton-he as ran away from home
twenty year ago come Michaclmas Day
and we all supposed was dead. Tom,
these are the ladies who are SO GOOD as
to visit me here. ! don't quite rccolcct
their names; but then, my memory
amt rs good rs it used to be; and,
after all, it don't matter much. Moth
ing matters much nowadaysm
And Miss Abby sat down and fell
into "daze" again, as if all necessity
for conversational effort were over.
Tom Burton stood up-a bronzed,
bearded giant, with dark eyes and SUI
pcrb stature.
Ladies, beg your pardon" he
said. "But | thought when came
here, l was coming home! | knew moth
ing of all these changes. | never could
have dreamed that my cousins would
let this old creature 90 to-the town
poorhouse. don't know who you are,
ladies' with a husky rattle in his
throat, "but | thank you, from the
very bottom of my heart, for giving
her shelter in her old age. And if
money will pay You for it"
at will notl' said Mary, sharply, as
if the words conveyed slur.
mo, | suppose not, sSaid Tom, with
4 sigh. But I've plenty of money now.
The dear old aunty shall live like n
queen all the rest of her days, for she
was good to me when all the rest set
me down for black sheep. I've made
my fortune out in New Zealand. and
I've come home to redeem myself
a have heard OF you very often,
said Mrs Miller, gently.
"And I'll venture to say, ma am, YOU
heard no good of me-" said the young
giant, with 4 short laugh. II will not
deny that was wild lad enough, but
there wasn't any actual evil in me, let
folks say what they would. And now
I'm back, rich man, and there's no.
body to bid me welcome home, except
old Aunt Abby out of the workhouse."
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.
Human nature is human nature every
where. But Tom Burton cared little
for the friendly oyertures of the old
neighbors.
Aunt Abby was the only person for
whom he seemed to care, and his great
est grief was that the old woman re-
fused to leave the old farmhouse to live
in the stately mansion which was built
for him. And then he asked permission
to deck her little bedroom with the Gu
riosities he had brought her from the
antipodes, and in taking up draperies
and arranging shells and old silver
coins, he and Mary unconsciously be-
came friends.
Friends. She never knew that il was
anything else, until one day, old Aunt
Abby took strange idea into her head
Aud Mary, holding rich oriental cord
for Tom Burton to loop into knots for
picture frames, heard her introduce
Mrs. Miller to a neighbor as "My
guest, Mrs. Miller the mother of the
young lady that nephew Tom is going
to marry"
Tom looked at Mary. Mary dropped
the ball of cord and turned crimson.
"Mary!' he said, pitcously, SAY
that it shall be so. For | love you-
yes, | love you! ard can't live with
out your love. And-and you were
good to old Aunt Abby when all the
world turned against her. sometimes
think, Mary, that you must be one of
Heavens angels!'
And this was how they became en-
gagged.
They often visit the old farmhouse,
the happiest of married lovers, and
Aunt Abby firmly believes that they
are all her guests; for to her, the
world stands cternally still-the world
that is SO full of bloom and beauty to
Tom and Mary.