Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-02-06

give us so many. You are too kind.
You will ruin your beautiful plants"
"Nay, my dear" she answered, with q
quiet smile. "They will only blossom
the better; and then | want thee 10 take
some branches of this fragrant apple
bloom. They might comfort some one.
They always seem 10 me like the sweet
prcmites of Gods Holy Word"
Next day, when was helping Katie
tie up the little bouquets, | laid aside
one little branch of the pink and white
blossoms for poor young mother who
was lying at the point of death.
IF it wasn't for the babies | would be
glad to CO." she had whispered to me, as
| stood by her bedsde "but oh it just
breaks my heart TO think of leaving
them" and her eyes wandered anxiously
round the room, until they rested on the
besotted brute of n husband, who was
sullenly smoking his pipe in the corner.
l assured her the children should be
tenderly cared for; but her look of an
guish and despair had haunted me night
and day.
Now the dear old lady's words came
back to me-"1hey might comfort some
one. They seemed like Gods sweet prom
ises"-and, with the bough of fragrant
blossoms in my hand, fastened down
the narrow alley.
The sick woman lay in heavy stupor
when l entered the ROOM but, as put
the flowers into her hand, she suddenly
opened her eyes.
"Oh! those beautiful, beautiful apple
blossoms!" she cried excitedly "Where
did they come from? Why, they take
me right back to the country, and
haven't been there since l was little bit
of child"
Then | told her about the pretty, old
fashioned garden where they grew, and
the sweet-faced Quaker lady, who loved
them so because they seemed to her like
the good Gods promises.
The poor little mother burst into tears.
"'Seedtime and harvest, summer and
winter shall not fail, ," she murmured to
herself, as her thin white fingers toyed
with the fragrant petals. Surely, if
the great Father takes such care of the
frail spring blossoms, lie will not forget
my little ones"
That night, with her hands tightly
clasping the withered flowers, she passed
away; but there was such peaceful
smile on the wan face | felt sure the
troubled heart had, at last, found rest.
81 have some prettier posies for thee,
this flower day'.-lilies Of the valley
and hyacinths, if thee would like them"
was on my way home from the house
that death had entered and was so alb
sorbed in my thoughts that did not at
first hear the soft low voice. The words
were repeated, and, looking up, found
to my establishment, that had mistaken
the gate and was walking right into my
neighbours garden. ] stopped to apollo
gize, TO tell the good lady il was not an
other flower day YETI and then | stopped
little while longer, to tell her about the
apple blossoms and the touching scenes |
had Just witnessed.
"The poor motherless babesW she ex-
claimed; "and thee said they were twins?
The dear little creatures. | must tell
Brother about them"
The next evening Kate Edmunds
rushed into my room with flushed cheeks
and beaming eyes.
"Its just like story book, for all the
world" she began, and then, in her eager,
impulsive way, she told me the whole
story
81 was there, you see, when the old
lady and her brother came down. We
were getting the babies ready to take to
the Children's Home, until some other
arrangement could be made-and they
were both screaming at the top of their
lungs No; they were not looking their
prettiest, you may be sure, the poor,
scraggy, red-faced little creatures. But
that didn't seem to make bit of differ
ence TO these good Samartans. They
said they wanted to adopt them both,
and, while they were waiting to sec the
father, the strangest thing happened.
The old lady was looking over some
books that lay upon the table, when her
sleeve accidently brushed off a pile of
rusty daguerreotypes
Her brother stopped TO pick them up,
and, ms his eyes fell upon one of them,
saw strange look pass over his face.
Good Godl" he exclaimed under his
breath. "Can it be possible% Then,
turning to me- he said, in husky voice,
but 80 low that the old lady could not
hear him: "Will thee be so good as to
tell me the name of this person?"
looked at the picture, supposing it
might be one of the poor mother; but no.
1t was the face of young and very
beautiful girl-a face was quite sure I
had never seen before.
Just then the door opened, and the
father came in. The old gentleman took
him aside, and, of course, the mystery
was soon solved. The daguerreotype was
picture of the babies grandmother ION
the mothers side) taken when she was
young girl.
"And Just Think exclaimed Kate,
'she was the sister, yes, the runaway
sister of these two dear old people Of
yours"
"But I didn't know that they had a
runaway sister,"
"Neither did l." rejoined Kate; "but
1t seems that years ago, when they were
all young together heard this part of
the story afterward, from relative of
the family-our dear little Quakeress had
a lover. He was an intimate friend of
her brothers and they had all known
each other ever since they were children.
Well, the day had been fixed for the
wedding and everything was ready. The
morning dawned bright and clear, the
guests had all assembled, and the bride
| Cant you see how like q fair sweet
flower she must have looked p stood wait
| ing in her snow white dress, but the
| bridegroom never came.
"The younger sister, too, had suddenly
disappeared, and tidings came few days
later that the two had been clandestinely
married in some distant city"
There were tears in my eyes rs | looked
down upon the old homestead and caught
breath from the crushed box in the
garden-border.
at was great shock to the brother"
continued Kate; "indeed he seemed to
feel it all, quite as much as his twin sis
ter, who was, of course, the one most
deeply injured. He has never married,
but has Just devoted his life to her, and
the two have always lived together in
the old home. They have often tried to
learn something of the hayward sister,
but all to no avail. And now, isn't it
strange? After all these wears, two poor