The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1885-11-06
. M;.uilna!'' / called feebly.

and you might wake her." eH
So lay still. wondering weakly who
he WAS and who had sent her there
but presently seeing her stir the fire
into blaze. forgot her caution, MS
I'll my old anx cites came back, and l
said pleadingly: -0.
Don't poke the fire, please It will
,urn out too quickly, and we have no
more GOALS.
Goa, now. miss, you have been
lrraming. The cellar is nearly full,
he Goals only came i'll last week"
Again I essayed to answer, but was
so gently, yet with such authority
ordered to be quiet, that was glad to
obey, so lay still enjoying the sensa-
ton of being not able to think. In
iay OF two grew stronger, and one
morning, to my delight, my mother
came i'll, and l had leave given me to
talk IL little.
Then heard ali about my late adven-
5ure.
event, my dear, and reads like chapter
out of u three-vol,lme novel," said my
mother, who, by the way, looked quite
bright and strong again. "When you
tel down i'll faint, you let fall the
Envelope iii which you had carried the
.:,niature, and the gentleman who was
III the shop"
81 remember him, mamma" cried,
exc tedly, "hc was the very image of
the portrait. l fancied must be dream
ing.
That is the strangest part of the
story, Eut Won wont let me tell it to
you properly, my dear That gentle
man saw your name and address,
brought you home in cab, sent in q
nurse, and everything we wanted, and
has been our good angel ever since.
He IS Arthur Rashleigh, the only son of
your Aunt Betsy's old lover, who, after
mourning the supposed faithlessness of
his old love, married late in life, and
has not long been dead, leaving Arthur
large fortune. His astonishment at
seeing you with his fathers portrait,
you may be sure, was very great How
ever, it was Il very lucky thing for us
after all, Aunt Betsy's present WAS not
such poor one. BY the way, here it
is; Mr.. Rashleigh was kind enough to
bring it back with him"
There was one thing which did no;
appear to concern my mother in the
least; but made my pale fa.e Halno, and
that was the idea of receiving all these
benefits from u mere stranger, upon
whom we had not the slightest claim,
unless the fact that his father, forty
years ago. had been my aunts lover,
could be considered one.
So made mp an eloquent speech. in
which l thanked him warmly for his
goodness, and delicately yet firmly
conveyed the information, that l
intended to repay him as soon us l
could get to work again.
But carefully as 1 rehearsed it, that
eloquent speech was never uttered nor
did l wonder at my mothers willing
ness to receive benefits from him. He
was so lonely, he said, he had not q
friend or relative in England, and
man servant, whom he had treated with
kindness and confidence, had just
robbed him of some valuable old family
plate which his father had thought
highly of, and had carried with him in
all his wanderings.
For me-may 1 confess it without
shame-the grateful interest I felt in
him soon grew into love, and, all, happy
MS my life has been since, can I ever
forget that happy evening. when, walk
ing home from the theatre, whittier he
had taken me, he told me that he loved
me dearly, and asked me to be his wife?
"But II am poor, I am not pretty.
and am SO old!" pleaded, fearing to
accept this sweet, new happiness. and
mindful of Lenas depreciation of my
personal appearance, age, etc.
Arthur laughed and drew my arm
closer in his.
If You are too old for marriage at
twenty-five. how may I hope with six
more years added on, ever to enter
that blissful state?' he asked.
So said yes, and soon after, we all
went to Aunt Betsys, and there I was
married at the little village church, to