Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-07-15

other was sickly little things N wen
off in slow consumption.
IF il hadn't been thai she had Il
keep Luther up believe Annie'd have
give way many q time; but for his sak'
she didn't show one-half che felt. An
she never lost faith in the Lord. Sh'
said His ways seemed hard, but that HI
knew what was best for her.
"Well, time went on. N about five
years ago things seemed to take turn
for the better with Luther. His whea
crop turned out well, m he sold it L
good profit, m he got his corn off thu
bottom lands before the river rose, N
that was great help to him. He SCENE,
real cheerful, m told John that he wa
just beginnin' to enjoy life, m if thing
went we'll he'd soon have the mortgage
cleared off the farm. The weather sc
set in cold m stormy just after
Thanksgivin', N one afternoon l wa
out in the chicken yard shellin' corn t.
the hens, N all muflled up to my eyes
when heard wagon stop ct the gate
m there was Luther a noddin' m beck
onin to me. went down to the gait
to speak to him, n before I'd 90
there he was tellin' me how he'd sole
Tom Layton n colt he'd been raisin'
N was on his way at last to buy Annie
that silk dress. He asked me bout thu
number of yards he ought get N wher,
he'd best 90 to buy, N said he couldn'
hardly wait to get it now he was ready
He was goin' to give Annie a surprise
he said; she didn't know what he wa
goin' after.
"Wcll, the tears was in my eyes as
watched him drive of, pleased as ,
child at the idea of surprisin' Annie
But never guessed what the black sill
dress was to cost her, poor soul!
at began to rain soon after Luther
ID gone, n poured down for upward o
four hours. was at the winder wher
he went by on his way home, m no
ticed he didn't have his overcoat on, n
l wondered what he'd done with it, fol
L was sure he'd had it on when HI
stopped at the gate. Annie told m'
afterward that he'd taken the coat OF
his back m rolled the black silk up il
it to keep it from gettin' wet. 1t WASH
even damp when he unrolled it N
showed it to her, but he was wet TO the
skin himself, N few days later there
was a doctors buggy at the gate. Johr
he went over TO see what was the mat
! ter N found Luther walkin' the floor
N groanin' with pain. The cold hat
settled in his side N the doctor
couldn't give him no relief. But he
said he guessed he'd pull through al
right N there wasn't no need to worry
Miss Parsons was maxim the silk
up. Luther wasn't satisfied till Annie
had gone to the village m got some one
to work on it, m she thought best tc
humor him. He wasn't no better wher
the dress came home, m the doctor
was still tending him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous. II
was John who brought the dress home
from Miss Parsons, m he said Luther
was just too pleased for anything to see
the bundle.
Pm goin' to have Annie dress right
up in it, he says, IN you IN Jane
must come over after supper N see
how she looks.
"Well, rs L heard afterward, Johr
had hardly gone when Luther began tc
tease Annie to put the dress on. She
wanted to get supper first, but he
wouldn't hear to it.
I've been waitin' nearly twenty
years to see you in that dress, he Gays,
IN won't wait even an hour longer.
''Well, Annie she made him lie down
for he'd been walkin' the flooI
constant nearly all day-'n' she went
into her bedroom to put the dress on.
She'd got the skirt on, n was fastenin'
the waist, when she heard queer sound
from the spare room where Luther was
lynn. She stopped minute to listen,
m then called to him to know if he
wanted anything. There wasn't no
answer, m she crossed the hall N
hurried into the spare room. Well,
child, she found him dead, his face
turned toward the door as if he'd been
watchin' for her, m the sound she'd
heard was the death rattle in his throat.
"When John N got there he'd been
dead only few minutes, m tell you,
child, it was n sad sight to see hcl
kneeln' down by that low bed in hei
new black silk, her arms round thai
dead man N moanin' N shudderin'
over him N Begin him to speak to
her.
4" He isn't dead! she says to me as ]
come in. He has only tainted. o,
Jane! do something for him. Get hot
water, n you'll find camphere in the
pantry on the lowest shelf to the right.
''But l saw that hot water m cam.
phere wouldn't be no use, N told hei
so as gentle as l could n begged her tc
come away. She wouldn't listen to me
at first, but after the doctor had como,
N he'd told her it was all over, N poor
Luther'd died from apoplexy of the
stomach, she let me take her to her own
room.
''As we was crossin' the hall she heard
the dress rustic, N she stopped short
N looked ut me pitiful.
He never saw me in it, after all,
m she broke down and cried as if her
heart would break.
CATER poor Luther was buried N
there was stone put up over him N
his debts was all paid, there WASH
nothin' left for Annie, m she was glad
to take place in the mills. We wanted
her to come here, but she was too proud
to eat bread she hadn't earned, she said.
About week ago l was out with Miss
SHIPPER gettn' subscriptions for the
church carpet, N we met Annie on the
street Miss SHIPPER, she amt oyer-sen-
| oibiNO hOioOil- III Slic ttVl v SiNC lO OilC
else credit for being so, m she up N
asks Annie if she didn't ever wish she d
said yes stead of mo- to young Tom
Layton.
Never says Annie. Had I my
life to begin again would not alter it
as far as Tom Layton is concerned
But it's pretty hard to have to work
for him, isn't itp' asked Miss SHIPPER, m
l felt it in my heart to hate her for ask
ing such a thing.
"But Annie only smiled. Il consider
myself fortunate to be able to earn such
good wages, she says, m then she
walked away smilin' still.
81 was glad Miss SHIPPER didn't know
about that black silk dress. If she d
said anything about that, Annie would
"a broke down. She's got it packed
away at the bottom of her trunk, poor
1 II ~ l.. l. "a