The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-10-08

"Mamma!" L called feebly.
"Hush, hush, my dear miss said til
kind-lOokiDg woman, sOothingly. "YOl
must not speak your mamma is asleel
and you might wake her.
| So lay still, wondering weakly WIN
she was and who had sent her there
but presently, seeing her stir the fir
into blaze, forgot her caution, as al
my old anXieties came back and L salt
pleadingly:
"Don't poke the fire, please. 1t will
burn out too quick, and we have III
more coal"
"Oh, now, miss, you have been dream
ing. The cellar ia nearly full, the Goa
only came in last week."
Again | essayed to answer, but wa:
so gently, yet with such authority, or
dered to be quiet, that [ was glad tC
obey, so l lay still enjoying the sensa
ton OF being not able to think. In &
day or two | grew stronger, and one
morning, to my delight, my mothei
came in and L had leave gwen me tG
talk little.
Then L heard all about my late adj
venture.
sit was really a most wonderful
event, my dear, and reads like chap
ter out of three-volume novel;" said
my mother, who, by the way, looked
quite bright and strong again, When
you fell down in a faint, you let fall the
envelope in which you had carried the
miniature, and the gentleman who was
in the shop"
81 remember him, mamma" L cried
excitedly, che was the very image o.
the portrait, iancied l must be dream
ing.
"That is the strangest part of the sto-
Ty, but you won't let me tell it to you
properly, my dear. That gentleman
saw your name and address, brought
you home in cab, sent in nurse and
everything we wanted, and has been
our good angel ever since. He is Ar
thur Rlshleigh, 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
a large fortune. His establishment at
seeing you with his fathers portrait,
you may be sure, was very great. How
ever, it was 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 not
appear 20 concern my mother in the
least; but made my pale face flame, and
that was the idea OF receiving all these
benefits from mere stranger, upon
whom we had not the slightest claim,
unless the fact that his father, forty
years ago, had been my aunt's lover,
conld be considered one.
So | made up an elegant speech in
which l thanked him warmly for his
goodness, and delicately, yet firmly
conveyed the information that intend
ed to repay him as soon as l could get
to work again.
But carefully as l rehearsed it, that
eloquent speech was never uttered, nor
did | wonder at my mothers willing
ness to receive benefits from him. He
was so lonely, he said, he bad not a
friend or relative in England, and q
man servant, whom he had treated with
kindness and confidence, had just rob-
bed 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 | confess it without
shame-the grateful interest L felt in
him soon grew into love, and, ah, happy
as my life has been since, can L ever
forget that happy evening, when, walk
Ing uOu0 lIOm luo LuedLTe, W0lJn6r ne
had taken me, he told me that he loved
me dearly, and asked me to be his wife
''But II am poor, l am not pretty,
and am so old!' l pleaded, fearing to
accept this sweet, new happiness, and
mindful of Lena's depreciation of my
personal appearance, age, etc.
''If you are too old for marriage at %,
how may 1 hope with six more years
added on ever to enter that blissful
state ?" he added,
So | said yes, and soon after, we all
went to Aunt Betsy's, and there l was
married at the little village church, to
the son OF her old lover, who loved and
reverenced the queer, touchy old maid
not little, for her loyal devotion to
his father,
So Aunt Betsy's present saved my
dear mothers life, and also saved me
from the dreadful fate Lena had threat
ened me with. l had it made into a
locket and wear it constantly. 1t is
generally mistaken for the portrait of
my dear husband, so is the large oil
painting of his father which hangs in
our drawing-rOom, from which the
miniature was copied.
We are very happy, and when my
brother Walter comes home, as we eX-
pect him to do with his young bride,
next ChTistmas,we shall have a wonder
full story to tell him of the same present
he and Lena thought so little of.