Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-06-18

" !
I pieces OF skill and energy had noarI
{ lulled the gentle maiden to sIee,
when certain committeeman, NOR
vehement than the rest, emphasized h
, remarks by bringing his fist down O
: the desk with vigorous whack thl
startled her into wild wakefuIness, s
, that she flung out her hands to chtch Q
something and the something happene
to be an old arithmetic with leave
loose and soiled, back torn and cover
missing, which lay in q dust-grime,
corner of the window. Confused a
having made herself conspicuous, sh
a~rnod tho loose lsaves aimlcssIy
scarcely glancing at them, until sh,
CHANGED to see divers name. What ,
start it gave herl It was almost lik,
meeting him unexpectedly. She turned
the leaves more carefully then, LOOKING
for the familiar doggerels that must bt
there II the book had indeed belonged
to him; for, had she not studied will
him, and was not his book penciled
through with couplets that rung ali
sorts OF changes on her name and his
Yes, they were all there, all that had
not shared the fate of the covers. She
tucked the book carefully under her
shawl, with quick glance about her to
make sure that no one was looking.
feeling little guilty, but determined
to possess the treasure so thumbed by
his thumbs. And here it was and here
she was five years after, very much in
chned to shed tears over it as she read !:
TO T. A..
I've wandered over the sands
or many distant sea,
And ever In my wanderings
five miles from home at the time when
that production, of very doubtful pa
ternity, was written, but these were the
lines that Todd always read last before
shutting the worn leaves against each
other, and tonight she must light q
little the darkness in her patient soul
by reading them once again; then she
wiped her eyes carefully, returned to
her guests, and made known to them
her intention of @goin' journeyin'."
Todd easily consented to the prear-
rangements Of Mary and Mike, and re-
sented with all the strength of her
gentle nature q hint by O meddlesome
neighbor that she ought to have rent
for the use of her house and belongings
during her absence. SO far the lovers
found clear sailing. The cloud that
rose on their horizon was no bigger
than woman's hand, but it was large
enough to obscure their happiness in a
murk Of dismay. Todd insisted on
amount of preparation that Mary
said it was like piling dozen
blankets on ones bed in July,
when one had slept comfortably under
only two all winter; and furthermore,
she insisted in doing every stitch of the
sewing with her own hands, and with
ns much solemnity as if she was prepar-
ing her burial clothes. There was no
such modern invention as q sewing ma
chine in the house, and the work pro-
gressed very slowly, with an occasional
hitch when Todd was not well, or to-
tai halt when she was quite i'll. She
never sent for physician at such times,
and If any one inquired what particular
ailment had got the mastery over her
she always replied that shed been
havin' turn with her liver" though it
is feared that she had but faint notion
about the locality of that much-doctored
organ.
Finally the arrangements were all
completed, or many thought they were,
when, Todd became suddenly aware
tnat III was TOO late IN us4o your 10 un-
dertake q journey, and when spring
came the dresses that had been made q
year were pronounced too old-fashioned
and new ones had to be purchased and
made. In truth, Todd was secretly
both hoping and dreading to hear from
the lost lover before going away. A
faint rumor did reach her at last; it
said that he had been dead several
years. She bore it quite calmly. 1t
was easier to know him dead than to
believe him unfaithful. Her old unrest
gave place to o settled sadness-and
she was quite ready for her year of
travel.
She had not gone far-she was in
Chicago depot-when noisy, bustling
woman entered, carrying baby, lead
ing child three or four years Of age,
and followed by two older children.
Turning to one Of them she called out F:
"Jim, where's your father? Tell
him to hurry and buy the tickets be-
fore the train comes no, there he
Oliver" The rest was lost upon
Todd. She started at the name, and
ga1ed toward the door with beat ng
heart, as If earth and heaven together
held but one Oliver. She moved to-
ward him with faint cry of recogni-
tien, for it was, indeed, her Oliver;
then stood quite still, appalled, by who
shall say what thought? Perhaps she
only then realized that the loud-talking
woman md har nupnaroua obiI1ran hod |
some sort of claim upon him. He came
toward her with q scared look in his |
face, whispering to his wife: Il guess
she's fainting," and lifting her into q
chair that stood near.
"What of it? She's none of ours"
said the wife; but something in her
husbands face made her go after water
when he asked her.
A crowd gathered about, all anxious
10 do something, oil filed with that
quick gush of sympathy that makes MS
less ashamed of the human race. Her
lace grew more and more ashen. A
Iaintly murmured name, "Oliver,"
)nly heard by the man who bore it,
and the patient lips were silent forever.
Had one o. them turns with her
liver" explained Mary to the distant
relative who took charge Of oil Todd's
seat Mike and Mary 10
shift for themselves, burned the old
lote and the neck-tie, wondering what
Todd gave house-room to such trash
or, and gave the arithmetic TO an un-
promising son who was wrestling with
ong division. Thus are the relics more
Iacred 10 us than the tomba Of our