The Penn's Grove record., 1889-09-21
NUMBER 8.

of was at the plate of each member Of
he household. John put his in his
putton-hole, remarklng that Alice al
ways had good taste; but at that mo-
nent, Alice by a slip of her fingers,
lropped a cup Of tea, and the remark
passed unnoticed.
They went away the next morning,
Blanche and her mother. Alice did
not come down, but she watched from
her window while John helped them
into the carriage, and drove of. Tell
Alice goodbye for me, Miss Mart<a,'
called Blanche as the carriage moved,
and Alice smiled bitterly as she heard it.
Three weeks later John went for his
last year at the Medical College. He
was to take his doctors certificate 10
the Spring, Somehow he did not SEQ
very much OF Alice in these weeks. He
thought ~uneasily that he was neglect,
ing her. and then a vision Of q pretty
head of sunny hair, and slaughing face
would come, and drive the uneasiness
away.
She babe him goodbye obediently,
and promised to write TO him. He told
her to remember and be ready for him
in the Spring, and she only smiled, and
did not reply. After he had been il
town about a week however, he received
a letter from her, and as he opened il
a twenty dollar bill fell out. This was
the letter,
DEAR JOHN This money will help
you along through the year q little.
Use it as you choose. 1 think we must
give up being married, and l believe
you will not regret my decision. ]
knOW you can find q wife who will suit
you better than can the one, who knows
and has always a ready hand to help
you. ALICE.
1t was the only letter Alice could
write. 1t did not cost her an effort, be.
cause she told the solemn truth. She
was q grand good woman, but she wa
not a martyr She had no intention OF
yielding to her feelings. She had faI
more s lf-respect.
John sent back his words OF astonish.
ment, and was afraid she might feel
sorry, but he said no word Of another
choice, and did not send back ths
twenty dollar bill. 1 am sorry to have
to record that a little of it went in q
bouquet fer Blanche, and he had even
forgotten by that time that he was in.
debted to Alice for the money.
In the Spring when he graduated he
came home, and told Alice in . hall
awkward way that he was engaged &c
Blanche.
Alice smiled, and chopped he would
be happy" and he said to himself thai
she vas livery cold"
Perhaps she was-who knows. But
my point is Just here. There was nc
such thing in Alice Martens life as be-
coming a faded useless thing because
she was what is known as DISAPPOINTED
in love-" She told herself that be wa.
not worth the sacrifice, and then she
went to work to prove it. Her heari
sched,-of course it did-but not foi
always. Hers came to be one Of the
busiest brightest lives in the village
where she lived. The little farm pros
pered, and after her mother died, slJ
it became hers, she made 1t one Of the
best paying places in that part Of tag
country. She was bright and jolly
use the word Intentionally for ts
| kind of woman no other word descrii rs
and her house was always full Of com.
pany. When John married Blanche,
and little children came, and the purse
strings suffered. it was in Alice's hon.
the children spent their summers, and
at "Aunt Alice's" house they took re
fuge, when ''poor mamma" was sick, Al
she generally was,
"What a grand woman Alice Martel
is" said a friend to John one day.
when he had returned from the farm
whittier he had taken his children Tor
the summer.
''She is one of q thousand" sale
John, thoughtfully.
Who shall say her life was not worth
living? Who shall say that in the full
rounding out of the grand scheme o:
life hers is not perfect and finiAhed.
Around her home gathers the best
interests of those she knows. to he,
they bring their joys and sorrows, sure
of a ready sympathy. Her place in tn.
Spring time is a perfect bower of bios.
SONS, and in the Autumn. when thu
leaves begin to turn, and the red msph
on the hill glows with color, she gathers
the Autumn trophies. great punches and
sprays of glowing bloom, and brings
them home triumphantly, and hel
house lie all throbbing and cleaning
with glowing tasselled goldenrod.
A Young Lady.