Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-09-27

| haps there are things | don't know
about, but then, why not samuel Jetter-
| son as well as any other man.
"Well, I've a month for thinking of
| it," said Mahala. She left the chair and
caught up hat and walked out into the
twilight. 1t was summer, but at that
time there were few visitors from the
| city, the children had been called in to
| supper or to bed. She walked on until
| she came to the shore, whence she
could see the water, the islands, the
wreck of an old whaler, rising black
against the blue gray sky, and the light
house on Sankaty Head, where the
lamps had just begun to glow. How
| often had she walked here leaning on
| her lovers arm, what dreams they had
had of the days when he should be
I captain and she the captains wife. All
those sweet hopes, all that tender love,
had been swallowed by the pillows
when the Sally Jane, of Siaseonset, went
down with all on board.
ooh, Dan, my dear, dead darling
the girl moaned to herself and turned
and saw Samuel Jefferson behind her.
! He made haste to reach her 81 'e and
| hold out his hand. He was but
| sturdy, shock of iron-gray hair covered
his head and his face lay under it, red
with wind and weather, but still fine
face
"Evenin', Mahaly," he said. "I'm
real glad fur to see you-how be your"
He spoke even less dramatically than
he wrote, yet his speech produced
better effect than his letters; it seemed
to be from choice that he used the
words he uttered, not from Ignorance.
"You got my letter." he said. '"rake
your time-take your time. | wouldn't
hev no answer yet eff you was ready
with it. It's a pretty night, isn't it?
The light looks good out there"
"Yes," said Mahala, she had laughed
at his letter, but she could not laugh at
him. cit is all very charming"
'The spot you stand on is the pref
test, said the old man. "You've been
cryin', Mahaly."
''Yes," she answered. "pve been
thinking of Daniel-Daniel Dane, | was
81 remember-lost in the Sally Jane
of Slasconset," said old Jefferson. $50
you was thinkin' of him."
81 never can forget him or cease to
love him." said Mahala She stood still
and looked out toward the light as she
spoke, and old Jefferson took her hand
and drew it through his arm.
81 don't ask you should said he.
"You don't expect I've forgot Patience
/ Sperry, do you? She and me married
forty years ago. l married Rosanna
forgit | dunno how things is fixed in
| heaven, but | shill look for Patience of
it's fixed so as | kin. want you to be
good to me and me be good to you, and
/ shill be proud of you and pet you like
YOU was little lamb; but / don't expect
them feelings | had for Patience to
come back, no more than you expect
them you had for Dan'l to come. Other
things die as we'll as folks, my darter."
For the first time Mahala felt that
there was something in this old mans
soul akin to hers. She looked up into
his face, he stopped and kissed her on
the forehead and she said:
81 will marry you, Mr. Jefferson, and
| will try to make you happy An
hour after he left her at the door of her
cottage, and she entered and closed the
door before she spoke.
"You shall have the corner room,
Aunt Samantha" she said, land you
can see both streets from the window,
you know"
you've accepted him then ?" cried
Miss Samantha "Did you write ?''
81 met him." said Mahala. care you
pleased?'
Il am tickled to DEATH" said Miss
letter from the table and folded it up
with the yellow envelope and lifted off
the lid of the small stove and dropped
the little package upon the Goals.
"God bless us all, )" she said. "Let us
go to bed"
In the night Aunt Samantha spoke.
"Are you awake, Mahala," she asked.
eyes," said Mahala, "wide awake"
"Can | get blue chintz covers for the
chairs?" asked Samatha. Cup in my
room, | mean"
''Of course" said Mahala.
The girl arose next morning, feeling
that she had done WELL Life was
spoiled for her when young Daniel
Dane was lost, and she neither hoped
to love nor to be light hearted again.
Ambition slept, youth was no more:
at is what happens to us that brings
age to the soul, not time,' she said to
| herself
Aunt Samantha was younger than she,
hope awoke in her soul at the thought
of a corner bedroom furnished with
blue chintz. She could do her duty by
the old ship builder, life would be no
worse, Aunt Samantha would be happy,
she would no longer keep poor Miss
Peck from that goal for her ambition,
the little school, and as she had prom
Used to marry Mr.. Jefferson in a month,
she would resign her place, buy white