The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-18
THE MORTGAGED FARM.

news from Jack, hope.
She ran ont to the gate, flushed and eager,
to receive the letter from the country car
rler, and returning, seated herself on low
stool at her mothers feet, and broke the en-
velope.
On the first glance at its contents shade
of disappointment dimmed her bright face.
Instead of reading the note aloud. she
glanced hurriedly over the brief lines, and
then silently. with a quivering Lip, placed 1t
in her mothers hand and turned aside to
window.
This is what Mrs. Hilyard read:
Dear Madam I saw your son al few days
ago, wien, 10 my surprise, he expressed hlmSet
reluctant o apply his money 10 the Iedeemlag
1.-THE mortgage, saying hat he CURED lt lOT
SPECULATION which promises 10 be more proht-
able 10 him Than Tie holding OF lire farm. l
have. therefore, been compelled 10 dispose ot
the mortgage To Z nutman OF my acquaintance,
who proposes 10 take immediate possession, ana
1 con slider IL my duty to inform you lheTeOi, III
OTdeI that you may lose no tine lh making ar
FauecmeDls for a removal. Very respectfully,
ABNER HARRIS.
Mrs. Hivard returned the letter to 5 en-
veiupe with trembling hand ana daZad,
bewildeTed lCOk, as though unable 10 real
ize the blow which had so suddenly fallen
upon them. "
Her ewes met Marion's, and the girl threw
herself uuon her knees by her mothers side
and burst into a passion Of tears:
ION, mother, mother what shaA we doF
What viii become OF us %
" The Lord will provide, ," said Mrs. Hill
yard as she raised her overlooking eyes 10
the motto On the wall, embroidered by Ma
riOn's own hand. Where IS your -aith
my child, that it should fail you in this the
very hour If need?'
"Notber. it is not so much the loss of our
home, nor the poverty and trial IN store,
which grieyes me, but that JaCk-yOur own
son, my own brother-shUuld have so
changed. Oh mother, l know that our
Father i'm heaven will not desert US, but to
whom on earth can We turn when even Jack
can become worldly and heaTtlessY'
At this moment a little biue-eyed girl
burst into the room with
"Namma-MariOn! here is Miss 'Melia
Anderson at the gate, In her buggy. She
saws, will you step ont minute, Tor she
wants to tell you about old Mr.. Willard be
ing sunstruck and she daTen't leave her
horse without somebody t. hold him.
Marion was in DO condition to listen to
Miss 'Nelia. the greatest gossip in the
neigbbnrho3d. so Mis-. Hlyard, drying her
ewes. was in Civility compelled 10 see the
informal visitor. Marion, her mead resting
upor the wind0w-sil behind the screen OF
cIinginE roses, could have heard every WORD
spoken, but absorbed IN her grIel, she PAID
no 5ttentiOn until the name OF " az hlAtou
struck upon her ear.
ITS true, fer certain. for Jane had il
from his own sister, Aggle Hinton. Says
Jane in her wild way, II he comes Dack
with all that WOney'-yOu know his uncle
Samuel left him most Of his property last
vear-Savs Jane, If he comes back rich
mean TO set my cap for him.. On winch
AGILE answers, Oh, you needn't, for he's TO
be MARI ed before long, and 10 real nlce
pretty grill" OF course Jane wanted to
know all about il, but Aggle only laughed
i'm her mysterious way, until Jane says, 1
believe Won are i0kiugY when AggIe re-
plies IF Walter isn't married before winter
IN make YOU present OF my new earrings
W hich lie has sent me- 80. You see, II Ger
tain sure: and no doubt he'll bring hls bride
to visit his family, and then, tell Marion,
we NAV look out for a grand party. Nhen
the Hfntons undertake to do things they are
sure to do them handsomely"
Marion STAYED to hear no more Gliding
out Of a side door, she crossed the garden,
passing lutte MyTa, who was tOndhng
snOw-U hiJe lamb, her great pet ana treas
ure. and who called out TO her TO see now
fast Snowfall was growing
Poor little sister. 1t would be as hard
upon her as upon mother herself TO leave
the dear old home. with all the scenes AMI
objects eudpared TO them by the association
OF their lives, For in that ample, pleasant,
0ld-fashioned farmhouse Mrs. Hiiy2rd had
been born and married, and here her chill
drpn also had first seen the light.
Two years ago her husband-Who had
been too little practical 10 make a successful
farmer-had died suddenly-leavlng his al
fairs in a v+rv embarrassed state, and the
farm burdened with very heavy mort
gage. Then Jack, good son and brother
that ne was had thought 1t best TO 90 TO
the city, taking advantage OF situation
offered him by distant relative, until the
mortgage should be paid.
Only TWO weeks ago he had written cheer
fully, saying that the matter would be
speedily settled to their satisfaction, and
now just as they were expecting to hear
at their home was their own again, came
this cruel letter.
As Marion had said to her mother. not
even the loss Of their home went 10 her
heart with 50 sharp q paDg as did this evil
dence Of the change In her ouly brother.
That Jack should have grown so worldly
and heaTtleSs as 10 consider his pecunlary
advantage before the qualification OF his
mothers cOmfOTt-that he should allow
them 10 be actually turned out OF the dear
Old house, aud 20 TO reside IN the strange
city, where they could never feel at home
oh, this was the GtteTest pang OF all!
So Marion had thought upon first reading
that letter; and IL was not until hearing
Miss 'Meiias words to her mother that she
aWOke to the consciousness that fate could
have even greater sorrow than TINS In
store for her.
One year ago she had parted from her &C
cepted lover, Wat Hinton, IN mutual anger
on both sides Wat had become Jealous,
and had spoken sharply to her, and 10 a
manner which she considered herself justi-
fed in reSenting.
Wat was too proud to apologize, and
Marion too proud as we'll as too delicate TO
make advances to a reconciliation; and so
they had drfted apart both miserable, I'M
til Wat had broken the last link by going to
the West.
She heard Of him from time to time
through his family, but no word or message
t. herself had ever come, In all this while
she had looked forward with faint, yearn-
ing hope TO the possibility of his some time
returning, and Of all being made up be-
tween them
But now this last hope was rudely stricken
to the ground. Wat was going to be mar
Tied. He had forgotten her, aud was lost
TO her forever.
"Oh, it is hard-so hard to bear" thought
Marion, as with hands uncOnsclOusly tightly
clasped she passed slowly under the apple
boughs Of the old orchard. Lille is bitter.
II has taken all from me. 1t can have no
more to give. Only my dear, dear old
mother and Myra! For their sakes l must
be strong and try 10 bear 1t all"
On the verge Of the orchard, where the
high bank sloped abruptly to the meadow,
she came to a mass of tangled honeysuckle
fashioned into a rustic arbor. Wat had
made ii for her, and here in fact 1t was that
they had last parted.
Down in the meadow ran a little pathway
leading by short cut to Watts home, a
couple Of miles away. How often she had
sat here of an evening and watched for him /!
She could scarcely look back upon any
object now before her eyes which was not
connected with some associations of Wat.
There was the walnut tree which be and
Jack used to climb, and there the clear
laughing brook in which he had taught her
to steer the little boat which he had made
for her, laden with grain, down to Jacks
famous water-mill at the roots Of that old
willow.
Further up was the real ''grist and saw
mil" which Jack had always been so de-
sirOus OF owning, and which everybod said
would be such a good investment for one
who could manage it properly.
And then Marion, seated on the bench in
the rustic arbOr, turned and looked long and
yeaTninglY at the old farmhouse perping