Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-08-26


till one day when he was walking
along little back street, he come face
to face with Mary Kent and her
brother, and Mary, she stopped and
held out her hand, and says she:-
"Mr. Clinton-Henry-when are
you coming to see us? George and
Bessie and l were wishing you'd come
the other day."
eyes," says George. "we're always
glad to see you, old fellow, look us up
soon."
Henry just stared at them, kind O
stupid like, as if it must be dream
of his that any one should want to
see him.
Well, he didn't 60, and he want
at home when George went to see him
more than once. but one Sunday
morning he was walking forlornly up
and down his yard, and the Kents
come along and asked him to go to
church with them. He was so took
by surprise that before he thought, he
said he would, and as come past they
were all waiting for him to change his
coat. l had ought to remember that
Sunday-for it was then decided to
moye out here-no matter why
Well, I heard George Kent say to his
sister: "I'll stand by him for you,
Mary; he's had hard time of it, and
he's as good fellow as lives, but you
know what folks say-and can you
stand it ?"
"Yes," says she, looking straight at
him in her braye, honest kind of way,
81 know, they say l still care for him
i do-and I'm going to save him
from going to ruin"
Gall right" says her brother
George and Bessie always thought
whatever Mary did was right-and
then Henry come down the walk.
After that the Kents did all they
could to wake Henry up and make
him think he wasn't an outcast, but
'twa'n't no use, he just moped round
bad as ever, till Mary she just spoke
out -
"Henry," says she one day, "ain't
you never going to be any good to this
world or the people in it AGAIN."
"I'n afraid not" says he.
"Why mott" says she.
Because" says he. "I'm ruined
man. Do you suppose that any man,
woman or child has looked at me
since l come back, without remember
ing that I'm just out of State Prison ?"
81 know one woman," says she,
chat has never once thought it."
"You?" says he; "well, l believe
you, but then you're like no other
woman"
"What do you mean by that?"
says she. cam l better than other
women ?"
Eyes," says he, "you are the best
woman in the world"
Gam good enough" says she, "to
help you to be your old self and more
toto help you to take up the life
you think now is spoiled, and make it
noble and perfect one, in spite of
all"
Mary" says he, "for Gods sake
tell me what you meanp
II mean," says she, "that there was
a time, when we were younger, that
you were fond of me; if you still are,
and want me to, I will be your wife"
Well, now, it want an easy thing
for woman to do, and her sister-in-
law told afterwards how she cried all
night after she'd done it, but she stuck
to it; she didn't hold with divorces in
most cases, but she said it was right
for Henry to marry again.
About that time I came out here,
and the people wrote me after bit
how Henry and Mary had got married
very quiet, and how Henry had open
ed his law Office and gone to work
again, and if he'd only had a little
brass in him it would've been all right.
The trouble was, that never forgetting
his own troubles, he kept other folks
from forgetting them. What Mary
wanted was to have him start fresh
and fair, right in the eyes of people
that had known what middle he'd
made Of everything before, and come
off with his flags flying. When wo-
men are plucky, they're long shot
pluckier than men. She kept him up,
till one day he come in and told her
how man had come to give him al
most his first case since his trial-to
defend rascal-and when he wouldn't
touch it. had flung out of the Office,
sneering back
81 like that-a man that shot his