The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-12-20

A r.
Stanisland today. | shall refuse any one
who asks me--if any one does again ri
live and die as If / was Herford's widow
at couldn't be expected OF you, said
the old woman. $50 young ans, real pretty
too But love you Tor loving my Fordy
so. guess we'd have got along real good
ef it had been the Lords will you should
marry him.
Anything will startle people already over
wrought.
A foot upon the path, touch upon
the door caused these two women to cry
out, to clasp each other fast. but Mrs
Wayne arose and lit a lamp and opened
the door 80 Dominic Thawier. who had
preached in the riclety little building in
which she worshiped for thirty years, who
had married her to her husband. christened
HEREFORD and prayed over his coffin.
ssIt's good of you to come, dominic" she
said; come in,i and led the way to the
parlor, tidy room. little close with dis
use.
II noticed, Sister Wayne" the minister
said without preface, ''that you keep
mourning on your shutters still. Why do
you do it?"
81 couldn't tell you so that you'd under
stand, dominic she answered Il
couldn't tell any one that hadn't been a
mother"
"Take the black ribbons off your shut
tiers, said the preacher; keep Christmas
as a Christian this year, Sister Wayne"
My Christmas is fasting and tears"
said The widow. Can you remember the
day You stood here last and expect me to
rejoice when Christmas time comes round?
Seems to me you ought to respect my feel
ings more"
The minister went to the window and
raised it. and united the black ribbons from
the shutters and flung the latter open.
Let the light shine ont upon the road
this Chistmas eve,v he said. Let it cheer
the belated traveller on his way-some one
that might be going home to his mother,
perhaps home to spend Christmas with
his mother"
LET her light her lamp then" said Mrs.
Wayne. why should I? Ny son will
come to me no more The minister turned
about and faced her.
III it was the Lords viii that he should
return to you he would come. Sister
Wayne he said
rtThe Lord himself can't undo death"
she answered.
"a young man called upon me tonight,
who thought his mother dead, said the
minister. when told him that she lived
and mourned for him, you should have
seen his happy face. He had seen her
house closed, with black ribbons on the
shutters, and in the graveyard, side by
side, three stones-his fathers. his sisters
and his mothers, ne supposed. 1t was too
dark to read the names. He believed that
IN his absence his mother had departed
this life, and he came to me to ask partic-
ulars. What ! said to him was; Young
man. preached your funeral sermon five
years ago. These cases of mistaken iden
tity sometimes occur The stone you saw
is over your own remains
The widow uttered cry and clasped her
hands. There. l cannot keep him out
any longer do not believe that joy ever
kills. said Dominic Thawler. He stepped
away from the French window against
which be had set his back, and as he did
SO HEREFORD Wayne rushed into the room,
sank at his mothers feet and lSnelt there
with his arms about her waist and his
head upon her bosom, sobbing like child
The old preacher slipped away. A little
figure stood trembling outside the door.
A miracle had happened. Herford lived.
was here before her eyes again. But, alasi
he did not think of her His mother was
all to him.
never knew of the destruction Of the
factory he was saying. 1 had been Of
fered d chance to make my fortune, and
had to be on board a seagOing vessel that
evening to join Robins, ii l took it, felt
that women needed to be rich, that for IA
poor man there could be neither love nor
respect nor happiness. / felt like that,
mother | wrote to you, / wrote to Mar
iorie, and gave the letters to old Mike
Flanagan to deliver Yours never reached
you of course. But thought you were too
angry to answer. As for Marjorie, she has
found her millionaire. as | happen to
know And, at all events since / have
come home no richer than | went, should
not aspire to her hand. know her views
too well.
No richer than he went The words fell
upon Majorie's ear like the sound Of JOY
bells II HEREFORD had made his fortune,
had returned a wealthy man, then, indeed.
he must have wooed Marjorie long and
ardently before she would have smiled
upon him. But since he was still poor.
only the knowledge that he had seen her
ID the church when Stanisland was making
his offer OF marriage, and that be must
have fancied them lovers, restrained her
now from obeying the dictates of her heart.
Marjoriel'' cried the mother. why.
Marjorie is here. How could forget her?
Marjoriel Marjoriel''
She moved forward He turned and saw
her, and she uttered his name and held out
her arms to him, and no words were need
ed TO tell him that of all men she loved
him, and him only, and that. thinking him
dead, she had still been true to him Ali
that she told him afterward did not con
vince him more completely than that one
look.
They sat there hand in hand, saying so
much TO each other. until suddenly the
deep sound of the church bell fell upon
their ears Twelve strokes-it was no
longer Christmas eve. it was Christmas
day. Christmas day. and grief had flown
away through those unbound shutters. and
Joy and love had entered in.
AS HEREFORD had walked home with Mar
jorie the sound Of the organ ard of Christ
mas music came TO them from the church
upon the Heights. Still other voices rang
out where they kept watch night in the
cid town. 1t seemed TO these two lovers as
though the angels sung in heaven and
sung for them alone.
No black ribbons 6oated from Annah
Wayne's windows that Christmas day
every shutter was flung wide, From far
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