Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-25

II 10 expected OF yOU, SAID
I Gle old woman 80 young and real pretty
too. But 4 love you for l0ying INV Fordy
so. guess we'd have got along real good
ef ic had been the Lords will yon should
marry him"
Anything will startle peopieaready over
wrought.
A foot upon the path, touch upon
the door caused these two women to cry
out to clasp each other fass, but Mrs
Wayne arose and lit a lamp and opened
the door to- Dominic Thawier, who had
preached in the rickety little bailding in
which she worshiped for thirty years, who,
had married her to her husband, christened
Herford and prayed over his coffius
'It's good of you 20 come, dominic" She
said; "come in,'' and led the way to the
parlor, a tidy room, a little close with dis
use.
81 noticed Sister Wayne" the minister
said without preface, that you keep
mourning on your shutters still. Why do
you do it?"
II couldn't tell you SO that you'd under
stand, dominic" she answered II
couldn't tell any one that hadn't been
mother"
"Take the black ribbons off your shut
ters," said the preacher; keep Christmas
as Christian this year, Sister Wayne"
"My Christmas is fasting and tears"
said the widow "Can you remember tho
day you stood here last and expect me to
rejoice when Christmas time comes rounda
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 out upon the road
,s- h,,4x J l,n1. IL sL,
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 L? My son will
come to me no more" The minister turned
about and faced her.
"If it was the Lords will that he should
return to you he would come. Sister
Wayne" he said.
"The 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
and his mothers, he supposed. 1t was too
dark to read the names. lie believed that
in his absence his mother had departed
this life, and he came to me TO ask partc-
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 II cry and clasped her
hands. "There, / cannot keep him out
any longer. l do not believe that joy ever
kills." said Dominic Thawer. He stepped
away from the French window against
which he had set his back, and as he did
so Herford Wayne rushed into the room,
sank at his mothers feet and knelt there
with his arms about her waist and his
head upon her bosom, sobbipg like a 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, alasl
he did not think of her. His mother was
all to him.
II never knew of the destruction of the
factory" he WAS saying. II had been Of
fered chance to make my fortune, and
had to be on board Il seagoing vessel that
evening to join Robins, if took it. felt
that women needed to be rich, that for
poor man there could be neither love nor
respect nor happiness. l felt like that.
mother. wrote to you, | wrote to Mar
jorie, 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
mt az nj tn ban6 7 wiz
too we'll
No richer than he went. The words fell
upon Majorie's ear like the sound of Joy
bells. IL Herford had made his fortune,
had returned Il 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
in the church when Stanisland was making
his offer of marriage, and that he must
have fancied them lovers, restrained her
now from obeying the dictates of her heart.
'Marjorie!' cried the mother. "Why,
Marjorie is here. How could forget herr
Marjoriel Marjorie!'
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. All
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 Herford had walked home with Mar
jorie the sound of the organ and 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
old town. 1t seemed to these two lovers as
though the angels sung in heaven and
sung for them alone.
No black ribbons floated from Annah
Wayne's windows that Christmas day
every shutter was flung wide. From far
and near the neighbors came with glad
congratulations and good things for the
feast. Some brought turkey, some brought
pies. A little Englishwoman sent slab
of her plum pudding with bit of mistle-
toe in it. Apples and oranges rolled in.
jugs of cider were there, dainty dishes ga
lore, cakes white with frosting, all offer
ings off, congratulation from kindly
hearts. and in the evening n fiddler an