Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-12-20

o little eyes Q little feeti
How much, how little shall 70 know
OF golden mornings, turned 70 grayf
Through what dark mazes shall 20 strayf
Alas, fear me sol
o, es the pregnant years befsll,
My all their cycles gently move.
And peaceful skies thy mornings bring.
And oil thy bells OF evening ring
The Angelus Of Lowell
In mercy kind, IN love complete,
o fateful future wilt thou bel
Alas; my heart misgives me 50.
Here at the gates Of veal and woe
AlAsi thy fate may not know
Q bud upon the apple treel
o babe upon thy mothers kncel
samuel Hoyt in Youths Companion.
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- UR camp up In
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w ~ the De Leon dis
XAE~ tRH\ trict had be-
/MAE<INI a come quite o
fM@kMXK w settlement. The
HSs@T mills were do
ing big bust
ness. The mines were developing q
great output, and all branches of In
ddstfy we're prosperous and paying
We'll. New buildings were going up
a courthouse, a city hall, big school
building and last, but not least Q
church, which was to be in the hands
Of a real, permanently-abiding minis
ter. De teop was really coming with
IN the pale Of civilization, everybody
agreed. And so, about this time, quite
a humber of 1.-THE boys" went to the
states for their families, and several
more, who had no families, went back
to get the girls they'd left behind them.
Among these was Ben Corliss. had
known him in New Mexico several
years before, and we had been in sun
dry tight places together, so it was only
natural that, when drifted TO DeLeon
at the time Of the rush and found Cor
liss there, q certain degree Of that init
macy born of previous association
should spring up between us, although
In our tastes and inclinations we were
miles apart. But finding ourselves
among several hundred total strangers,
that spring had drawn and kept US
close together for three years. and, Of
course, was the first to learn of Ben's
matrimonial intentions-which, by the
way, were declared only about weeb
before he left for Iowa TO carry them
out, at which time I learned, also, that
the new house at the head of Main
street was the property Of my uncom'
municative chum.
They returned in about month and
settled down comfortably in their new
homo, apparently the happiest couple
In the world. They certainly ought &c
have been, for they had waited for each
other nearly eight years, after q
romantic boy and girl courtship and 0
stern father episode.
Twas charmed. had never deamed
that Ben would show any more taste in
selecting o wife than he had shown In
some other matters which had come to
my notice. and was, therefore, entirely
unprepared to becomingly greet the al.
together charming and pretty young
woman to whom Ben, after assisting
her from the train with honeymoon
gallantry, presented me.
Al tea that evening nothing would
do but ! must, after having made all
the preparations for their home-com-
ing, share their first meaD was yet
more forcibly impressed with Mrs.
Corliss personally. She had a quiet,
but effective taste in dress; her man.
ners were unobtrusively perfect; she
talked we'll, yet modestly, and added
to the charms of face and voice was
that atmosphere surrounding hcr which
made one feel at ease and perfectly al
home In her presence.
took occasion, later, to remark to
Ben that he had obviously held the
winning tick t at the grand drawing.
'She's an eagle bird" affirmed her
spouse, vulgarly, but apprsciatively
go. then, and do like"
But at this point the subject of our
conversation reappeared, and Ben
desisted.
look back at the year following
Ben oorliss' marriage as one Of the
happiest I ever knew. For me, a
nomadic bachelor, who had known so
little of comfort, and still less Of
feminine society, for more years than !
cared TO think of, to be admitted as
one Of the family to the comforts and
enjoyments of that delightful home,
seemed q veritable sojourn in Paradise.
and I was the envy Of half a hundred
less fortunate chaps in De Leon.
The next year was obliged to go to
Montana and Idaho on business. Ihad
only expected TO be gone about three
months, but time went on and on, and,
immersed in my work, out of the
world half the time, IL was nearly
three years before l returned TO De
Leon and civilization. In all this time
1 had passed no word with Corliss. We
had no natural business interests, and
shared at least one feeling-that of
deep-seated antipathy TO writing let
tiers.
The night reached De Leon IL was
too late to call on Ben and his wife,
but, as early as possible after break
fast next morning, FASTENED to their
house. II looked strangely unfamiliar.
The yard was neglected; pan of ashes
stood just at the end OF the portico; n
small boy was digging In the dirt under
the bay window; frowsy-looking
woman, with mouth full of clothes
pins, was hanging out washing on
lines stretched where the croquet
grounds had once been. She looked