Middletown transcript., 1896-06-06
The girl blashed, only faint sweet
flush like the petals Of an ap,Ie bios
Som as she hesitatingly replied, stI was

y
flush like the petals of an apsIe bios
Som as she hesitatingly replied, "I wa
wnndering'
"What about?'
The blush deepened a little as sh
/ answered, Your
i "I2 What is there to wonder a
, about me?n surprisedly asked Mis-
, Nancy.
81 wondered if you-whether i
was-Oh Miss Nancy it was only this
You are SO helpful, SO kind and liv
such a useful, busy life. and your fac
bears no signs Of any-any well, trou
BILE of any kind, and l wondered how
it was you were what you are; 81
happy and content, while with wba
the world considers SO desirable, (ani
| confess it is very nice to be able to DE-
as one pleases without having to coun,
the cost do not seem to have a niche
of my own to gill, as you and so many
others have. form plans and make
resolutions but drop The first and break
| the last. The only time l really live is
while am with you; at the same time
your way of living is a constant re.
proach tome"
| A pause ensued, then Miss Nancy
smiling sadly said, $50 you think my
lines have fallen in pleasant placesf
They have, but dear child, has it oc-
Cured to you that the places might not
always have been PLEASANT"
/ "Dear Mis-. Ni.cy forgive me-"
"There is nothing TO forgive, my
dear. Would you like to hear some
thing about your old frienu's life before
it became the happy contented one Y u
think it now?"
"Oh so much ! if you do not mind
telling me. That is mean, if it will
moi cause you pain TO tell me-"
Pain ! Aye-pain SO deep, SO
strong you can form no idea of it, and
yet, it will be pleasant to go over some
of the old ground to you." She paused
for moment-'.It was SO long ago that
we lived in the old home endeared to
us by 80 many associations. / can see
it SO plainly; the house with its bright,
sunny rooms, for we always had plenty
of sunshine. Nothing grand or too
good for daily use. / canpot tell you
how we loved til Father, mother,
Ned and l. All
"My mother, with smile like the face of an
angel,
And father beloved! Ah memory sorei
Low-drooping the wingthe death-angel rustled
And swept as it passed DER the step by the
door,
"Her hands lay folded quietly in her
lap, her eyes looking away into the far
off beautiful, sorrowful past, a sad
weary look on the pale face-while
Marjorie's eyelashes glistened with.
sympathetic tears. A pause of few
moments then tie story of a desolate
life was told in low musing tone as
though she were only thinking aloud
forgetful of the presence Of Marjorie.
1.-THE step by the door. How many
memories cluster round that great,
broad stone step! Over it stepped my
mother as bride, mother and widow
on it We played, Ned aud 1, sheltered
by the generous hood over the door.
The windows too we're hooded. It
was such quaint old house, literally
covered with creepers throwing out
their long trumpet-laden branches. so
defiant of training or seemly order.
Wild sweet thing how We loved ii tool
it was part and parcel of the home.
We lived so happily with never
thought of care Or trouble. But sor-
row came and left us-oh so desolatel
Her hands clutched each other con-
vulsively and shuddering sigh parted
her trembling lips but the musing tone
went on. One wild stormy night
mother came to my bedside saying,
Daughter. come, father is ill., I rose
hurridly and dressed and when I went
to father he was lying there white and
strange looking, but when he saw me
bending over him, he smiled sweet
loving smile and-I had lost my father!
Dear patient motherl how she comfort
ed and sustained us in our wild burst
of griefl She, whose sorrow was SO
much greater than o,rs could bel And
when he was gently born by kind
neighborly hands over the step by the
door to he little churchyard by the hill,
we returned to our desolated home
feeling surely life could hold no sor-
row so bitter as this. Blind, SO blind |
This was but the first, for soon, very
soon came the knowledge that our
home was no longer ours. Mother |
drooped and faded, and before the |
Lime allowed US TO remain at home |
had expired, she too was carried over
the step by the door, and Ned and / |
were Indeed al,ne. We made our |
pla1s:and Ned said, Il will always take |
care of yon Nan, You need not talk |
about taking care of yourself, you don't
know how, and I'm sure l can do it, I
Oh Ned! Ned she moaned rocking |
back and forth in bitter anguish. Pre-
sently she resumed, 1--WE went to b.,
and in course Of time. only a week OF
Two, Ned had obtained a position
through the kindly influence of one of
fathers old friends, and l too had
found employment as nursery COVER
ness in a minister's family. We met
occasionally and one evening meeting
him by appointment met also one of
his friends who happened to ioin him