The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-08-07
LOST AND FOUND.

was at my house on visit. / should
rather call him the friend Of my father
as he belonged to generation previous
to my own. He took a great fancy Il
me when l was a boy and often tol6
me his story. One day, when he was in
peculiarly communicative mood,
persuaded him to write it out, which he
did, on condition that it was not to be
published during his lifetime. As he
has been dead now 40 years and all the
members of his immediate family have
passed away, there can be no impro.
priety in offering it to the public. 1t is
scarcely necessary for me to say that.
after lapse of 80 years, it was neces-
sary to make copy of it, as the origi-
nal ink had faded very much.
I, John Williams, had just completed
my college career, which had been
neither better nor worse than that of
thousands of Others A slow, plodding
mind was all that nature had given me
within, and red hair, freckled face
and rather ungainly figure were what
she had bestowed upon me without.
John Will never set the river afire, "
was what my father had once said of
me. Dear, kind old man, he did not
know that l was within hearing dis
lance or he never would have said it,
But, although the remark was gall and
wormwood to me at the time, it spurred
me Oh to exertion, and 1 made much
better use of my time at college than I
would otherwise have done.
Mary Mercer, daughter of near
neighbor and intimate friend of my
father, had been my lifelong companion
and friend. We were opposites in every
particular. She was beautiful, and
was as has been described. She was
graceful, and l was not; but, owing to
our secluded lives, we had been thrown
much together, and her charitable dis
position had been accustomed to over
look many of my imperfections. An adj
miration amounting almost to worship
had risen in my mind when I saw her
after my four years absence at college.
had left her q sweet, attractive child,
and l found her on my return woman
such as my fancy had never pictured.
OF course there could be but one re-
suit. If had never been in love before,
/ certainly was now, and 1 was not long
in making known to Mary my feelings
Mary's conduct on the occasion afforded
the first instance in which had known
her to swerve in the least from what
was the obvious truth. She was con-
fused, blushed slightly and declared
that had taken her so much by sur
prise that she did not know what to
say; she had never thought Of me in
that light, and 1 must really give her
little time to think the matter over l
knew at the time that Mary was fib.
bing.-
No woman was ever born with one.
half of her sense without finding out such
things long before they were ever spoken
to her. But there was no help for it.
She had the game in her own hands and
evidently intended to play it to suit her
self, She asked for week to consider
the matter. l insisted that two days
were enough, but she was resolute and,
with wry face, 1 had to submit.
One stipulation was that / should not
to see her during that time !
though this was rather hard ard s0ic
so, but she was even more positive thai
before, and yielded with the Lest
grace l could.
In order to give her no excuse for
further delay l set off the next day t.
visit college friend and staid at his
house five days. 1t took day to reat =
his house and day to return. Thus The
week passed away, slowly enough icl
me, and / am afraid my friend foul.0
me dull companion. Promptly at the
end of the specified time 1 presented
myself at Mary's house. To my dis
may found it full of company. L&u
been there only few minutes whul
learned that the friends had been thtrc
ever since the day afterl left. Iscanneu
Mary's face, actions, manner and 1ecCp.
ton, but could make out nothing 81.
was kind and agreeable, but that l,o
been her ordinary manner, and no con-
clusions could be drawn therefrom
found no opportunity to say wcrG
10 her in private until my visit We
aver. AS went to the front door Gil ~
way out to my horse, which was tied III
'front.' of the house, she came cut on the
porch with me, as had been her habit
on previous occasions. AS / babe her
,oodby asked, as calmly as / could,
though heaven knows my heart was
beating so loud that l knew she MT:
bear it.:
"Well, Mary, what is my fate 10 l.c:'
Really, JOHN" she said, you h,ce,
give me one day more, and ] pIcm So
7ou to give you my final answer tEcr.
The house has been full of company aid
ny time has been so fully occupied ti.at
have scarcely had time to sleep. Every
hight since you were here l have f,It
% bed so weary that | went to sleep -
soon as my head touched the pillow.
My mother has been sick, too, noet I
he time, and my hands have been Ia,
| assure you. +"
suppose she must have seen ny
blank look of disappointment, for -,
added in her softest tones-and nc W cc
,o,,11 no cofta, tba,, hove. uCo,,no