The Republican journal., 1901-02-28
Written for The Republican journal.
MYRTLE STANLEY.
BY MRS. s. }. STEVENS, TROY, ME.

(COntinued.)
! CHAPTER III.
again. as for q bridal, have loving hands
arrayed her,
But they bore her from the lowlv COTTAGE
door; Oo''''ee
And meath the moaning pine trees thew ton.
, derby have laid her,
Wnere his lonely heart will linger ever
But the Father looked in pity on the heart
| with sorrow riven,
ana called him to the better home on high.
ne paoe good night to earth to meet his
bride in heaven,
| Where is never heard the bitter word
| goodbye.
| Patience was laid to rest in little
mound overlooking quiet river, and in
Inat grave went down the strength and
hope of John Reed. The main blessing
OF MS life gone; he must now drift aim
lessly on. Not even the presence of
Myrtle, the child of his cherished sister,
whose sole protector he was now, could
arouse in him anything of earnestness.
He went on in an aimless way with his
accustomed work. In vain Candace
tried to arouse and cheer him. Myrtle
spent much time alone There were
many haunts around the little home
which she sought out. She would some
times amuse herself with imaginary
playmates, but usually the hours were
passed in thought. Life was so mys-
FERROUS and vague. She had no real
| child life. She pondered much upon
the world beyond and the parents whom
| she could not remember but for whom
her lonely heart would hunger all her
! life. Beside the lonely grave on the
rivers bank she would sit for hours
weaving into garlands her choicest flow
ers, with which she lovingly decked the
sacred mound Of her who had so faith
| fully filled that mothers place. And
often gazing into the clear, shining
water she would talk to the little girl
| whose pale face and mournful eyes look
| ed up so pathetically into her own as if
beseeching sympathy and love. She
wondered how the sunshine could be so,
bright and make the water sparkle so
and why the river danced so merrlly,
| and how the birds could sing and be so
happy, The very light and beauty of
| the world made her heart more sad and
desolate. Oh, how thoughtless and I'M
sympathetic all nature seemed.
TO Grace the sad tidings Of that loved
sisters death seemed for a time to be
the severing of the last link that bound
her spirit to earth. Hers was a noble
nature, capable of intense suffering, but
also of deep sympathy, and where a
| lower mind would have brooded over
her own sorrows the love of a little
child softened and subdued and led her
| to forget her own grief. For the fire.
quent thoughtful and sympathetic let
! ters from little Myrtle revived in her an
interest in life She recognized in them
! the poet and scholar. A woman's
! heart and soul shone from the mind of
little child, and she thought of the
possibilities that an education held in
store for her Soon remunerative
position as preceptress was offered her
in an academy of a seaport village on
] the coast of Maine. She gladly accept
ed the position with the one hope and
ambition that she might thus secure
for Myrtle the advantages she so much
needed. 1t seemed that the love and
ambition that Patience possessed for
| her sister Grace had returned to her to
be fulfilled in the life and education Of
Myrtle.
John Reeds health was never firm
and from the time of Patience'S death he
seemed gradually failing, and when Myr-
! tie had reached her twelveth year, the
7
sleeping blossoms from their winter
bed folded alike in it's warm embrace
the grass-grown grave by the rivers
| bank and the new-made mound; for the
death angel in tender pity had released
from earth's bondage the spirit of John
Reed, and joyfully had he flown to meet
/ her who was waiting to welcome him
| through the gates that pain could not
| enter.
And now the time had come when the
! doubly orphaned child was to commence
the school life from which we anticipate
so much. 1t had been the plan of her
foster parents to have her educated in
| the east, should fortune ever favor them
with the means.
Grace had warmly urged the faithful
! Candace to come with Myrtle and pre-,
side over their little home, and al
though her heart was saddened at the
parting, she knew Myrtle now no long
er needed her care and as she was be-
/ ginning now to feel the weight of
years she could pot be persuaded to
leave her people and native home to
/ find a grave in the land of strangers.
! A large portion of the day preceding
| the one appointed for her departure
was passed with Myrtle beside the
| graves Sic lONcu, 1llu dAuCA OHClICllAlS
them for the last time with the gar
lands her hands would no more weave
for them, she knelt by the rivers bank
to also bid goodbye to the little tear
stained face that looked sadly up to her
own from its Gear depths. ''Do not cry,
little girl" she whispered, ''for bye and
bye when you and / are older and wiser
l will come back again. | am going to
Auntie Grace, who is to teach me
everything, and oh! my dear papa and
mamma who went to heaven so long ago,
and dear Aunt Patience and Uncle
John, are all so glad; for have promis-
ed them that 1 will try to be always a
good girl and remember all that Aunt
Grace tells me, and that will study so
hard and perhaps sometime will write
a book, and if do will come back here
and read it to you; you will all be so
proud of little Myrtle"
The morning dawned bright and
beautiful, and never did the "Iron
King take in his eastern flight one
who better appreciated the beauty of
the great world spread on either hand;
for to Myrtle's vivid imagination and
intense love of nature it seemed like q.
journey through fairy land, and she
wondered why many read and some
dozed while she with such eagerness
watched every changing scene.
a r. Il T.