Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1903-07-31

by side upon the hill, and then doing
for her brothers and sisters and all
the rest of her family, and when there
was no longer anything she could do
for them, she did for the poor and un-
fortunate of the city. until her name
came to stand for all that was good
to them.
A busy life She led, and, l supposed,
n happy one, but nature like Caro-
lines could hardly be happy in sim
gle life. She was so essentially wom-
anly woman and. with all her helpful
ness, a dependent one in some ways;
in those ways, l mean, in which true
woman is meant to he dependent.
"And so it was that when my hus-
band went to England for his company,
to be gone whole year, and my Henry,
being only few months old, I could
not go with him, that it was arranged
that Caroline should come and spend
that year with me.
"Well, she came, and we settled down
to a good visit. and Caroline devoted
herself to my babies with such good
results that in short time Aunt Car
rie was fairly fought for by them. And
how she loved those children! All
her motherly traits blossomed most
beautifully. and the half sad, heart
hungry look that her lovely face wore
when she first came to us began to dis
appear from 1T. and she seemed again,
TO me, my schoolmate, Carrie.
"When she had been with me about
n
day a letter from Hiram Wight, one
of the old schoolboys. We used to
think, when we were boys and girls
together. that she and Hiram thought
good deal of each other, but the
years had gone by and nothing had
come of it, and l had very nearly for
gotten all about it when this letter
came to her. | could see that the con-
tents disturbed her not a little, al
though she said nothing, but when
only few hours following his letter,
Hiram walked in upon us and an
nounced that he had come to take Car
rie back with him, she told me all.
THE dear old girl had loved that
ridiculous boy all those years, and he
had never come to his senses till now.
l do believe that he never would have
come to them if it were not that when
Carrie went away for so long he sud-
denly found out what made life worth
/ living, and without losing any time
in berating himself for being such a
"laggard in love-" he very wisely de-
| cided to ask Carrie to come and help
| him try to gather up those lost years
and let him carry her burdens, as he
used to her lunch basket, 'and per-
haps,' he said, 4 may yet live to show
the world that there is one worse fool
than an old fool, and that is young
| fool And so, my dear, they were mar
ried. Yes, right then and there, at my
house, and What is it, May? A Wis
itor? Dear me! it can't be anyone to
see me, is it?"
'No, ma'am, it's Miss Amy, and he
! would come right up"
A large, snowy overcoat brushed by
her, and two big, cold hands grasped
mine. "Mr. McNair this is Grandma
! Gordon" but no it isn't, for grandma
went out with little Mary-but l must
! say something, for those gray eyes
are full of laugh at sight of my dis
comfiture.
Come up by the fire, tit is a terri
BILE day-let me take that coat. You
| should have let the maid brush the
snow off for you" And l pile on the
wood and draw up a large chair be,
fore the blaze.
Not word yet, only those dreadful
eyes following every move l make
Why don't he-"Amy, won't you look
round and see if you can find FOOLS
cap for me, or couldn't you fasten a
long pair of ears on me, or do some
! thing that will serve to label me as
| the most assinine of asses.
"However, I have let you slip through
my fingers these five years or more
! without finding cut that you were the
only person / could ever love-hang it
l did know it, but some people never
can appreciate blessing till they lose
;. it, and that's my particular idiocy,
but if you will come back to be my
| blessing forever-O, the presumption
of me to ask it-Ill tell you, you Just
marry me, and you will have the best
chance in the world to punish me for
| being such a swine. as not to know
| pearls when they were cast before him
] VIII you?"