News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1904-05-04

of her as the mother of ten-year-old
boy, she looked so young and so light
hearted and hopeful. Yet she was q
beaten woman by all the rules. She was
married to a man who was poor and
would never be otherwise. Her real
youth was gone, and even should Cart
wright die-as is the duty of a poor
man with a pretty wife-I couldn't fan
cy Mrs. Cartwright returning to fight
the battle over again.
1t is true that l was puzzled by the
fervency of her prayer for the dishon-
est trustee, though l judged it was a
part Of her fidelity to her husband, a
part of her long resolve never to re-
proach him for their poverty.
He raised her hand to his lips before
he answered the question which he had
seen in my eyes.
81 suppose he saved my life" said
Cartwright, land that is why Marjory
blesses him. May heaven bless her! |
was a wild boy, Mr.. Cameron My
father always gave me plenty of mon
ey, and went the pace, as the phrase
| is"
lie was not so bad, l guess" said
NIarjory, with a hand upon his head,
where | observed that the dark brown
nair was thin at the back of the crown.
Let my bald spot be the witness to
my crimes" said he, reading my eye
again. ut was bigger at twenty-five
| years than it is now, and fellow
| doesn't get such an ornament for moth
| ing. Late hours, champagne, bad to-
bacco in sitting cafes under the glare
of lights. Yes, yes; it is a blessing
that my trustee became thief before |
had time to become anything worse
myself.
81 was beginning to feel the strain.
My pet doctor pointed out an open
grave to me every time l went to see
him, and finally he drove me up into
the woods for a little rest. He did it
by promising that the relaxation would
give me life for year and perhaps two
Of the fun that | was having"
Pun echoed Mrs. Cartwright.
Upon my soul" said her husband,
1T was the emptiest painfulest, most
gOdden, Wretched and hopeless exist
ence ever suffered by mortal crea-
ture. But didn't know it then. Well,
| came up into the Adirondacks with
half a dozen other profligates before
whom the grave also yawned, and we
endeaVOred to restore our health by
sitting all day and night in the room of
a little hotel a few miles from here
drinking bad liquor and playing cards
for money. | remember that the luck
was dead against me all the time-the
worst run | ever had. Indeed. about
the third day | sent hurry call to my
trustee for funds. But. Mr. Cameron
at the very moment when | was writ
ing to him he was a bankrupt and
twentyfOur hours later he was on his
secret way to South America, or some
say to China, with the wreck Of his
dishonesty. Heaven forgive and bless
him! 1t was the beginning of a new
life to me-"
you went back to town and started
over again, suppose"
Il have never been out of these woods
since then" said Cartwright, except
when | took my boy down to Albany to
school at the beginning of this fall In
the old days when that thunderbolt hit
me l went to bed, believing that the
grave which my doctor had pointed out
to me was my only refuge and wishing
to encourage it to yawn as hard and
fast as possible. Presently my cross
and grabbed old uncle William Cart
wright, from Brooklyn, appeared upon
the scene and favored me with the de-
tails of my ruin. He closed by offering
me a small allowance on the bargain
that would live up here in the woods
for a year or for longer unless my
health should be fully restored.
Il was willing. There was no reason
why | should go back. But dying isn't
SO easy up here. Strangely enough, |
acquired an appetite for life. ] began
to go out hunting with guide and sur
prised him-and myself far more-by
developing into a first rate shot with a
rifle. Before the end of that winter l
had gained nearly twenty pounds,
though you wouldn't call me fat as |
stand, and | could eat bear meat right
off the bear.
"Mr. Cameron ! liked the life. was
ripe for it. l had had enough Of the
other kind. l resolved to stay here, and
here / am. My uncle gave me money
enough to buy this house and a bit Of
land running down to the lake, and
here | established a hermitage"
His voice changed, and his eyes be-
gan to glisten.
"In the long winter evenings" he
continued, Il began to write to a little
girl. She was only sixteen, and she was
going to school. | wrote bear stories for
her and lonesome tales of the woods.
You must understand that just before
my pecuniary disaster had CHANGED to
see her, and somehow her beauty"-at
this point Mrs. Cartwright tried to COW
er his mouth with her hand-"her beau
ty," he persisted, land her innocence
had remained with me. And she had
remembered me. Think of time, the
prOfigate. What miracles doth heaven
grant! Well, well, l wrote her stories