Year: 1864

Alice and the other voang man. took
1 him i'm at a glance ..he was strongly and
! handsomely formed. his skin was fair. his
/ ewes gray and bright, and his hair dark
! brown and curly" And Alice-what
had transformed her sos Pale and crys-
taline but an hour before. she now
seemed flushed and Overlooking with the


richest wine of existence. The dropping


bud had burst in moment into the full


bloom and glory of womanhood She
clung trustingly to the arm that suppor
4 ted her so tenderly and her eyes were


raised to his in the proud, meek triumph


of woman


Ny host stood as one transfixed until


the youth, advancing in silence, took


both his hands Then like the father in


the parable, .,he embraced him and fell


upon his neck and kissed him." l was


about TO withdraw, when the father turn


ed toward me saying, ''do not go, sir,


this is my son about whom l told you.
/ Rejoice with us for he was dead and is
alive again. was lost and is found"
( Then he took the hand of his foster


daughter and LAYING it in that of his son,
/ said, ''She has loved YOU truly, William,
/ God bless YOU nv children.


Half an hour later as we were all sit
/ ting around the fire, the young man
1 turned to me, with a smile and a flash of
I the eve which / we'll remembered, saying,
Il am afraid YOU did not find me very
companionahle last evening, l owe you
an apology and l want to ask pardon of
you all FOR the foolish thing l did last
night


''WhenI arrived at New York l fell
in with an old acquaintance, who told me
, all about you, and how it had been with
You. l was surprised that my letters had
not reached you, for l had written as
Frequently as l could, which was not
Often to be sure. We were two hundred
miles away from any considerable settle
ment ana could seldom get writing uten-
sils or paper and as all my letters, and
they were not very many. were sent by
passing explorers, 1 do not know that l
need wonder that they were lost When
| learned that had not been heard from
and was not expected home, then the
foolish notion seized me of coming home
in disguise The more thought of it
the more l longed to look in upon you
undiscovered and sec just how you might
be getting on. SO l came as You know.
bath may have improved my COM
plexion and the wig lies where threw it
when | came in to night.


had intended to show myself to you
this morning, but when l saw those little
trinkets of Minnie's lying upon the
mantle and thought how we had played
and rambled about together and how she
had given me the last kiss when l went
away. l felt that must go and look at
the places where we used to be together
and at the place where she is lying before
l could see you.


He paused, for his voice faltered, and
his lip was quivering. There was some
thing beautiful in the sudden grief that
fell softly upon all the circle, chastening
their overfiowing joy. So he said. re-
Stunning, ! have spent the day down in
the quiet little graveyard and the wood
rambling about our old haunts. l OBJ
tanned some refreshments at farm house
where | was not known and have come
not quite too late to share in your Thanks
giving.


The next morning / parted from the
good people OF the inn as from friends,
and as l looked back upon it from an
eminence quiet and modest and pictur
esque, | was glad to know that it con
tanned within its walls all the happiness
that belongs to the lot of man.


When ! next saw it another cottage
stood beside it somewhat more spacious
and elegant, with fine outbuildings and
own home Alice Benson and William
Archer who were united shortly after his
return, and with an interesting family
surrounding them. makes their home
little short of an earthly paradise.