Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 1.djvu/385

 A ROMANCE IN A RAG-BAG.

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��to the tidy young girl who enquired his business, he asked for" Ze young ladies. I zell ze magnifique lotion for ze com- plexion."

" You see all there is," said a musical young voice, "but I don't think I care for a lotion of any kind. I find the open air the best there is."

" Eez. ze ladeez' complexion eez vare brilliante; but will she please buy for charity? I get no bread, I—" and with an expressive gesture he sank on the step in utter weariness.

" Indeed, my poor man. you shall have ' bread.' Come out here under this tree and rest, and I will get you something to eat."

Only a few moments elapsed before she returned with a tray containing a boun- tiful meal.

" There," she said cheerfully, " when you have eaten all you wish for, bring the tray to the house and I will see what can be done for you."

•' May God bless you ! " was the ped- ler's benediction when a generous alms was given him on returning the tray.

"Weighed and not found wanting," was our hero's comment. " What love- ly eyes ! and such a complexion— all na- tural, too. The next step is to get an in- troduction."

This was easily obtained through the heir of Rosedale, and then followed hap- py days for Somers.

On the anniversary of Clarice's birth- day, a beautiful basket of flowers and a volume of Whittier's poems were sent to her, with Mr. Somers' card.

" I wonder how he learned my birth-

��day? I'm sure I never told him," she murmured to the flowers, but they never told her of the little diary.

You wish I'd " hurry and tell the end, and how it came about," did you say? The end. of course, was a wedding, and it came about thus : While riding, one afternoon, with o Clarice, Albert began to speak of pedlers, and Clarice told him of the lotion pedler.

" How I did pity him ! " she said.

" Yes, I know you did, for I could see it shining from your eyes."

" You knew I did ! you saw — what do you mean?"

" I mean that I was the pedler, and that I loved you, and came to see if you were as worthy as I deemed you, and now I ask you, darling, to be my wife."

" I don't — don't understand," stam- mered poor Clarice.

Taking the little diary from his pocket he said :

" Did you ever see this before?"

" Oh, my diary that I lost ! Where did

you get it?"

He told her, and added:

" I loved the girl I saw reflected in that little book, and I determined to see her; so I became the — lotion pedler. Now will you answer my question, little one?"

"I — yes — if you will come and live with father and mother. I can't leave them in their old age," she murmured.

" Certainly, ^dearest — anywhere with you."

And so it came to pass that he was idle no longer ; and the Estabrooke place be- came Elmwood, the country seat of Mr. and Mrs. Somers.

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