Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-02-10


cd and shed tears enough for the parting Of
twin sisters. How hated her In cou-
pie Of days they were gone, Mr.. Ames calling
to see me when he knew me to be out, and
leaving civil message only. The house was
closed, the faded leaves fell all about the
doorway. and the grass withered upon the
little lawn.
That play is over, and the curtain drop
ped. | said to myself, as took one long look
towards the old house, and closed the shut
tiers that opened that way.
You who have suffered some great loss,
and staggor for want of strength to walk a
lone, thank God for work. Nothing like that
for bracing up a feeble heart | worked rest
lessly from morning till night, and often en-
croachod on what should have been sleep
Hard work, real sinewy labor, was all that
would content me, and found enough Of IT,.
To have been proper heroine, suppose /
should have devoted myself to works Of char
ity, read sentimental poetry, and folded my
hands very mookly and prettily; but did
no such thing. ripped upcarpets and soour-
cd paint, and swept down cobwebs, made
sweetmeats and winter clothing. dug up and
set out trees, and smoothod the turf in my
garden, and tramped round my fields with the
man behind me, to see if the fences needed
drained, or the fallow land wanted blowing
It made me better. All the sickness of my
grief passed away, and only the deep-lying
regret was left like weight to which my
heart soon became accustomed. We can man
age trouble much better than we often do, if
we only choose to try rosolutely.
had but one relapse. IL was when got
news Of their marriage. remember the day
with peculiar distinctncss, for it was the
first snow-storm of the season, and had been
out walking all the afternoon II was one Of
those soft, ieaden-colored, cxpe, tant days. Of
late autumn or early winter, when one is sure
OF snow; and went out on purpose 10 see it
iall among the trees; for il was Just upon
Christmas, and ! longed to see the black
ground covered. By-and-by n few fakes
sauntered down, coquetting as to where they
would aght; then a few more followed,
thickening and thickening until the whole up
per air.was alive with them, and the frozen
ridges whitened along their backs, and every
little stiff blade of grass or rush or dead bush
held all it could carry. 1t was pleasant to see
the quiet wonder 90 on, until the landscape
was completely changed--to walk home scnE
ting the snow from the frozen road on which
my feet had ground as | came that way, and
see the fences full, and the hollows heaped up
level and the birches bent down with their
hair hidden, and the broad arms of the fir
trees loaded, like sombre cotton-pickers going
home heavily laden. Then to see the brassy
streak widen in the west, and the cold moon
hang astonishod upon the dead tops of some
distant pine trees, was to enjoy a most beau
tiful picture, with only the cost of a little ra
tigue.
When got ht me, l found among my let |
tiers, one from Mr.. Ames. He could not leave |
the country without pleading once more for
my esteem, he wrote. lie had not intended
to marry until he could think moro calmly of
the past but Lucy's mother had married a
gain very suddenly into a family where her
daughter found it not pleasant to follow her.
She was poor, without very near relatives
now, and friends, on both sides, had urged
the marriage. He had told her the state of
his feelings, AVID offered, If she could overlook
the want of love, to be everything else to her
She should never repent the step, and prayed |
me, when | thought Of him, to think as leni- |
emily as possible. Alas now | must not
think at all.
How fought that thought-how work
ed by day, and studied deep into the night,
filling every hour full to the brim with activ-
ity, seems now feverish dream TO me- Such
dead thoughts will not be buried out of sight
but lie cold and stiff until the falling foliage
OF seasons of labor and experience eddies
round them, and moss and herbs venture to
grow over their decay, and birds come slowly
and curiously to sing little there In time.
the mound is beautiful with the richness of 4
the growth, but the lord of the manor shud- /
ders as he walks that way. For him, it is al |
ways haunted.
Thus with me. / knew that the sorrow
was doing me good, that it had been needed
long, and | tired to profit by it, as the time
came when | could think calmly Of it all. |
thought had ceased to love him, but the
news of her death for she had died in two |
years. taught me better heard Of him from
others-thst he had been most tender to a
selfish, heartless woman, who triAed with his
best feelings, and almost broke his heart be-
fore she went. | heard that he had one child,
poor little blind baby, for whom the moth
or had neither love nor care, and that he still
continued abroad. But from himself never
heard word No doubt he had forgotten
me, as had always thought he would.
More than two years passed, and spring
time was upon us, when | heard that he had
returned to the country and was to be short |
ly married to a wealthy, beautiful widow he |.
had found abroad. AT first we heard he was
married. and then that he was making great
preparations, but would not marry until au-
tumn. Even the brides dress was described.
and the furniture Of the house of which she
was to be mistress. ! had expected some such
thing, but It added one more drop of bitter
ness to the ycarning had for him. 1t was
so hard to think him like any other man.
However, now, as before, | covered up the
wound with a smiling face. and went about
my business. had been making extensive
improvements on my farm, and kept out all
day often, overseeing the laborers One night,
soft, starlight evening in late May, came
home very tired, and being quite alone, sat
down on the portico TO watch the stars and
think. ! had not been long there, when a
mans step came up the avenue, and some per-
son, could not tell who in the darkness.
opened the gate, and came slowly up towards
me. rose, and babe him good
is il you, Racheli he said, quite family.
1t was his voice. Thank heaven for the dark
ness The hand gave him might tremble,
but my face should betray nothing. / invit-
ed him into the parlor, and rang for lights.
Hes come to see about selling the old
house. thought; there was a report that he
would sell it by auction. When the lights
came, he looked eagerly at me.
Am | much CHANGED , Iaskad ,.;,h L.lf