Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-11-07
Wutrester @ailg SPY
THE WELL IN THE ROCK.


hobbling slowly towards him, just as he was
putting his silk handkerchief in his hat.
81 see you from my back window mowin',
and knew you was good deal interested in
what I'd got to say, so l concluded to get
over, though it was quite walk, as old folks
limbs amt as spry as young uns"
''No, they amt, that's a fact" responded
Seth, for want of something better to say
and then he remembered his claim on Isaac
Woolcoot's cottage, and concluded the old
woman had come to confer about that, and
the hard muscles of his hard face settled down
in iron rigidity. There was an oak tree very
near. The old woman dropped down under
this, and laid her crutch at her feet. Seth
Rogers stood little way off, silent and
gloomy, his arms folded on his breast
''Seth,' slowly commenced the old woman,
81 came across somethin', yesterday morning,
in my garnet, that belonged to Mary-dear lit
tie Mary"
''Ah, those words must have been the rod
that smote the granite rock, for the mans face
changed suddenly, and there was eager curl
osity in his tones.
''What was it, Mrs. Woolcoot?"
''WOnt you set down here under the tree,
and I'll tell you, for Pm an old woman, and it
fuckers me out to talk so loud"
He sat down on the grass, under the cool
shade of the oak tree, close to the old woman
''It cut me up, Seth, dre'fully coming across
that ar. l just sot down and cried like lit
tie baby, tor it just brought back the time
when Mary's little golden head used TO go
didlin' and a dancin' 'longsde of my Temper
ance-that, trust in the Lord, is in heaven
this blessed day-to the school house where
the four roads meet. Was there ever poo
tier creetur set foot on the ground, with that
face full of dimples,, and the smiles cotchin
apart the lips and kindlin' the eyes and a pair
of cheeks that rose in the medders wasn't to
be mentioned by the side of?
Seth Rogers mouth, that rigid mouth, was
working almost fearfully, and quick changes
hurried over his face, telling how the old wo-
mans words were shifting the rock.
"And it's brought right back to me the last
time l ever sot eyes on her, Seth. [ dun
know as | ever told you, but it won't hurt
you to larn how much store she sot by you.
You know there was a singin school sot up
in the meetin' house for the first time that
winter, and the young folks had been there
the night afOre, and Mary had run over to
talk to Temperance about the boys and gals.
| was bilin' doughnuts that afternoon, and
Mary was mighty fond of 'em, so l sot the
pan on the table, telin' the gals to help
themselves; and Mary stood there, crunchin'
'em down, and bobbin' her bright head
around like butterfly among clover, and
laughin' QUITO, can't you hear that laugh
now-somethin' like a bird and somethin'
like brook tumblin' and singin' over the
stones ?"-
81 can hear it, Granny, can hear i"
exclaimed the man in sharp, panied voice,
while his bosom heaved, and the tears oozed
slowly out of Seth Rogers eyes, and stood
in the channels of his checks. All, the old
woman had smitten the rock-the well was
found.
"Well, jest as l was sayin', Seth, Temper
ance was a tellin' what boys looked the best,
and which uns she fancid most, when | turned
right round; Now, Mary says L, its your
turn. Which of them boys are you goin' to
take tor Marys face flushed right up, and
she jest spoke out in her quick way: pm GO
in to take to my brother Seth, Miss Wool
coot. There amt boy that's half so scrump-
tious and handsome as he is to my mind; and
/ know he's goin' to make wonderful smart
man, and never could love another man as l
do my brother Seth and you ought to have
heard how proud and tender like she spoke
them words-''My brother Seth"
''Did she say them-did she say them about
me?" cried the man in voice that was like
plaintive childs. ''My little Mary my little
Mary!. The sobs broke out and shook
his iron frame, and the great tears rolled in
swift showers over his rugged cheeks. The
rock had been cleft and the water gushed out.
eyes, she said them very words, and when
hear folks say you're a bad-hearted, tight
hearted man, sometimes think that IT Ma
ry'd a lived, you'd be different man." And
tears Of sympathy rolled down the old wo-
mans cheeks.
Sand, now, Seth, l must tell you what l
came across in the old garnet yesterday.
hup old hlanlrats
had spun before l was married, when sudden
ly l came to long wooden box, which your
mother gin me, the week before she died.
You know you was gone off among the noun
tains to hunt up bears then. Well, Miss Rog-
ers and | alters sOt great store by each other,
and she gin me in that box a linen spread
three silver spoons, a string of gold beads,
and a number of other little trinkets like. l
had not seen the box for years, and | was
finging it over when all of a sudden the bot
tom fell out into my lap, when 10 and behold!
there was false piece over this, and some
thing like corner of canvass sticking out
pulled it out and what do you think it was,
Seth Rogers?"
''I'm sure l don't know, Miss Woolcoot."
And the mans face was ashen pale with eager
ness.
sit was that picter of Mary which the Eng
village; and it just fitted square in the bot"
tom OF the box, so there warn't crack or a
break in it nowhere. l remember how your
mother SAID there was somethn in the box
when she gave it to me, but just then she was
taken with an awful fit of coughin' and finally
she said, never mind; I'm So tired, and ri
tell you about it tomorrow, Miss Woolcoot.
But she must have forgot, for her memory
seemed kinder to leave her that last week"
go, granny, you let me see this ?" and there
was greedy cry in the mans voice.
'Sartin, Seth 1t amt faded one bit in all
these years that it's been in the bottom of the
box where your mother put it for safe keepin',
and we supposed it had got burnt up; but it's
Mary, every inch of it, with her lips pouting
out Jest ready to speak, and her eyes shin
in, and her cheeks bloomin' as they did
years and years ago."
go, granny, if you'll give me that picter Of
Mary I'll give you anything I've got on earth,
pleaded Seth Rogers with the old woman.
"Will you, Seth? viii you give back to
Isaac the deed Of his house and land, that you
know is his'n in the sight of Goo, and that you
know, too, will break his heart, and his wite's
and his children's, to give up, and that your
mother and Mary would plead harder for you
to do than l, if they were here this blessed
minute?"
eyes, I'll make it over to him this after
noon, if you'll let me have that picture?" an.
swered Seth Rogers.
"There, Isaac" said the old woman, hob
bling into the kitchen, with her crutch in hel
hand; didn't l tell you, your father sale
there was well in the rock 90 ,,o.,. -. [,