The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-03-17

"That great white one is just the
thing" And she pointed to slab
hard by.
"Ike shall bring it over tonight
said the farmer.
"No," said Hannah, 81 can roll it
along"
And her arms, strong as most mems
went to work at once, and the slab
was rolled, and pushed and lifted on
its way. It was toll for laborer, but
it did Hannah good She tugged
away, pushing, and lifting, and adj
ding woman's ingenuity to mans
strength; so that at last it was at her
own door. There she let it rest, and
dug the old stone out, and afterwards
brought water to wash the slab with
white as driven snow, for the most
part, with some little yellow weather
stains about the edge, and on one
side the black inscription "a name, a
line of eulogy, and dates. Hannah
started with the curiosity OF one who
can not read.
II wish l could tell what that was, +"
she said, "Some ones name and age.
All, there were sore hearts when that
was new. l hope when l die Oliver
will have written over me that was
a good wife. I've tried to be. 1
ought to know that big letter-wait a
bit, l believe it is H."
| Then she turned the inscription
downward, and washed the other
side, clear and white, and fitted it into
its place.
! She received little credit for her
work. Oliver only muttered.
you needn't have published the
fact that / couldn't afford porch to
all the place" And no one noticed
the step afterward save Hannah when
she scrubbed it.
/ Matters were very bad at the
Gneldts'. Oliver brooded over the
fire in speechless sorrow; and grew
grayer and balder with each passing
day. Hannah kept ruin off little by
making home of the poor house, and
feast of the humble fare, by her
housewives skill. She might even
have been cheerful but for the memo
ry of that luckless speech.
Working in her garden one day,
when the first spring grass was grow
ing green, Hannah heard footsteps,
and lifting her head, saw two gem
tlemen beside her. and arose precipi-
lately with womanly anxiety about
her ankles, not strictly covered per-
haps by her cotton gown. The near
est gentleman, an elderly man with
bright, dark eyes, addressed her,
Mrs. Gneldt, l presume ?"
Yes, sir.
She asked him to walk in, and he
did so, the other following.
In the little parlor they sat down
you are Mrs. Hannah Gneldt,
Oliver Gneldts wife ?"
Eyes, sir 1t is -about-ex-
cuse me, you look Ike lawyer, and 1
fear it's more trouble for Oliver"
"Reassure yourself" said the gen
tleman. "Reassure yourself, madame.
Your husband is not concerned save
through you, and that l hope pleas
antly. Your name was Burns, before
you were married p
Eyes, sir Hannah Burns"
''Do you remember dates well ?"
mo, sir"
you have, perhaps, records of fam
lily events-your own birth, your pa
rents marriage, your grandfather's
death ?"
Hannah Gneldt wonderingly re-
piled, 81 have mothers Bible, and
they tell me it's all there"
"How far back ?"
"To grandfather's birth, I believe
grandfather Burns, he had one child,
and am the only one my parents
ever had Oliver set down our we'd
ding-day, and our two boys birth
days
"And your great-grandfather The
record of his death is there ?"
81 don't know; you may see. Wait,
I'll call Oliver"
Going to the door,, Hannah took
down a horn, used for that purpose,
and uttered a call, which brought
Oliver Gneldt home from the field at
once.
He also felt alarm, but explana
tons quoted him. Almost as much
aseonished as his wife he brought out
the old Rible