The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1867-10-10
BESSIE.
BY LOUISE CHANDLER MOULTON.

"Yes, the grave is green, and well
kept, as you say. 1t Is In pretty spot.
She liked just such NOTES.-The shelter
ofthis great, gray rock, over which the
elm-trees hang, with the tinkling brook
going by near enough at hand, SO you
can hear its voice as you sit here in the
still afternoon. Iwould have given my
life to please Bessie Armstrong when
she was alive. 1t was little thing to
lay her, when she was dead, where she
would have chosen"
We were silent then for few mo-
ments, he sitting beside the grave with
his face in his hands, and listening to
the voice of the brook, the hum of the
insects, the breath of the wind among
birds who broke the stiffness Of the June
afternoon. At last the man-Glles Sea-
bury his name was-lifted his head, and
began to watch the movements Of
golden-haired child, who was pulling at
a little distance some early wild-flowers.
l, meanwhile, looked at him, and tried
to gather from his face and figure what
manner of man he was. had been In
the little village for three weeks, and
knew him, as did most others in that
small place, by name; but knew moth
ing more about him till I came upon
him this afternoon beside the grave. I
was no good physiognomist, or his face
was not legible--it told me few secrets.
/ should have said it was hard face,
but for the gleam had seen in the eyes,
the quiver round the mouth, when he
called the name of Bessie Armstrong
The features were rugged, with OH uiy the
attraction of an austere manliness. You
felt, in looking at him, that he would
never swerve from his integrity; but
you gathered no hint of his capacity for
boundless, unselfish, unfailing love
for a fidelity which held it in the ele-
ments Of knighthood. His figure was
strongly built, but little bent; his
hands were toil-hardened; his clothes
similar in fashion and quality to those OF
the practical, working farmers in any OF
our New England towns. There was
little about him, it seemed to me, to
charm the fancy Of all imaginative wo-
man; and I wondered if this Bessie
Armstrong, who loved flowers, and trees,
and running water, would have shrined
so rude all image in her heart. With a
longing to find out the story, said,
gently,
"Then you cared for her very much: -
He looked keenly at me.
$50 you want to hear the story. Well,
why not: You are one of the strangers
in the village; summer swallows, here
to-day, there tomorrow. 1t will harm
neither Bessie or me. Yes, did care
for her. 1t would have been better if
had cared less. The good book says
something, doesn't it, about keeping
yourselves from idols? l made an idol OF
her; but my sin found me out, as, take
it, most sins do, soon or late.
II was ten years older than she, and I
| suppose that seemed great deal to her
] had loved her every since she was g
little mite of thing; and ! need to draw
her to school OH my sled, and take hel
| part whenever any one teazed or troubl
ed her. guess she always thought o
me pretty much as an older brother, ant
that went against my chances for eve
making her love me as wanted sh'
should; for when she got to be sixteen
and the prettiest girl you would see in ;
days journey, began to understand m,
feeling for her, and to know that if sh'
wasn't my wife, no one else ever woult
be. But let a couple of years so b,
without saying any thing to her. Sh
seemed to me just like a rosebud shut il
by its green calyx, as believe botanist
call it; and / wanted to wait for her t
grow naturally into rose, not force m.
flower into bloom too soon. l suppos
other men have made such mistakes
maybe. It's great thing to be pic
neer in woman's heart, but did nc
know it then. had seen very little G
the world. So let her grow up to b
eighteen years old without ever sayin
one word to her that her brother NIGH
not have said.
II didn't tell you that her mother wa
q widow, and Bessie was all she had
They loved each other more than mott
ers and daughters in general, for tn;
reason, suppose. l used to do goo
many things for widow Armstron
about her place-a little place, just th
house, and meadow behind it, whel
she pastured her one COW, and gre,
garden at one side, set round with goos
berry and current-bushes, and full of a
manner of sweet-scented. old-fashione
flowers. used TO keep the garden
: order, and do any little matter that can
up about the house. l might have dor
it all out of pure neighborliness, consi,
ering that Mrs. Armstrong was wi,
: ow, if there had been no Bessie in Il
J. world; but her bright smile and thanl
!. sweetened anything had to do into
: positive pleasure,
Zone June evening / went over