Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-05-29

~ - - Voc DNS4 lit lilh hlipulutle
When folks are asleep they don't h is
their shoulders, not as a general thing" oh
served Tommy. % Wen try another"
Tommy tried another. Nobody know
what possessed the little fellow, the little fel
low himself least of all but he tried this
"We'ye lived and loved together,
Through many a changing year.
1t was new tune, and he wanted practice
perhaps.
The train nrred and started slowly the
glOved exquisite, waiting hackmer, baggage
masters, coffee-cOunter and station-walls
slid back: engine house, and prison towers.
and labyrinths of tracks slipped by; lumber
and shipping took their place, with clear
spaces between, where sea and sky shone
through. The speed Of the train increased
with a sickening sway old wharyes shot
past, with the green water sucking at their
piers the city shifted by and out Of sight
We've lived and loved together"
played Tommy, in plaintive wall.
" Confound the boy'i Harmon pushed
up his hat with jerk, and looked out of the
window. The night was coming on. \
dull sunset lay low on the water, burning
like bale-fre through the snaky trail Of
dows. sAgainst lonely sgnal-houses and
little deserted beaches the water was splash
ing drearily, and playing monotonous bases
to Tommy's wall
" Through many changing year
1t was a nuisance, this music in the ears.
Why didn't somebody stopi What did
the child mean by playing that? They had
left the city far behind now lie wondered
how far. He pushed up the window fiercely,
| venting the passion OF the music On the first
thing that came in his way. as men will.
and thrust his head out to look back
Through the undulating smoke, out in the
pale glimmer from the sky he could see
low, red tongue Of land covered with the |
twinkle Of lighted houses. Somewhere |
there, in among the quivering warmth, was /
our
What was that boy about now Not /
Home, sweet Home?" But that was what /
Tommy was about.
They were lighting the lamps now in the
car Harmon looked at the conductor face,
as the sickly yellow flare struck ON it, with
curious sensation. He wondered if he had a
wife andfve children if he ever thought Of
running away from them what he would
think Of man who did; what most people
would hink. She-ah, she had it all 10
find outtyet.
"There's No place ike home,
said Tommy little fiddle.
Now this fiddle of Tommy's may have had
a crack or so in it, and cannot assert that
Tommy never struck a false note but the
man in the corner was not fastidious as
musical critic. The sickly light was flicker
ing through the car, the quiver on the red
lats was quite out of sight, the train was
shrieking away into the west-the baletul,
lonely west-which was dying fast now out
there upon the sea and it is a fact that his
hat went slowly down upon his arm.
There, in the lighted house out on the fiat
that had driited by forever, she sat waiting
now. Ii was about time for him to be in to !
supper she was beginning 10 wonder lit
tie where he was she was keeping the tea
hot, and telling the children not to touch /
their fathers pickles she had set the table {
and drawn the chairs his PIPE lay filed for q
him upon the shelf over the stove. The ba- d
by was fretting-the baby always fretted to- 5
ward night-and she was walking about with :
him walking very slowly and weakly {
singing now and then. Her face in the Light
was worn and white, the dark rings very {
dark She was trying to hush the boys, q
teasing for their supper begging them to :
wait a few minutes, only few minutes, he ,
would surely be here then. She would put {
the baby down presently, and stand at the
window, with her hands-Annie's hands {
were not once so thin-raised to shut ont the
lght-watching, watching. :
The children would eat their supper the
table would stand untouched, with his chair q
in its place still she would 90 to the win q
dow, and stand watching, watching. O, the {
long nights that she must stand watching, J
and the days, and the years {
Home, sweet Home l
played Tommy.
By-and-by there was no more of . Sweet
Home
How about that cove with hi- head
Topped down on his arms?" speculated Tom
my, with business-like air.
He had only stirred once, then put his face
down again but he was awake, awake in
every nerve, and listening, to the very curve
of his fingers. Tommy knew that, ii being
rart of his trade to learn how to use his eyes
The sweet. loyal passion Of the music-it
would take worse playing than Tommy's to
drive the sweet, loyal passion out Of Annie
Iaurie-gIew above the din of the train. !
..'Twas there that Annie Laurie :
Gave me her promise true :
She used to sing that, thought the man
this other Annie of his own. Why, she had
been his own, and he had loved her once. I
How he had loved her Yes, she used to
sing that when he went to see her on Sunday
nights before they were married, in her PINK,
plump, pretty days. Annie used to be very
pretty.
Gave me her promise true
hummed the little fiddle.
- That's a fact, suid poor Annie's hus-
band. Jerking the words out under his hat,
- and kept it, too, she did. !"
All. how Annie had kept it The whole
dark picture of her married years-the days
of work and pain, the nights of watching !
the patient voice, the quivering mouth, the t
tact and the planning, and the trust for to-
morrow the love that had borne all things, {
believed all things, hoped all things, uncom-
plaining-rose into outline to tell him how
She had kept it.
4" Her face is the fairest,.
That ere the sun shone on
suggested the little fiddle
That it should be darkened forever, the
sweet face and that he should do it-he,
sitting here. with his ticket bound for Colora-
do
And neer forget will L.
murmured the little fiddle.
He would have knocked the man down
who had told him twenty years ago that he
ever should forget that he should be here
tonight, with his ticket bought, bound Tor
Colorado.
But it YVES better for her to be free from
him. lie and his cursed i'll luck were
drag on her and the children, and would al
ways be. What was that she had sald once
-" Never mind, Jack. | can bear any
thing as long as have you"
And here he was with his ticket bought,
bound for Colorado.
He wondered if it were ever too late in
the day for fellow to make man of him
self
And she's a the world to me,
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and dee"
sang the little fiddle, triumphantly.
Harmon shook himself, and stood up.
M >: =, .. .lanino. the lights of 4 way