Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-06-05

ping took their place, with clear spa
ces between, where sea and sky shone
through. The speed of the train IL
creased with a sickening sway; old
wharves shot past, with the green wa
ter sucking at their piers; the city
shifted by and out of sight.
"we've lived and loved together"
played Tommy in a plaintive wall.
"Confound the boyv' Harmon
pushed up his hat with a jerk, and
looked out of the window. The night
was coming on. A dull sunset lay
low on the water, burning like a bale
fire through the sraky trail of smoke
that went writhing past the car win
dows. Against lonely signal-houses
and little deserted beaches the water
was splashing drearily, and playing
monotonous bases to Tommy's wall:
''Tnrougn many a changing year"
1t was a nuisance, this music in the
cars. Why didn't somebody stop it ?
What did the child mean by playing
that? They had left the city far be-
hind now. He wondered how far.
He pushed up the window fercely,
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 undulat-
ing smoke, out in the pale glimmer
from the sky he could see a low, red
tongue Of land, covered with the twink
le 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
conductors face, as the sickly yellow
flare struck on it. with curious sen
satiOn. He wondered if he had a
wife and five children: if he ever
thought of running away from them
what he would think of a man who
did ;whatmost hepeopIe would think.
She-ah, she had it all to find out
yet.
There's no place like home"
said TOmmy's 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 a
musical critic. The sickly light was
Pickering through the car, the culver
on the red flats was quite out of sight
the train was shrieking away into the
west-the baIeful, loneIy.west-whict
was dying fast now out there upon
/ the sea: and it is fact that his hat
went slowly down upon his arm.
the fiat that had drifted by forever
she sat waiting now. 1t was about
time for him to be in to supper; Sht
was beginning to wonder a little
where he was; she was keeping tht
tea hot; and telling the children no
to touch their fathers pickles; shC
had set the table and drawn tn,
chairs; his pipe lay filled for hin
upon the shelf over the stove. Th,
baby was fretting-the baby alway
fretted toward night-and she wa
walking about with him walking yer
slowly and weakly; singing now ant
then. Her face in the light was wor
and white, the dark rings very dark
She was trying to hush the boys
teasing for their supper; beggin
them to wait a few minutes, only
few minutes, he would surely be her
! then. She would put the baby dow
presently, and stand at the window
with her handS-Annie'S ha1dS wer
not once so thin-raised to shut OF
the watching, watching.
The children would eat their SUI
per; the table would stand untoucI
! ed, with his chair in its place; sti
1 she would go to she window, an
stand watching, watching, o, tt
long nights that she must stand watcl
i ing, and the days, and the years
= Home, sweet Home"
played Tommy.
By-and-by there was no more c
> "Sweet Home"
"How about that cove with h
! head Topped down on his arms
speculated Tommy, with a busines
like air.
He had only stirred once, then p
his face down again; out he W;
> awake, awake in every nerve, al
10 listening, to the very curve of b
! fingers. Tommy knew that, it beir
II part of his trade to learn how to u
= his eyes.
. The sweet, loyal passion of tt
~ music-it would take worse playil
than Tommy's to drive the swet
loyal passion out Of Annie Laurie
3 grew above the din of the train.
'.'Twas there that Annie Laurie
Gave me her promise true"
"a She used to sing that, thought t
le man-this other Annie of his ow
Why, she had been his own, and
lie had loved her once. How he hi
y loved her! Yes, she used to si
* that when he went to see her on Su
dow nirhtc hafora thav Unra poarric