Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1869-04-23

cold in her veins.
Twenty minutes past nine-wby 1t must
be later.than that. Why, land o. Goshen,
the old clock is stoppedp
The old clock had stopped, nor was 1t a
wonder considering all the circumstances.
Il wound it up this morning I'm sartin,
said the deacon perturbedly. 1T never
sarved me such trick before all the years
| it's stood there. Your aunt Kozian used to
say that when that clock stopped it was a
sign of a marriage or death in the family
before the year was out
There was a suppressed sound like a
chuckle behind the clock case as Deacon
Merritt fumbled on the clock case for the
clock key.
Those springs must be out of order
somehow, said the deacon decdedlYA
How scared you look clildl There .iaifo
cause for being scared. I don't put any
faith in your aunt Kezah's old time super
stition. Where in the name of all possess
ed is that key2 1 could ha' declared l left
it in the case.
Isn't ii on the shelf, father?' asked IIet-
ty, guiltily conscious that it was snugly re-
!
ham dress
NO, nor faint on the set-off neither
And down went the deacon stiflly enough
on his knees to examine the floor, lest per-
chance, the missing key might have slipped
off and fallen there.
We'll, l never knowed anything 50 very
strange said the deacon.
1T is really strange faltered hypocriti-
cal Hetty.
IN have a regular search tomorrow,
said deacon Merritt. 1T must be some
where round
Yes, it must said Hetty tremulously.
Only went on the deacon slowly re-
suming his place before the CHEEKY blaze,
Il kind o. don't like TO have the old clock
stand still single night. When l wake
up, you know, it seems like it was sort of
talking to me in the Stiffness
The deacon looked thoughtfully at the
fiery backlog. Hetty fidgetted uneasily
about the room, Strengthening table covers
and setting back chairs-oh, if he would
only go to bed
AS he sat there his eyelids began to droop
and his head to nod solemnly. Hetty's
eyes lighted up with sparkle of something
like hope.
Child, he suddenly said Strengthening
himself in his stiff back chair, you'd bet
ter go to bed, I'll set up while longer till
the logs burn OUT
But, father, I'm not sleepy
Go to bed, my child reiterated the dea-
con with good humored authority, that
brooked no opposition, and Hetty crept out
of the room, ready to cry with anxiety and
modification.
IF John will keep quiet a little longer,
she thought, sitting on the stairs where the
autumn moonlight streamed in chilly splen
dor. Father sleeps so soundly-and he /:
sure to go to sleep in his chair, could JUS
steal in and release him as easy as posi-
bler
She sat there her plump fingers interlac
ed, and her eyes fixed dreamily on the foo
while all the time, her ears were strained
to their utmost capacity to catch every
sound in the kitchen beyond.
'Hark was that the wall of the wind O
was it something to hor literally 'noare
and dearer.' Yes-she could not be mis-
taken now-it was actually a snore =
Hetty rose softly to her feet with renew
ed hope. Surely was now the accepted
time.
Noiselessly as floating shadow sh
crossed the hall, opened the kitchen door
and stole acoss the creaking boards of tn
floor. The shifting lustre of the fire ligh
revealed to her Deacon Merritt nodding be
fore the fire with closed eyes, and hand
hanging at his Sides
He is certainly asleep thought Hetty.
With a heart that beat fast and quick
like stroke of miniature hammer, she dreN
the key from her dress pocket and pro
ceeded, spite of the nervous trembling O
her fingers, to fit the lock. So absorbe
was she in her task, that she never note
the sudden cessation of the heavy breath
ing-never saw the deacon start suddenl
into wakefulness and look around toward
her. All, Hetty love is blind, they say, an
it is equally true that love is sometime
deafl
The deacon rose quietly with a shrew
twinkle in his eyes, and Hetty gave a littl
frightened shrek as a hand fell softly o
her arm, possessing itself quietly of tn
key.
Let me help you, said Deacon Me-
ritt.
Father II found the key faltered He
ty, and
Found the key, eh?' returned the dei
con. We'll, that's lucky-apd now yo
can find out what's the matter with the oil
clock2
Hetty's heart throbbing so wildly me
ment or two ago. seemed to stand absolute
3 ly still, as deacon Merritt turned the Ike
and opened the tall door of the clock case
: 'Hal'lop calculated deacon Merritt, a
Mr.. John Aylmer tumbled laughingly il
to the room.
so you was the matter with the ol
clock, eh?'
! Yes sir, said Mr.. Aylmer composed,
Il hope / haven't seriously interfered wit
the works of the clockr
You've seriously interfered with me
said the deacon waxing indignant. 'Wh
! do you mean, sir, hiding in my house Ill
a theft
Indeed, indeed, fatherp cried Hett
,, bursting into tears. 1T wasn't his fauI
d He didn't want to hide, but 1 put hi
d therep
10 You did, ell and may ask what for
st Father, faltored Hetty, rather irreve
k entity, Il love him-and he loves mep
y is that any reason he should hide in
clock case, Miss?'
IT No-but-father! Oh father. can ne
of or marry Caleb Truman. He is old al
r, cross, and withered, and
rs Hetty's eyes finished tho sentence for hi
The deacon looked down not unkindly
? her bowed head, and the tender arm tn
le supported it. Apparently the course
ii true love- roughly though it ran, was owe
l. wholming all his own worldly wise Q
rangements in its tide.
p And so you two young folks really thin
you love each other said the deacon me
Mt itatively.
Il love her with all my heart and sol
O. sir, said John Aylmer, earnestly. II
10 =, 4 I.,,t I ell T,t.h har