The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-23

ever. The only CnanBe OUTSIDE Scemet
that she was more tender and thoughtful
Of actual suffering, 0 rpossibility oft thar
before.
Her nimblo neodlF clinked aud differed
among the very ffBt Which ~nnsleathed
themselves, on corhfortable deeds intent,
for those brnvsbut chiliy fellows Swelling
for the first time in martial but too airy
tents. What III the lines of thought,
mcshed in with every sock al these Kind
fair fingers are knitting this winter, were "a
become visible and palpable rs The hop1ely
fabric itself In and ont, tears never shed,
andlonesomeness never spoken, thoughts
busy and sad as death. Out and in,
fancies warm and bright rs a midsummer
of Pamdise-high, tender glows from full
pulsed, healthful hearts. All these very
possible in a single stockingl
The too quiet and almost too long days
came and went for Sylvia. ''Winter's wild
birthright" was passed, and now the win.
ter's life was fully come in oil its storm and
cold. Sylvia received a note one day from
Miss Katinln Creevy, busting manageresa
of half the benevolent societies in town,
requesting her presence at the orgahiza-
ton and initial meeting OF The Soldiers
Dorcas Society. . ...
On the evening named Sylvia set out,
without n companion except the boy who
drove, on her lonely ride 20 the town. Had
her heart been ever so light, the scenes OF
the Journey would have taken somewhat
from its cheer. The snow stretched out in
long CHASTITY reaches under the dead grays,
its whiteness only broken by distant strips
of forest which 10y along the land, as she
| thought, like dead giants, prone and black
palled ii
Reaching town finally, she found Miss
Creeyy's parlor full Of n smiling, nimble-
handed company, among which she took
her place, iglancing for q moment Mt the
gentlemen, %variously disposed, many OF
| them holding skeins Of ynrn for ladies 10
wind, others in lieu, Of that keeping balls
In di1iqent ward. No doubt much Of the
most invigoating electricity wrought back
aud forth on the lines SO formed. Her
ewes sought her work relieved, he was not
there-though for that matter Ind he been
n thousand miles away the chill waters be-
tween them could not have flowed moro
coidly than If he had been at her side. For
nearly an hour she busted herself with her
work and q pleasant lady companion. Fin
ishing the task at length, her hands rested
a moment in her lap. Then Miss Crecvy'a
vivid voice.
miss Farnham, please como and wind
this yarn off Mr.. Elcaren's hands, every
body else is busy"
How little Miss Katinka knew, as she
wnited to supervise her visitors compli-
ance, how thundor-bolt like her simple re-
quest had beon ! ..uuf
Sylvia took in 'ihe situation, as they
say in the papers, at n glance.
Most OF the company had looked up OF
Miss Crocvy's ting-a-lng voice, and were
taking iu Sylvins movements with placid
observation. How those eyes would have
widcnod, and those tongues mitlod, il Syl.
via had acted ont her impulse before them
She could not do that: but Al was scarcely
easier T. take the thread from her hostess :
hands and wind round after round from
these others whose wnor had done her
such heart despite, and between whom aud
herself IL word even had not passed for
months.
Tho company ID o resumed their occu-
patton, aud Sylvia wound on and ON II
seemed for hours almost-only vaguely
glad the often trelcherous thrcWt didnot
tangle. A little snap, and 10 the supply
had ceased, aud the cnd Of the yarn had
hidden in the Bkein, and was not 10 be
seen
The gentleman leaned forward for her 10.
regain il, and as she sought futilcly, with
fingers nearly %duivering, spiie of her al-
most fierce effort to keep them firm, she
heard n question, rs others might have
done, but whose two-fold meaning was for
her, and understood by her only.
"Wlnt has made this breach Z"
She looked mp at him instinctively for
the first time, and found his eyes, full and
earnest, steadily on her.
"Ask yourself, sir
81 have done so often, and there is no re-
ply in me-
"Thon your mind fails 10 includo n con
versation some time ago at Mrs, Mayhow's,
with her SON."
lie sosmed in surprised reflection.
81 certainly remember o talk with young
Mayhem; but where in anything then said
otiense to you can lilo 1 declare / do not
know" a-.'| .r.
"You do not sec, / presume" and her
voice was full Of indignant pain-"how q
lady can hear herself adiudged forward
and unmaidenly; nay, DESTROYS OF forcing
herself upon n man, and yet feel no dis
p~leasuroY" r
We can believe the yarnwas got in a fine
by this time, albeit Miss CreeVy,
glnncing that way just then, wondered, in
an undertone to DIR. Akerly, who wa OH.
rs her holder, how some folks
could contriye 10 snarl and fool over yarn
in such q purblind way; whoreat the
worthy doctor, who, by dint Of holding the
sltein close to his nose, had not slipped a
thread, proudly braced out his yarn, and
watched 1t till his elderly eyes and arms
must haze ached.
Noopwb1a pbu T1oo.o
swiftly back, and was sharply review
ing every word OF that long-forgotten dia-
Then he looked mentally around
The parlor, whose festive garlands had been
three months dead-saw Sylvia at chess
the doctor, and heardhimself wardinp
the green young collegian's accusation
regarded himself and that shallow little
lirt, Euphrasia Lancet
Eurekal He didn't say the word. but
long before the yarn began to reel off
smoothly IL would have told two young
folks mental state thoroughly. H..F T'i
T~wo-thirds of the great skain had van
ished into the growing sphere she held.
when, fearing 10 tire him, sh6 asked:
''shall We not break of now, and throw
the rest aside2"
'Stop a minute" said he, IN a low.
quick voice; 1.-THE threads have run double
from the first. Ii you break oil this
visible grey me 7 shor take 1t the other ia
snapped beyond repair; otherwise (oh,
chance y it Will run on goldenly
through life, and take us both to wind It
side by side %
She did not break the thread but after
one quick look, wound on and on until,
finished, it slipped softly through his
T
Aud 30 Sylvia SGT out on her Journey
over tho winter hills. The moon
was up in The sky no less than In the
heart; andit is wonderful that under the