Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-07-21

possible In q single stocking
The too quiet and almost too long day
came and went for Sylvia. Winters wilt
birthrlght" was passed. and now the win
ter's life was fully come in all its storm an6
cold. Sylvia received note one day from
Miss Katinka Creevy, bustling manageresF
of half the benevolent societies in town
requesting her presence at the organiza
ton and initial meeting of the SOLDIERS
+ Dorcas Society.
On the evening named Sylvia set out
without companion except the boy who
drove, on her lonely ride to the town. Had
her heart been ever so light the scenes o
the Journey would have taken somewhat
from its cheer. The snow stretched ont in
long CHASTITY reaches under the dead grays,
its whiteness only broken by distant strips
of forest which lay along the land, as she
thought, ike dead giants, prone and black
palled. ~
Reaching town finally, she found Miss
Creevy's parlor full of a smiling, nimble-
handed company among which she took
her place glancing for moment at the
gentlemen variously disposed, many of
them holding skeins of yarn for ladies to
wind, others in lieu, of that keeping balls
in diligent ward No doubt much Of the
most invigorating electricity wrought back
and forth on the lines SO formed. Her
eyes sought her work relieved, he was not
there-thoUgh for that matter had he been
a thousand miles away the chill waters be-
tween them could not have flowed more
coldly than if he had been at her side. For
nearly an hour she busted herself with her
work and a pleasant lady companion. Fin
ishing the task at length, her hands rested
a moment in her lap. Then Miss Creeyys
vivid voice.
Miss Farnham, please come and wind
this yarn off Mr.. Elcaren's hands, every
body else is busy, fHa ssa
How little Miss KatinRa knew, as she
waited TO supervise her visitors compli-
ance how thunder-bolt ike her simple re-
quest had been!
| Sylvia took in ''the situation, as they
say in the papers, at glance.
| Most of the company had looked up at
Miss Creevy's tmg-a-ling voice, and were
taking in Sylyia's movements with placid
observation. How those eyes would have
Widened, and those tongues ratified, if Syl-
via had acted out her impulse before them
She could not do that; but it was scarcely
easier to take the thread from her hostess's
hands and wind round after round from
these others, whose owner had done her
such heart despite, and between whom and
herself word even had not passed for
months.
The company soon resumed their occu-
patton, and Sylvia wound on and on it
seemed for hours alynost-only vaguely
glad the often treacherous thread did not
tangle. A little snap, and 10! the supply
had ceased, and the end of the yarn had
hidden in the skein, and was not to be
seen
The gentleman leaned forward for her to
regain it, and as she sought futilely, with
fingers nearly quivering, spite of her al
most fierce effort to keep them firm, she
heard q question, as others might have
done, but whose two-fold meaning was for
her, and understood by her only. r.s
''What has made this breach p
/ She looked up at him instinctively for
the first time, and found his eyes, full and
| earnest, steadily on her.
''Ash yourself, sir.
81 have done so often, and there is more
ply in me.
ssThen your mind fails to include con-
versation some time ago at Mrs. Mayhews,
with her son"
He seemed in surprised reflection.
f'I certainly remember talk with young
Mayhew; but where in anything then said
offenge to you can lie I declare do not
know"
s'You do not see, [ presume" and her
voice was full of indignant pain-''how a
lady can hear herself adjudged forward
and unmaidenly; nay, desirous OF forcing
herself upon a man, and yet feel no dis
pleasure?"
We can believe the yarn was got in a fine
tangle by this time, albeit Miss Creeyy,
glancing that way lust then, wondered, III
an undertone to DR. Akerly, who was Off
ciating as her holder, how some folks
could contriye to snarl and fool over yarn
in such a purblind way; whereat the
worthy doctor, who. by dint of holding the
szein close to his nose, had not slipped a
thread, proudly braced out his yarn, and
watched it till his elderly eyes and arms
must have ached.
Meanwhile Phil Elearen's memory had
run swiftly back, and was sharply review
| ing every word of that loag-forgotten dia-
/ logue. Then he looked mentally around
the parlor, whose festive garlands had been
three months dead-saw Sylvia at chess
with the doctor, and heard himself warding
off the green young collegian's accusation
as regarded himself and that shallow little
firt, Euphrasia Lance
Eureka He didn't say the word, but
! long before the yarn began to reel off
/ smoothly it would have told two young
folks mental state thoroughly. .-
| Two-thirds of the great skein had van
ished into the growing sphere she held,
when, fearing to tire him, she asked:
''Shall we not break off now, and throw
| the rest aside ?"
''Stop a minute, said he, in low,
/ quick voice; ''the threads have run double
almost from the first. If you break off this
visible grey one l shall take it the other is
snapped beyond repair; otherwise (oh,
happy chance y it will run on goldeny
through life, and take us both to wind it
side by side p
! She did not break the thread; but after
one quick look, wound on and on until,
finished, it slipped softly through his
! fingers.
And so Sylvia set out on her journey
home over the winter hills. The moon
was up in the sky no less than in the
heart; and it is wonderful that under the
glamour of two moons the trees should
have turned from dead giants to harps OF
/ Holus, which seemed touched by hands of
fair spirits as the wind stirred softly in
their million boUghs; and the land no
longer grim, but lying with calm smile
pure, white, undefiled-as it were Natures
millennium come.
A Touch YARN.-A strange circumstance
is related to us as having occurred on Mon
day. Several ladies had assembled in th e
tentwhere the manned man was lying, who
was run over by the cars n few miles west
of this city, about week ago The man
had one of his arms badly mutilated, and
/ the doctor found it necessary to amputate
his arm above the elbow The portion am
putated was taken short distance from
the house, wrapped in linen, placed in q
box and buried. On Monday the wounded
! man hecanle Nel.N restless and Was nyidant-