Mower County transcript., 1871-08-03

! = "Charlie," she said, in a voice Of utter
sOlitarincss IL am always lonely and
restless and mischicvous away from You
but will not come in again"
And then of course l was miserable
though had gained what l wished.
f. After that, Pennies behavior to Scot
,Echanged Day after day she forgot to join
our studies; forgot it in the most easy ant
natural manner maginAble, offering nc
forced reasons, showing no conscious en-
barrassment, and day after day she grew
quieter and quicter to Scot; not kinder
exactly, or more conccding, but more
thoughtful. She went alone very often tc
see Mrs Cowen, but these visits ncvel
chccrcd her. The mothers blind and de-
voted idolization of her son, contrasted
with the sons easy carclesspess of the
". saw how her thoughts ran upon i,
after her visits, and ut these times never
spoke n word against Walter. Yet some
times, when Pennie told me how he said
he had not time to write home, and so she
must 90 and tell his mother about him, my
impatient word would eAcape; and said
that 4 man who could not take q few min
utes' trouble to please mother who loved
him SO dearly, was not worthy to win any
other love.
Waller had been away about three
months, when one day Scot was sent fol
home in haste, Mrs. Cowcn being i'll. He
was away all night, but at ten in the morn
ing, when Pennie and I strolled into the
study, there he was, waiting for us.
"Why, Sect" exclaimed, meeting him
gladly. IL didn't expect you back Ger
iainly not to work. Have you breakfasted
yety How is Mrs. Cowen?"
"a little better, thank you," he said
turning slowly from me to take Pennies
offered hand. II have breakfastcd long
ago."
"IIa 1e you sent for Walter?" asked
Pcnnic, her eyes fixed upon his face.
eyes"
And then he sat down calmly in his
place, and we read together, while Pennie
stood silcnt,s leaning against the window
frame. did not know whether she was
glad that she should see. Walter 10 soon, or
sorry for his pleasant excursion to be in
terruptcd. 81 =
Each day now, as soon as our studies
we're over, Scot went home, and in the
afternoon Penn;c drove me to Easter Hill,
and leaving mt in the carriage at the gate,
Went up to the house on foot to see Wal
q
long, though am sure that if Mrs. Cowen
had liked to have had her she would have
taken up her abode there to watch and
nurse by night and day. But the sick
mother cared for no one;* only counting
the hours before her son should come, aud
fretting that Scot had not made him
hasten. The day when Walter might have
arrived had passed, and only then could
see how unquestiopably Pennie had de-
pended on his coming. She seemed be-
wildcrcd, unable to believe he was not in
the train, and she stood on the platform
as it rolled away, her yearning eyes fol-
lowing it piteously.
"There were so many hindranCes pos
sible," told her; $50 many unforeseen
| things might have occurred to delay him. y
! But she never answered me q word; and
when that whole week went by and still
he did not come, her: silence grew more
distressing to me than passionate grief or
anger.
On the last day the post brought two
letters. One for Pennie, which she read
with cold. tight lips, then threw across to
me; and one for Scot, which he had taken
away with him unopened.
The old lady was SO fidgety Walter
wrote, that it would be ridiculous to sup.
pose that she really meant him to come
home from such q distance, and have the
bore and expense of going back when her
| 1ittlo nttach of funr had subCidod. She
wanted him with her. In the meantime
he had written to her and it would be all
right. 49, h., sre
I read no more. I folded the letter, and
passed it back to Pcnnic, asking her if she
did not think it would be better for Scot
to have holiday for time, that he might
not feel his duties pulling him two differ
cnt ways.
"No, Charlie" she said, at once. Papa
and | both think (as you would if you had
been TO see Mrs. Cowen) that it is better
for Scot to have his old work. If he were
constantly with her, fretting as she always
is for Walter, it would harass and weary
him more than this change does. She
never expresses a wish to have him al
ways there; yet he is a tender, cheerful
nurse, Charlie"
I did not answer, for just then Scot
came in, greeting us both with his gentle
SMILE He had been to the station-a
fruitlcss GRAND now, and Pennie had ncv-
er been since that first hopeful day-and
could see by her glance at his solitary fig
urc, as he came up, that the old hope had
been with her this morning. had
|
time Walter might have arrived, in answer
to the letter she herself had sent urging
him to come.
think my letter must have miscar-
ricl, Scotg'' she asked, with quiet wist.
fulness; "don't youy"
| "Oh, he would be sure to come," Sex
said, looking quickly away from her face.
"There was no placing dependence on
foreign rosts."
"Supp )se you were to write again ??
proposed Pennie deferentially.
That was exactly what h. had been
thinking. There must have been some
mistake in the last address
"Wo, ldn't it have come back in that
case?" suggested.
1--WE certainly ought not to expect it
back 50 soon," he decided. But he would
not wait for it; he would write again, at
once.
And after he had left us, could not help
telling Pennie what had heard at the
post. 0ffice-that every night letter wen,
from Scot to his brother with large
"Immediate on the envelope.
Pennie turned away from INC in angry
heat.
"What does he write, then? Why does
he not write what will bring Walter home
and not lret and worry him, yet keep him
there while his mother is-dyingy' Thcr
her wrath and courage broke down, anL
she leaned her tired little head against me
and sobbcd out the fear, and love, and dis
appointment which she had hidden sc
long
After that she was very pctulant with
Scot; more petulant even than in old times
And when the subject which knew to be
always uppermost in her thoughts wa:
mentioned, she would say impatiently thai
we all made ridiculous fuss, that Mrs
Cowen was not really very ill, only fancy
ing it; that Walter, of course, would come
as soon as he could and that she was tirc(
: to death of the worry there was in thu
house just through the stupidity of Scot!
letters.
Saying nothing of her own letter, which
hal been equally unavalling, would try tc
tempt her to read +" me-, or play, or drive
but she would only refuse me with quiCl
NO." and leave me suddenly, Comina
back presently to throw her arms arounl
me and sob that she was wretched, un
grateful girl, and did not deserve to b,
loved by me or-Walter. And as thi
wearyiDg time went on, she went abou
the house with small, tight lips, and rest
less hands, and grew always harder ant
more contradictory to Scot whenever sh,
spoke to him at ALL
-Four weeks had gone by since Pennie'
last letter had been sent To Walter, whcl
early ON one sunny August morning, SEQ
sent messenger to tell Us that his mothc
was dead. / had to tell Pennic myself
and when 7 ha,l dnnr sO IN a f..u uaI ~ n r.}c