Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-07
chat was in Hilda Hyde's Bundle.

aMiss Hilda Hyde, who died in the aims
ouse ON the 18th instant, at the age of 81
ears. had been there sixty years. 1t was
ier home and probably the only one she
nc. clearly remembered. She was regular
sttendant upon church services, and often
AIRED with her to the meeting-ho bun.
S,e which she laid in the pew by her side
Sut never opened. Oldoille Gazette.
Would you like to know? | can tell
,ou about Hilda Hyde; for / have seen
her ever since was boy, when we first
moved to Oldville.
You know that kind of girl, with glossy
follow hair that tumbles down over her
lace and blue eyes that look at you slant
inc. from under her deep, shady lids, and
the veil of red blush over her cheeks 1t
Is sunny hair that loves the sunshine, else
she would not be running out so often
into it, or would not so often let her hat
elm down over her back, or shake her
head so defiantly in the very blaze of sun
light Not that she is often long in one
Mace, but flashes out from the dark porch
over the grass, or goes STOPPING among
the currant bushes, or tits back her
head with all its curls, as she reaches up
into the cherry trees. No wonder she
likes to be out in the open air, hunting
for violets in the spring, poking about
the asparagus beds, digging in flower Dor
ders tying up vines to the porch and by
the windows, picking roses, getting the
thorns out of her fingers, or holding one
I'D to you to find the thorn in it.
Isit Hilda Hyde | am describing, or
that kind Of girl !? hardly know for |
never saw Hilda when she was girl :;
WI see, that was sixty years ago But
nv grandmother knew her; and she was
telling me about her. and about the color
of her hair and her eyes one evening
And when my grandmother talked of
Hlda, thought of Annette, as she had
looked that afternoon.
Reuben and had come home with the
oxen, Just before sunset and we we were
on our way up to the barn when Annette
came flashing out of her house in this
way. Reuben is not my brother, though
YOU might think so. He is my cousin,
mothers sisters son. He came to live
with us when his mother died He was
half a head taller than | ; and that meas
ures the distance between US all over.
And together we had all the care of the
farm, worked in the fields together, and
had the same books
And Annette had only been staying at
the next house this summer, and she
was to go back in the autumn. She came
out into the sunset, as | tell you, up
through little garden. And she
came through a little break in the
hedges of currant-bushes into the green
patch in front of our barn, where Reu
ben and | stood with the oxen.
is there anybody who wants to drive
me over to GRAVITY this evening ?" she
asked "Aunt Mary wants me to go over
with message to Kate; and uncle says
/ may have the horse and wagon, if |
can find driver"
OF course Reuben and | both started
to meet her, when she came to speak to
us.
Zone at once" she said, laughing,
or stop a minute, I'll settle who shall 60
So she drew two bits straw out from
the barn window.
Don't look, George" she said, re-
provingly; for / couldn't help looking
to see the sunlight dancing on her hair,
the last rays, round the barn corner.
"You are not to see which straw is the
shortest, for the one that draws the long
est is to go with me-" and she held out
both of her hands with the straw crushed
in between them.
You shall draw said Reuben SO
drew the shortest, and l went back to
the oxen.
1t was a moonlight evening; for as the
sun went down up rose the full moon OPP
posite.
And it was that evening some of the
Hilda. We used to see her Sundays
and the next Sunday saw her, an old,
old woman, thin, with clear eyes, look
in e., vi ha q nj
the pew in front of ours, and set her bundle
down by her side. 1t was Deacon Cor
dons pew his was one of the old fam
lies and when she was child, IIilda
use to come to this pew, SO she came still,
even through it was from the almshouse.
For her mothers house used to be next
the Gordon mansion; and, when Hilda
was a young girl, she used to be in and
out of the Gordon house as though she
were one of the daughters. Indeed, Madam
Gordon always sent for her when she had
company to help her make the jellies and
cake for the evening, and always told her.
when she was through, to go home and
brush ND her curls, and come back to the
party, for it would not be a party without
Hilda Hyde.
Christie Gordon thought so certainly,
anu his mOIIlcT ulu IlOb sCoI'l MN loA rs
but Hilda was one of those who had
smile for everybody; and nobody could
tell whether she preferred young Mr..
Gordon or Martin Grant, the young man
who was learning carpenters trade, and
had been building himself little house
by the mill.
Christie Gordon had left suddenly the
day before the fire, that terrible fire that
Oldvlle remembers to this day, burned
down the great Gordon mansion, and the
little house belonging to Hilda Hyde's
mother, and the doctors house, and IN
deed half the village 1t is a fire that IS
not forgotten now, because there was loss
OF life, as well as loss of property. III
only Mrs. Gordon's son had been home,
all might have been saved for Mrs. Cor,
don and the servants were so beWlldered
at the very beginning, that they took no
means to put the fire out, and by the Tune
help could get to them, it was too iate'
1t spread to the out houses, then to MIS-.
Hydes house; she was i'll at the time,
and the shock Of it made her worse; and
they took her straight to the alms-house
Tor the night. But Hilda stad round 10
see what she could do to help the Cor
dons. And there was Martin Grant work