National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-04-19

| piShhiu6 uuh Shrtis
$50, mother" said she, "don't you 60
against me. shall never come back beg
gng to the old door, but when ] leave
home | want to have all things pleasant,
and not give the neighbors II chance to
talk. Mother"-and suddenly the girl
threw her arms around the wrinkled neck
=" you can think how it, was when you
were young: how your heart beat, and
your cheek flushed for just one man. You
wanted to 10 to the worlds end with HIM,
and not with another. If you saw his
faults, you could forgive them, for your
heart strings were someway twisted and
tied with his, and could not be undone,
In those days, mother, you didn't think so
much about the potato-bin and -four bar
rel"
LA, child, you go on to beat all" re-
turned the old lady, drawing the back OF
her hand across her eyes. 1.-THE Bible
says a man must leave father and mother
and cleave unto his wife, and s'pose it's
the same with woman; but / tell you,
Hester, it's mighty handy to have worldly
goods to cleave on to besides. | always
agree with your father on all p'ints. lie
expects it of me and if he should say
black was white, laws. should say 50
too, but think jest as I've n mind tn in
side. always said no man should tyran-
nize over me. A woman can squint round
! u corner handler than q man can, and she
can find ways of getting her will, and
guess I've ruled the roost as much as the
Old Square has after alPs said and done !;
but he don't know, and | wouldn't have
him find it out for the world. don't say
| shall enkerrdge Joel, but if you have
made up your mind there's no use argufy
ing, for you're reg'ler born Preston, and
they all hold on like dog to root.
shall try to ease off things; that's all
can promise, but | must confess, Joel isa
pleasant creetur, and you can't help liking
him if you try"
Hester kissed the old lady's wrinkled
cheek rather more impulsvely than was
necessary, and then, in half-coaxng
shame-iaced sort of way, she said
Mother, ! expect Joel ever this alter
noon, and l thought if you didn't mind I'd
put little handful of fire in the sitting
room stove"
"No, you'd better not" said Mrs Pres.
ton, decidedly. "Your father won't like
w ''nfS any SOul SolIH Oll.
1t will only rile him the more. He and
did all our counting business up by the
kitchen fire. Mother thought it was econ
omical. Every Sunday night he came like
clock-work 1--WE used to keep Saturday
night in them days., and there he sot and
cored apples, and | strung um, and we
killed two birds with one stone as neat as
any thing you ever saw. Joel had better
be treated in an everyday sort of fashion.
In your fathers present state of mind it
won't do to waste candle-light and fire.
wood on him. And, Hester, you had bet
ter stir up some tritters for supper. The
Square is fond of fritters. | ha'n't lived
with him all these years without finding
out that a good meal of victuals makes
considerable difference with his feelings"
Hester knew her mother was wise in
her day and generation-an experienced
woman so she set her wheel away and
went up to her chanber-a little, cold,
neat room, with shopping wall.
Joel came driving to the gate. The air
was nipping, and spiteful gusts of wind
whirled along the valley. He fastened
his horse to the fence, and blanketed him
carefully. The boys, Hester's brothers,
had gone with lumber to the mill village,
and would not be back until late, if at all,
that night. The Squire was in the barn,
tinkering away at his sap buckets. The
cold weather had kept back the sugar sea-
son, but thaw might be looked for now
at any moment. The old man was short
and stocky, with an eagle face, and iron
gray hair. All his motions were brisk,
and his words exploded something after
the fashion of fire crackers. Now a grim
sort of smile puckered the old face, rs he
thought that long tailed gray of Herrick's,
the livery-stable keeper, might stand there
in the cold till doom's day for all him.
Then rub a-dub-dub on the sap buckets.
Hester met Joel at" the door demurely
enough. He was good-looking, tall, and
slender, and unconsciously elegant and re-
fined in appearance. The young man
drew up to the fire with his overcoat on,
and Mrs. Preston engaged him in talk
about the weather and the neighbors. The
kitchen was large and light, with floor
unstained, and braided mats, and comfor-
table chairs, and great clock ticking in
the corner There were pots of petunias
and chen and chickens" in the window.
The bit of greenery made pretty back
ground for Hester. who, seated in low
chair, took out her company work, some
old fashioned lace she was knitting, which
uneoied and foamed over her black silk
apron. She was anxious as she glanced
out at Joel's horse, shivering under his
blanket, when the cold did not sting him
unto positive uneasness. The young man
still sat with his overcoat on, lingering his
hat and muffler, while Mrs Preston talked
away about Sally Mffiin's cough and how
the Selkirk children had all come down
with the measles. Hester saw how un-
comfortable Joel was, not knowing wheth-
er to stay or go, so she ran out with n
shawl over her head, set the long tailed
gray free from the fills as quietly as posi-
bic, and led him into the barn. She knew
all the ins and outs of horse tackle, and
could harness and unharness as handily as
man. 1t was not long, therefore, before
the gray was munching oats in state.
The old Squire saw Hester do this high
handed thing under his very nose, so to
speak, and the strokes on the sap buckets
grew more savage than ever When the
girl went back into the house she was
much relieved by hearing her mother
say -
II guess tae Square has put mp your
horse, Joel, and you had better stay TO
supper, and spend the night with u.s."
Hester had spread the tea-table, not
with the best napery and dishes from the
keeping-room cupboard, for her mother
had hinted that it would be impoltic to
make any change on Joel's account; but
everything was clean, wholesome, and
appetizing. There was the platter Of sic-
ed meat. the snowy bread, and golden