Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-10-11

all her boys likings, the seed cookies and
favorite pies. But when these were des-
patched great margin of time remain
ed, and Patience was too unquet with hap
piness to sit down 10 any work in the house.
She went out into the pine grove, where
the tassels on the old trees all wore fresh,
new green the housitonia and wild colum-
bine were blowing at her feet and she
could not help lifting up her voice in
deep, glad chant, "the Lord has been my
dwelling place in all generations"
The path led q quarter of a mile beyond
the grove, through leafy copses, where the
dogwood here and there had pitched its
snowy tent, on hanging bank, above the
highway. Patience wandered on until she
gained lookout through the boughs
down the road that wound under elms and
naples. II was pretty spot, full of trem-
uous green light fiom the young leaves,
and musical with the song of birds. There
Patience sat on the moss, waiting she
could not tell how long, such sweet fan
tasies allied hor brain and spun themselves
before her eyes. At length there came
faint murmur of voices, and with her heart
flutterng, she parted the branches, and
peered out. Two persons were coming
slowly along the path, through spotted
shadows, and sun CLEANS, wholly absorb
ed in each other. The young man was tall,
with tanned, gaunt face, beaming now
with look that made it handsome. He
was dressed in the faded blue of the army,
and carried one arm in sling. His COM
II; ri nd,
a rosebud, walked by his side. She had
taken off her little brown hat and was let
ting it swing by the ribbon string. Her
great, wondering, innocent eyes were raised
to his; Il faint pink had nuttered into her
cheeks, naturally pale the breeze was un
tangling the brads of her silky hair in tiny
rings and curls. The young man had hold
oil one of her hands and was pressing the
shy finger-tips to his lips. They paused n
little near where Patience sat, and where
the dogwoods seemed 10 make a white
drift against the bank.
80 Huldah," Patience seemed TO hear
her boy say, "if you could know how
used 10 think Of you first and last on the
long marches! The remembrance of what
you had promised kept me up in the wet
ara o,ldi Most of tba bovs In comn had
s;.,ors orl Io,s of re,otion. Won and moth
| er were all had in the world.'
1t was her boys voice. Patience knew
the eager, frank tones. She had carried
hi,,, IN hor ho.o,n no boby sbo had
,,.,,,,.l, a,,1 yo,o1 CO.. hin, sho ho1 Ioi,,
,.,.. .,;.,.,. =, ,,,. u,.a,,,,,
,.aI,, a.,,h,, ala III y,,,,a,, 49,, n,o ,ho,,rsh,
| orh;s oo,,i,r hoo,, and rou, In ,ho Grs,
bonr of his re,,rn be ihougbt only nr this
| r;,, who rover horo NAM for bis s,Le
Io had yono tirst in bor and npt his moth.
or into ,ho secopd nloco
| pa,iorco ,,o,,ld bovo ,,o,rod Ian, sbo ra-
strai nod berselr. she took hold of n sam
| ,I;,,,, u,o, orou roor o,1 ,,oorsoiousiy
a,n.I,o1 = o,,,,n Of rorns urdo. hor hand
It,ldaI, ,,os snaol,;,,, now. al must ,nr,
bool, n,,in ;, ss;d sho ,iuidIv "ror 7 an,
boic-r.inh,onod a, ,bo ,houyht of moeiin,
| yorr n1othor 7 hovo tried to mako her
jovo mo since Won went AWAY. but she is
always cold. ICIpo 10 see her she never
oelss mo to como apain. have a nresonti.
mont she will never consent TO give me a
daugbtcr,s nlo..c"
"You are trembling like a littlc scared
bird ., .oid ,1vir with , li,I,t Iougb >, ..Do
vou sunnoso nv mother is such n bucbear9
WIN sbo 10 inst ,bo dooro.t ,,onon in tho
world nm Il sbc is so fond of me that she
will have to love Won. IIuldab for my
sake. shall tell her all about il to-nipbt.
7 meant to have told before went AWAY
but Won. limid little poose. wouldn't let
mo Como ON nm to tho old bic,orv t,oo
| ,horo by tbo orchard and viii 10, vor 90
boc,, -
Tho,, ,noyod nos, and potioroo oould
moan now She sat thoro amorg tbo hrakcs
on tbo hillside with bor face bept down 10
her knees. In the long, lonely days, she
had thought only OF one kind of loss that
could come to her through her boy; for a
moment she felt that il would have been
easier to bear if lie had been brought home
| feet foremost into the old red farm house.
He would have been blessed memory
then. and all her own; there are moments
when it seems less heart-rending TO give
our beloved up in death than in life Pa
tience rose to her feet instantly, and as she
did so the baser part of her selfhood
dropped off. She felt her way down The
bank by the tree trunks and bushes, and a
new world of reelection was opened to her
mind. For the first time 1t struck her as
right and natural that Alvin should have
this beautiful experience. There had been
no great blossoming time in her life; she
had married late, with respect and liking,
but all the passion and romance OF her be-
ing had come through motherhood. She
was old she had not thought of the intoxi-
eating draught given young souls to drink
nor the bliss which narrows the world over
again, to q single pair and makes new
Eden of clasped hands and meeting eyes.
Patience felt humble, almost remorserul
as she walked under the blossomed trees
woverinc and lettering a little. She had