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

that perhaps might end only with the grave;
and how in some distant autumn day when
the crlckets were chirping in the stubble,
she might feel glad that she had plucked
out her heart and given IL to God, remem
bering that he who would save his life
must lose it.
But there were other days when sober
gladness colored her mood, and the sub
lime old hymns that told Of persecution
and victory over death came rolling out on
her rich voice. Then it was easy for her TO
believe that Alvin would be spared, and
she thought of his home coming as Of a
second birth, when the Lord would again
put him into her arms as free gift. with
her deep heart, that took such eager hold
of what it loved, kindling and warming as
ii held, she pictured the life that they would
lead together, and slowly pieced out sto-
ry of exquisite kind in that little white
washed room, where all his history had
written itself. A certain narrowness OF
vision, as well as the absorption of her
| love, made Patience almost blind to wnaN
nature might bring TO pass in Alvin's heart.
| The child and the man were enviously
blent in her thought. He might want a
wife sometime, but he was hardly grown
up yet. There would be time enough to
think Of that years hence.
Beyond the pine grove stood the Ray
farmhouse, and their lived Dier Rays
daughter Huldah, who had been plain
child, but had grown into lovely young
woman, with soft voice and brown eyes,
and long lashes which when downcast rest
ed upon pearly cheek. Some rumor a.
bout Alvin and Huldah had come to the
ears of Patience, but she blew it away like
a feather floating in the air. Dier Rays
wife she thought was talking woman, not
malicious or bad-hearted, but foolish about
her girl so she av oided going to the farm
house beyond the hill. When Mis-. Ray
reached over in meeting to shake hands,
with Huldah looking down from the sing
er's seat, in her pretty straw bonnet trim
med with pink ribbons, Patience met the
overture rather coldly; still she was oblg-
ed to confess that the sweetest voice which
rose above Deacon Spicer's wheezy bass vi
OIL, was Huldah Rays.
Once when Patience had the rheumatism,
aud Huldah came to offer her services,
bringing loaf of her mothers snow white
bread done up in the cleanest of towels,
she had turned her face to the wall, and
had spoken but few words in a rather re-
| pellant tone. Then if any one had peeped
under the brim of the little brown hat as
she went off the stoop, they would have
| seen a dimness about Hudah's lashes.
There were things which the neGhbors
suspected, if they did not know for certain,
aud there were things which Deacon Spic-
er, being postmaster, thought he knew, for
he peercd at every letter that came in the
lean mailbag from Highlands.
Rachel was blind, but her blindness had
both pathos and dignity. Such tall,
straight, large eyed woman could not be
easily approached by the gossips so they
left her alone with the music of the pine
trees signing around her lonely house,
thi mixing of her boy, getting him closerEo
| her intense, strong heart, and skipping all
the interval, and living in tho time of his
return when they should grow to each 9TH
er as the acorn grows to its cup.
1t was leafy, blossomy day in May
when the lilacs were out, and the snow
balls were beginning TO bleach, and birds
trilled in the boughs, and the sky soflened
over the young woods. The great parti-
| colored balls of carpet-work lay at Pa
tience's feet, and the Bible, with its worn
leather covers open at the family record,
and date of her boys birth, was placed on
the stand by her side. With his dry, Pc
C ular ahhm and the shuttle and stumble
by which he was wont to mount the steps,
Deacon Spicer got upon the stoop, and
pushed at the half-open door. He was
shambling old man, dressed in baggy
suit of butternut brown, that seemed TO
have been cut quite by accident.
"Good day, widder, good day" There
was a.half-tremble in the old mans voice,
that made Patience involuntarily ask,
"What is ?" as the work dropped from
her hands.
"Now DON'T" said tho old man, in n
coaxing tone, as he reached out and almost
touched her gray hair. "Good news never
killed anybody as I've heard tell of, and
guess you can stand this" He fumbled In
his ca capacious pockets, in an aimless sort of
way !; hut every heart beat seemed Il ccntu-
ry to Patience. "You see there was scrim-
mage rother day, and Alvin run right into
| tnc IDtSS, Jusl ilht SuSh q
young feller; he must have fit with all his
might and main. You sec the Cap'n he
has went home, and Alvin has got promot-
ed for gall antry. And the boy, you SEQ
bless nv soul, it beats all what I've done
with the letter-the boy got a scratch on
his arm, and they've give him discharge,
and shouldn't n mite wonder if he was
home here by tomorrow"
Patience turned upon him trembling and
pale to the lips.
"You are not deceiving me-" she gasped;
"my boy has not been-shot?"
"Deceiving of you, widder2" Why, no."
responded the old man in extreme aston
ishment "D'ye suppose I'd have the face
to show myself here? Anything uniortu-
nate that way would stick in my throat,
and choke me to death. l tell you he is on
his way home, and in a fortnight will be
as hearty as ever he was in his life"
II was indeed true; and Patience put her
hands before her face as If the bliss coming
so suddenly was almost too much to bear.
The old man wandered on. "I mistrust
there's somebody else over the hill yonder
will be glad to get the news" But Patience
scarcely heard him when he took his leave.
She sat there in the red light of sunset,
with tremulous shadows spotting the coarse
plaster wall, her bosom hoaving her eyes
dilating, a glad young look growing in her
face. She was dreaming of the time when
Alvin was a baby how he played around
her chair, and plucked at her gown, break
out into bursts of infantile glee. Aud now
he was coming home, a tall young soldier
and would kneel down at her feet, and put
his head in her lap as he had done hun
dred times. She could almost feel her fin
gers in his crisp, curly locks, touching
his forehead, and caressing his cheek. And
sho sat there in blissful dream until 4