The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-10-24

woman, not malicious d bad-hcaued, but
foolish about her gar; % she avoided go-
ing 10 lhe farmhouse beyond the hill
Nbeo Mfs Ray reached over ia meeiug
! 10 shake bauds, with huldah looking
down from the singers scat in her pretty
straw bonnet trimmed With pink ribbons,
Patience met the Overture rather eoldlyt
stu slle was Obliged 70 confess that the
sweetest voice which rose above Deacon
Spicer's wheezy bass yio, was nuldah
! Rays.
Once when Patience had the rheuma.
tism, and lluldah came to offer her scr
vines bringing loaf Of her mothers white
bread done up in the cleauest Of towels,
she had turned her face 70 the wall, aud
had spoken bat few words in a rather
repellant tone. Then II any one had
peepsd under the brimol lhe little brown
hat as she went of the ssoop, they would
have seen a dinness about lluldah's LASH
es. There were things which the neigh
bors suspected, if they did not know for
certain, and there were things which
Deacon Spicer, being postmaster thought
he knew, for he peered at every letter
that came IN the lean mailbag from High
4 lands. #.-..
Rachel was blind, but her blindness had
both pathos aud dignity. Such a tall,
straight, lsrge-eyed woman could not be
easily approached bY the gossips, SO they
left her alone with the music of the pine
trees sighing around her lonely house,
thinking of her boy, getting him closer to
her intense, strong heart aud skipping all
the interval, and living in the time of his
return when they should grow. TO each
other as the acorn grows to its cup, ...
1t was a leafy, bossomy day in May
when the lilaes were out, and the snow
balls were beginning to bleach, and birds
TITLED in the bougbs, and the Sky oftened
over the youug woods. The great parti-
colored balls of oarpet-work lay at Pa
tienoe's feet, and tue 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
cuiar ahent and the shuttle aud stumble
by which lie was wont to mount the steps
Deacon Spieer got upon the stoop, and
pushed at the half-open door. lie was a
shamblibg old man, dressed in a baggy
suit of batternut brown, that seemed to
have been cut quite by accident,
Good day, widder, good day. There
was half-tremble in the old mans voice,
that made Patience invountarily ask,
What is it? as the work dropped from her
hands,
Now don't, said the old man, in a coax
ing tone. as he reached out and almost
touched her grey hair. Good news new
er killed anybody as I've heard tell of,
and guess you can stand this. He fun.
bled in his capacious pockets, in an aim
less sort of way; but every heartbeat
seemed a century to Patience. You see
there was scrimmage tother day, and
Alvin ran right into the mess, just like
such hair Drained young feller; he must
have fit with all his might and main.
You see the Cap'n he has went home, and
Alvin has got promoted for galantry.
And the boy, You see-bess my soul, it
beats all what I've done with the letter
the boy got scratch on his arm, and
they've give him a discharge, and !
shouldn't mite wonder if he was home
here by tomorrow.
Patience turned upon him trembling
and pale to the lips.
Yoa are not deceiving me, she gasped
my boy has not been----shot?
Decelving you, widder? Why, no, re-
sponded the old man in extreme aston
ment; Dye suppose I'd have the face to
show myself here? Anything unfortu-
nate that way would stick in my throat,
aud choke me TO death. | tell you be Is
on his way home, and in fortnight win
be as hearty as ever he was in his life.
It was indeed true; and Patience put
her hands before her face as il the bliss
coming so suddenly was almost too much
10 bear. The old man wandered on. |
mistrust there's somebody else over the
hill FOUNDER will be glad to get the news.
But Patience scarce heard him when he
took his laave She sat there in the red
light Of sunset, with tremulons shadows
spotting the coarse plaster wall, her
bosom heaving, her eyes dilating, glad
young look growing in ber face. She
was dreaming OF the time when Alvin
was a baby; how he played around her
chair, and plucked at be. gown, break
ing out into bursts of iniantiIe glee. And
now he was coming home tall young
soldier and would kuee down at her
feet, and put his head in her lapa as be had
done hundred times. She could almost
feel her fingers in his crisp, curly locks,
touching his forehead, and caressing bis
check And she sat there in q blssful
dream until II grew dark quite forgetting
She had gone without her supper.
That night Patience scarcely slept at all
for JOY She was up bclirpe, IN the pale
dawn to busy herself getting ready for the
homecoming Of Alvin. She swept aud
busted the Odd house. She could almost
see the grass grow where the mothery
bunches Of purple lilacs pushed iuto Al
WINS little room window Everything had
been kept sacredIy, just - he Iett &c, tie
fishing tackle on the wall, the few books
ou the swing shelf The empty Squirrel cage
on its nail, aud even an old, tauered