Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-09-10
Hester's Picture.

The pAlld day shall gimmef ere u die.
Then, dumhly y-dark, shall fall Attending night
Hester'S Picture.
ny EnEN X. REXroBp.
Hester's picture hung over the mantle in
the plain little dtting-room and challenged
admiration from every bchoder II was
landscape; in the distance, great mountains
lifted up their snowy peaks to warm and
bazy sky. At the mountains feet stretched
valley through which river ran, foaming
and dancing against the rocky shores. until
the valley spread itself out into wide aud
level meadow, aud through this meadow
over which the sunshine lay, bright and
beautiful the river flowed in a placid tran
quill way, past willows leaning on the banks,
to dip their slender branches in the water
Visitors always saw this picture the minute
they entered the little sitting.room. 1t
seemed to impress persons with a sense Of
its beauty before they examined it closely.
There was something so natural, so real
about it, that it hardly seemed a picture,
but glimpse Of mountain and meadow and
river seen through an open window.
There was a pretty little story connected
with the picture, which made it more inter-
esting to those who knew about it. An old
mana sort Of peddler--had stopped at
Hesters one day, and asked for something
to eat, saying that he felt sick and faint
Hester gave him some food and seeing how
pale he was, insisted on his lying down and
trying to rest himself before he went o.
He laid down, and it was nearly a month
before he left his bed. All through his
sickness Hester nursed him faithfully, and
attended to his many wants as if he had
been her father The old man was wonder
fully grateful for her kindness, and when
he went away gave her this picture, to prove
his gratitude How be came by it was
never known That he understood some
thing of its value was evident for he told
Hester, as he gave it to her, that if occasion
ever demanded, she could dispose Of it in
the city at good price
But Hester never once thought Of parting
with it, She had never enjoyed the iuhu.
ence of beautiful things in her plain, little
country home, and this picture was to her
IKE revelation from some new world oi
beauty. She would sit for hours and study
it, aud always she found something to ad-
mre that she had not seen before Aud,
like all beautiful things, it acted as a means
of refinement, and helped to develop her
strong natural taste lor the peau'liul all
about her,
Isn't II beautiful she used TO say TO
WIN Dare OFTEN as ne sat with her on sun,
day evenings IN tue niue sitting-room'
forget myself, sometimes aud think l am
looking at real meadow ana can almost
near the water running oy. =,
Of course, WIN agreed win her iuliy'
Will was not exactly Hester $ lover In tne
country sense oil the word' because he had
never spoken out regarding his -" lnten'
tionsi put the neighoors an inferred from
Tue regularity WIN which no visited neri
that he did intend TO speak out some
tlme' ana they 'hought tney coulu tei'
Pret'y near "na' MS in'en'ious were,
Though there had never been any verbal
understanding between mem on the matter
oil marriage thlnS ooth "ill ana uester
understoou each other wen enough 1 loune
people are quite APT 10 come 10 an under
standing Win each other without putting II
III words
one day W III came to Hester WIN grea'
news. lie had been offered position 10
large exporting house IN oouth America
Inc salary was something unusua, ior 'hos'
uuys' anu Il ue accep'eu lne pos'''on' VIVA,
he would earn IN TWO or three years wouio
be enough to start MN IN business IN
modest way go,
Hester iound II nara 70 thinS oil hav'ng
MN 60 SO iar away anu Tor 50 .oog time
o9t was wililng TO trust 10 judgment,
II ne thought II ior tne Des'' sue wou'd no'
say anything 10 keep MIN pack
ANA WIZ went
1t was very lonesome Tor Hester ai'er ne
was gone one iounu herse'' counting 'n'
months over sometimes, that must elaps'
before ms return. ime seemed 70 move
at snalls pace inst because she wanted i
to hurry.
The end OF the second year after "lil
departure found Hester and her mother II
the city. A great change-and a suddeI
one-had come INTO their liVes' a mort
gage about which they had known nothinI
had fallen due and the owner Of IT, hard
: grasplng' mercliess man. had turned then
out OF house and home, with nothing bu
their hands between them ana absolute
want. Hester had tired to get a living II
the little village by sewing bnt, as IN mos
small, country places, very nttle sewinI
was done outside the iamilies' ana at las
she had to give up the attempt to live II
that way Then she ead concluded 10 trl
the city, AT hrsi, ofalIs went on smoothly
! She had succeeded IN getting plenty o
work to do, and at iair wages Then ne
mother, never very strong had iallen SICK
and demanded a good deal oi time ant
care, and the drain upon her slender purs
was irlghtiul to think OIL because SO llttl'
, was coming INTO IT,
Hester worked on resolutely. she wa
! not one OF those young women who give u
easily She ielt that she m"@ work ne
, mother must not suffer- II Me dld, Lat
I INTO the nights she sat at her table ant
5 stitched away as II ne depended upon II
And when she thought oil no'her' growln
thinner anu whittier every daV, she ielt tina