American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-29
VOL. NNIII.

Se'.ihS ieauy 'iio INN o'eh "hiho She
| spoke tor the weeks baking. She had a
| Husheu lace ana nervous manner, MOI
usual with her, as she threw into the oven
| handful or paper Whlch she hao caush'
up Just as fessy entered, ana she was
about to lay on the BINDINGS and apply
the match, When she stump.ed ana Tel
| against pine Knot That Uncle John had
brought in to heat the oven, and there
was no more baking nor any thing else
| done that day but running Tor doctors,
| while soul lowered between life and
death; Wen Aunt bIierly was SICK five
months, II she was a oay' ana when she
| had recovered from her shock as much as
she ever would, though she could NOT
move hand nor frame an intelligible
sentence, she signlt1ed her desire to be
dressed and allowed to SIT, propped up,
IN the big armchair, to look out at the
WINDOW and see what the world was
about, to see the naples, that had just
hung out their green banners when she
TOOK to her bed, reddenIng in the October
sun, and the Rev. Moses Precept and his
wife In light kids leaving brother Pratts
door in a coach: How the earth had
turned round while she had been lying
idly on her back, and the baking not
done! The grass that had only begun to
look green and feathery when she was
stricken down had been mown and har-
vested, leaving brown, barren fields; and
the grape-vines that had only put out a
few tender feelers were now purple and
dusty with fruit; ard the trees that had
dropped '-- 81 i' iF pink and ira
grant showers were now dropping great
golden pippins and rosy gilly fiowers. No,
the earth never stood still, whatever other
folks might DO. But what under the sun
were Mr frecept ana MS VIE DONG at
brother Pratts with coach all to them
selves? She tried to put the question to
Uncle John, but the words got all shaken
up together upon her tongue, SO that 1T
was more Of conundrum than ever. 1t
was like one OF those games where you
are given the letters OF word, and left to
spell it out for yourself. But as Uncle
John could not guess, she did her best to
intimate by rude but energetic signs that
Mr.. Precept was the object of her curl
osity.
"Oh," said Uncle John, reluctantly,
'it's-a-a wedding! It's Patty and Matt
Royston; they couldn't wait for you to
get out, because Mats going into bust
ness out West"
Peggy was beating pillow as he
spoke, and instinctively Aunt Briefly
eyes were turned upon her; and such wild,
astonished, frightened eyes that Peggy
will never forget them to her dying day;
eyes, too, with something like 9 tear in
them, in their startled depth. Then she
was on her feet in an instant,
reaching out vainly toward the door,
and utterlng flood OF lncoherent words,
as if she would assure them she had i'm
portant business on hand that must not
be neglected; then she sank back ex-
hausted among her pillows, and the yell
low sunlight fell across her face, and a
dead leaf foated past the window, and
Aunt Brieriy's soul noated out into the I'm
known.
Peggy was thinking Of some of these
things as she went about her humble task
Of making the pandowdy-of such a part
of these things as had fallen within the
scope of her experience There was good
reason why gold ring had no longer any
meaning to her, or any charm to hold her.
why should she care to ornament herself,
when nobody Needed whether she looked
well or i'll No; she was making the
pandowdy to please Uncle john, who had
always stood her friend, hoping its flavor
might bring back his youth for little.
Let other women who had husbands or
lovers to please deck themselves IN finery,
but 1t was too late for her. Once she
might have coveted these things, butthat
was a by-gone. Nothing could restore to
her the supreme confidence OF youth;
nothing could bring back those warm
June nights when she and Royston had
watched the stars slide across the heavens,
had noted the heavy fragrance OF dew
drenched flowers as they walked the fields,
or had sat on some rocky ledge by the
river, and had seen the belated fishermen
come In with masses OF quiyerlng Sill
yer tangled IN their nets, and had listened
to the echo OF volces on the other SIDE,
or, taking boat, had moved, silently as
the stars themselves, across the half-lum-
nous expanse of water, where the planets
seemed broken into star dust, and now
and then hsh had leaped to the surface,
a COCK had crowed from some distant
farm house, an oar had played In Its row.
lock and made the chord complete. PeSgy
never stepped out now on sultry summer
nights to carry comfort to some aIliBg
neighbor but the inspiration OF that sacred
time came upon her like strain OF tender
melody waking one at dead of night
like an old hymn that her mother sang
when she was enid IN the cradle, hymn
laid up in the heart in lavender and
scented with sweet-brler, and speaking OF
Infinite love and happiness.
len years had passed since Aunt Brler-
~ had been stricken down in the act of
lighting the fire in the brick oven, and
they mad not been years calculated to
touch Peggy lightly. She was no longer
the rosy, lifting lass that Royston had left
behind: she had lost something of her
rounded contours, much of her bloom :;
her mouth had settled into sad serious
ness; her eyes had the appearance of
looking on other scenes than those about
her-fOr all they were bright eyes, as if
their light was reflected from tears rather
than from Joys. Yet in the meantime
men had not been lacking who found
her comely enough to share their
hearts. And yet her disappointment had