Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-07-10

| ASssA WAeh - ASitoA SS4u AV0NAACoS tu1t
proved his taste for that mode Of rea-
soning; Everybody, men and women
too, had q sap season in their lives,
when they're all sunshine one minute,
an all frost the next, They're like ma
pie sap, just sweet enough ter be ter
rible sickish as a regglar drink, and not
half sweet enough ter be of any earth
ly use. Now what they need is q good
thorough bilin' over the fire of expert
ence, an very often Of real sufferin',
ter scatter the nonsense an vanity in
'em, and bring all the real goodness
an strength Of their naturs into one
sweet, firm, perfect WHOLE
Says lips quivered little, but she
answered with a well-assumed indiffer-
ence:
IL have seen sugar that was of little
more use than the sap ITSELF"
"Thats the fault O the bilin'."
And the old man bestirred himself
to dip Off the now perfected syrup,
while Say watched with outward COM
posure. but with an unsettled restless
heart, the familiar process.
Day after day,-a week had gone
by, and not once had Ben Worth's tall
figure darkened the doorway Of his old
playmate's home and tomorrow he
would leave for New York, on his way
to the land Of gold. Say had grown
strangely silent and communicative
of late, and when Mrs. Worth "ran in
to consult her neighbor on the number
Of shirts and socks necessary for her
sons outfit, Say asked no questions,
expressed no sympathy at sight Of the
good woman's tears, and made no offer,
whatever, of her assistance in launch
ing the traveller on his way. Even her
mothers hints, in regard to THAT
trayelin' dressin' case that you made
for your father, when he went to Bos-
ton,-it hasn't been used since, and
might as well go to somebody that it'll
be of some use TO" passed unheeded.
.'It was no use," Mrs. Strong admit
ted in confidence to herself. "Say
was her fathers own child--sot as the
hills, when she was once sot.' And
there she left the matter, where she had
long since learned TO leave all her cares
and perplexitics, in the bosom of a
God-directed, God-sheltered future.
Ben dropped in, for q moment, on
the evening before his departure, TO
say good-by to his old friends, and
receive their hearty wishes for his sue
cess and safety:
"When you see chance TO make
five dollars, take it, an make sure .
that much, ruther n ter spend yer time
iloatin' round, waitin' for q possible
fortin' ter spring up in yer path. "A
bird in the hand is worth two In the
bush, just remember that, my boy.
And the squire shook his young favor
tie heartily by the hand, while he
winkcd hard, to keep back the moisture
that would gather upon his rough lids.
Don't forget the God Of your
fathers" whispered Mrs. Strong, with
her hand upon his arm, and her moth
erly face all aglow with tender interest,
land he'll never forget or forsake you.
Remember the promise: They who
trust in the Lord shall not lack for any
good thing"
The young mans lips trembled, and
with shy, sudden impulse he bent his
head reverently rs he pressed kiss
upon the wrinkled but comely face up
turned to his own. "Now, Say he
said, half laughing to hide his emotion,
''haven't you a good word for me, be-
fore l go" And he looked searching
ly into the quiet brown eyes that met
his own without the least timidity or
shrinking, as their owner replied, with
low, significant laugh:
"Only, that l would advise you to
stick to your business, whatever it is;
or, TO put my advice into a more COM
pact and portable form, always re-
member to hoe out your row.
"iour advice is sensible as well as
characteristic" he said, coldly; but
when the leave-taklngs were once fairly
over, and he was at liberty TO drop the
mask that both pride and prudence had
compelled him to wear in the presence
of her be loved. even Says unbelieving
soul might have been satisfied with
sight of the bitter, unsatisfed tears
that his humiliating disappointment
wrung from him.
Five years have slipped away, bring
ing little outward change to the quiet
dwellers beneath Squire Strong's
comfortable roof. The squire and his
wife still 60 about their daily duties,
with the same quiet yet energetic faith
fulness, while their seats at church and
at the weekly prayer meeting II sell
dom vacant, even when the wintry
drifts and summers heat discourages
many a younger Christian from ven-
turing beyond the shelter of his own
roof. As for Ssy,-no one has noticed
1t, and yet, there is change, deep and
abiding as it is beautiful.
The quick, sharp spirit that SO often
gave Otfense in her earlier girlhood
has, somehow, unconsciously, perhaps,
become toned down into a pleasant
briskness that is pleasing to all, and
fits well with the matured and more
softly rounded face, that has lost its
look Of keen suspiciousness, and wears
an expression far more keeping with
the ever kindly, often tenderly sympa-
thizing words that now seem native to
her lips. Nor have these graces Of
mind and body been suffered to develop
in unnoticed obscurity. More than
one Of the young farmers thereabouts
has been seen to tie his horse at Squire
Strong's gate on a Sunday evening
but it has been observed that the same
team was never seen there twice: and
even the most uncharitable gossips in
town have always exonerated Say from
any imputation of coquetry.
But of late, people have begun to
shake their heads knowingly whenever
q certain grave, handsome, middle
aged gentleman, in garments of un-
mistakably city make, has made his
aDnoaranc0 at the 6enOt in tho villaoo