Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-01-14
NUMBER 81.

| wood, but wunt, because | had rather
have you-bssidss she's got Cold,and
| think your nose is the prettiest shape
than hers. Yours in life and death,
JOHNNIE.
"P. y. I'll find place to Hide yodr
rubbers in, just as | used to hers, ana
bring you lozenger every day"
Dode stamps, and burns the note and
shakes her little brown fiat st her heneh'
srous sister trsaehsroas sister, very
much frightened. uses the poiHA "a he.'
noedlo in self-delenco. Dodo, Squoalisz-
shakes her in highly superior way AID
Lilly, like revengelul little cat, jumps as
Dode and pushes her down. This rouses
IIallio from her unusual fit of dreaming,
and she starts up with thoughtless, an
cry You naughty child, Lily D0rton !
Can't have n little poace?"
Lily leaves tho room, and g,
strangely excited over this child's quar-
rel, runs after her. 4 breathless chase
follows, and the others stand still and
watch thom, wondering what can bc the
matter with Halle to-day.'
Swiftly they run, Halle flushed and an
cry, Lily, rapid and defiant, through the
room, up the front stairs, down the lack.
through the hall, round the table, up.
stairs and down again-and thsn it strikes
Halle what foolish thing she is doing;
and, turning suddenly on thc front sLairs'
sho twists her ankle slightly. and falls in
an exhausted heap. The pain brisg' ont
The cry, which she has stiAed sllthe day;
and she lays her head on lhe stair.carpet
and sobs aloud and cries as only tired
woman can cry.
The children melted, now, Of courrs,
all gather round her, sobbing and crying
too; and, just Mt this interesting crisis,
when five pairs of eyes are raining down
tears on the ftont.slair carpet, and when
n fresh chorus of "oh, obs ~ bursts from
the dolelul Quintette, somebody stops at
the open hall door, and General Trelcth
ems voice, grave and plying, says
"What very rainy day ~
Poor Halle the color leaves her face,
and starting up with stillod cry OF pain,
che never stops till sho reaches the far
thesl corner of the attic chamber. There
she sinks down, and begins to moan
piteously.
"Oh. it was cruel, it wa, cruel, dear
God Why dill he come then, why did
he come then? and was weak and naugh-
ty-all weak and naughty! and I've fail
ed-oh, he will think | have-and he
trusted me-but he won't any more
nover-any Oh,I have been good
Dear God, you know hare been mood
but he will never know-oh, never know
Then she lay in kind Of an apathy
and Hallie's God must have known thai
she was suffering with the thought that
all her long dream had ended for soon
his little girl, looking very pale and
heavy.eyed, in soft falling black srenA
dine, WAS going to meet "her hero. with
tlerc thoughts whirling in her head.
81 mus. do my duty, and ontcrtais him
till mother comes. These lhrcs ysNs have
not been lailuro-ths7 have been fHll u
pearls | wonder how God will help l--s
talk. with this lump in my throat"
She did not know how the hours ever
passed; but when the greeting, and Ihe
berry supper, and the childrcn's twilight
talk were over, she remembered dimly
that it had all been very gay, aud they
had all been laughing and chatting very
norrily. She had recollection OF teci
ing of shame that made her draw back
the little hand she had offered TO General
Trefethen, when she met him tinglo 81
shame for the burn. and scars aud rough
places which house work had made on tue
hand she put out; and the tho .hl tha!,"l
course, all hi: friends had u. pretty,
white hands, which would be letmnt to
take Then she remembered 10 udden
resolution which had made hoi mold it out
again, and keep bxck q blush, and delib
crately draw her sleeve back little and
expose the new-made scar on the wrist.
She was almost reckless tonight. Her
head whired so
After she had carried tho little ones to
bed, and heard them say their good night
to God, she came back and began to play
and sing with wild pathos in her voice
and manner, which didn't seem ut all like
her old, frank, childish self. Careessly
she took up "The Rainy Day" the sweet,
sad, Rainy Day" and began to sing.
""Some days must he dark aud dreary."
she sang, and wondered if hers would
ever be bright again.
On the last Yerie her voice grow fainter
and fainter.
"Be still sad heart! and cease repining.
Behind the cloud. i. the sun stilI shining.
Thy fate is the common fate Of all.
h-lfe-somc-rRin--
and then the pallor deepened on her face.
whirling laintnes5 took her strength
away, and she would have fallen had nol
General Treie(hen caught her in his arms
He drew her down beside him on the par
lor sofa.
"Halie, dear, those blue eyes must no;
look so grievcd. Dode has told me all
about it. Were the years any longer to
you than to me, my little heroine?"
"Tm not your little heroine" said llal.