The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-07-17

1t was nine O'Clock, and the last echo
of their gay voices had died upon her
ear as she stood alone in the silent hall.
She had fastened the sheltering wraps
more securely about Eya's white shoul-
deTs, had arranged the dainty opera
hood over Bessie's bright curls, had
hunted up her husbands scarf for him
at the last moment, and then, seized
by an irresistible impulse, as her young
est daughter was about to cross the
outer threshold, she caught her little
! gloved hand in both her own, and draw
ingthe girlish face toward her, kissed il
fondly, once, twice, thrice, with such u
quick, passionate vehemence that the
girl looked perfectly amazed, as if half
fearing that he mother had lost her
L senses.
'tBe careful, mamma! You'll crush
my roses if you kiss me so hard" she
laughed, 8 little cOnstrainedly. "pm
cOming,H in answer to her fathers call.
"Now, mamma, you'd better go to bed
as soon as you can; you'll be yourself
again after q good nights sleep" and
she hurried down the steps, and in
moment more was lost in the darkness
without to the fearful eyes that watched
her from the half-Open door.
The gas was lighted in the family
sitting-rOom, revealing the little disor-
i
depaTture-a rumpled handkerchief and
a pair OF worn gloves dropped carelessly
upon the floor, the evening paper un-
| folded upon the sofa, and the shawl that
/ Eva had worn over her wrapper At sup
/ per lying across a chair-back.
/ Mechanically, Mrs. Ray placed each
article in its proper place, lingering with
la half-sad, half-tender thoughtfulness
over the gloves, as she examined the
seams aud lining.
81 will mend them before go to bed"
I she said to herself. "He shall find them
all ready for him in the morning.
/ And drawing her work-basket to her
/ side, she was about to begin her task,
when from the torn lining there dropped
a tiny spray Of sweet-brier, crushed and
I faded, yet emitting n faint, soft per-
/ fume, whose ewell-Temembered sweetness
brought back, rs in a dream, a troop of
thick, thrOnging memories, that lent
I to that grave, WTinkled face, for q mo-
ment, something of the flush and hope
fulness of its long-past springtime.
/ The gloves fell UNDECIDED upon her
/ lap, and q strange mist tl0ated before
/ her eyes, shutting out the quiet, too
quiet, roOm with its familiar furniture,
while from out the dimness famisiaT
faces, half forgotten, but now strangely
fresh and life-like, looked out at her
with. a weird, Multiplying significance,
that sent strange Wild thrill to her
aching heart.
That bright-faced, clear-eyed girl,
shyly proud of the love that promised
henceforth to make her life one long
dream Of trustful appiness-blushing
through happy tears, at the happy pro-
testatiOns of her gallant young lover, as,
playfully claiming the spray Of sweet
hripr that zhn x-Qrp in har hOsOu1 "a
placed il next his own heart, the pledge
and sign of their betrOthal. Could it be
that? And invOluntarily her trembling
fingers wandered slowly over the worn,
sharp face, from which toll and care had
chased all the hopefulness and bloom OF
other days.
What long, long years of patient,
ceaseless toll had been hers since then;
and yet-a smile of tender significance,
one of those smiles that mothers alone
can interpret, stole over her faded lips,
as she thought-Oh, how tenderly !-of
] the tiny nestlings that had been so joy
Ously welcomed and so lovingly cher
/ ished in the innermOst temple, the holy
I of hOlies, of her fond mOtherly heart;
the bright, studiOus school girls for
whom she had toiled, early and late,
feeling herself more than repaid by q
merit mark or note of commendation
from their teachers; of the handsome,
high-bred "yOung ladies,n who in their
conscious superiority of mind and man
ners, now treated her with much the
same air of gOod-natured tolerance that
they would have felt il necessary to be-
stow upon faithful old family servant
that had worn herself out i'm theirservice.
And 1t had come to this Her love
for her children had been stronger than
her love of mental culture, and for that
those children themselves despised her.
THAT sweet-brier bush grew close to
the wormwoOd," she whispered, with q
smile at once bitter and pitiful "But,
God grant," and her face dropped wearily
upod her folded hands, "that death may
give me back the sweet -briar of my youth
once more"
It was late that night when Mr.. Raw
and his daughters found themselves
standing upon the threshold of their
own home, and the lively badinage that
I passed between them rs they removed
theirOuter wrappings in the hall belew,
sounded strangely in the otherwise 81
lent and deserted house.
"Biddy asked leave to 90 home to-
night, and l suppose mamma was too
much excited with seeing us off to re-
member to turn down the gas,u re-
marked Eva, as, in passing the door of
the sitting-rOOm, she caught n glimmer
of light through the keyhOIe, and she
opened the door with q half shudder as
the cool air of the hall struck upon her
/ thinly-clad neck and arms. "Why,
mamma has been sitting up for us till
/ this late hour! Are you asleep?" and
I she glanced wOnderingly at the silent
/ figure with its bowed face, that neither
moved nor spoke at their approach.
Mammal called Bessie, in her clear,
| girIish voice. "Come, do wake up and
| say somethingI It always makes me
nervous she began, when, with q sud
den cry that checked the words upOn
his daughters lips, Mr.. Ray sprang TO
his wifes side, and as he lifted the
white, rigid face into the full glare OF
the light, q moan of bitter, bitter an
guish escaped from his quivering-lips
while with too late tenderness he
smOsthed back the scanty hair, pressing,
remorseful kisses upon the cold, calm
forehead of the dead.
''Too late too late! Would To GodT
could re-live the pastW
They buried her with all the show and -
ceremony that modern etiquette de-
mands-costly wreaths, erossesand del
lcate trailing vines, made fragrant and
beautiful her last resting-pIace; but in
the thin, pale hands, folded idly at last
over the now peaceful heart, was a sin
gle spray only of sweet-briar.
Papa would have it So" whispered
Iva, In fearful confidence, to a friend.
NOW think it would have been in
fr NO