Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-11-10
VOL. 71.-36O4. NO. AZ

Mother" he said. al I've a notion its
Gods work for the child-leastways, | can't
gainsay her !"
Months were counted into years, and there
was none to interfere with Anita's strange
adoption. The boy" Rescued " was the odd.
oldtashioned name she gave him-developed
into wonderful beauty. Anita seemed TO
have no life but in him at home and among
the neighbors she came to be known only as
" Mother Anita or Z" The Little Mother"
So proud Of him She was From the first
she seemed 10 have accepted It as a qnet
certainty that he was fashioned Of finer
material, and for higher sort Of life, than
she had known. She was never quite con-
tent without him at her side. How much
she suffered as he grew old enough 10 be
taken sometimes with her father and broth
ers in the boat, was hinted by the red glow
in her cheeks, and the restlessness of every
look and motion, till she saw him safely back
again.
City people, who began TO find the little
village pleasant for a summers fishing and
bathing, were quick 10 make friends with
the deiormed girl, whose spiritual face, IA
diant with love for her beautiful young
charge, attracted them like some rare pic
ture, Many offered her gifts Of money,
which she declined with gentle gratitude,
asking for books instead-always adding,
apologeticaly, ." to teach him, you know"
So it happened that q various library accu-
mulated by degrees in her little chamber.
As she read and studied, glimpses Of a new
world opened before her, but as the little
| she learned only limited at what she could
never know, the sad conviction forced itself
upon her that she could, after all, never be
her brothers teacher.
r. /.
Rescued was twelve years old. Judge
| Thorne, with his wife and little daughter,
came down to the seashore, their hearts sore
| for the recent loss Of their only son. The
strong resemblance of Rescued to her dead
| child quite overcame Mrs Thorne, as she
Glanced TO see him. for the first time, play
ing on the beach And when his strange his
tory was told her she begged her husband to
| take him for their own.
When Judge Thorue preferred his request
to old John Grey, he shook his head.
Not but twould be the maxim Of the
boy Judge Thone, but you see my darter
why the little mothere'd grieve to death
! if Rescued should be took away l'
But as the Judge still urged, he said, at
last " There's no use talkin'; but if you'd
like TO hear what she'd say herself, III call
her in, for there she comes -
Anita came in, and Judge Thome stood
half abashed before the quiet dignity which
comported so i'll with the small, deformed
figure. Having once heard Anita speak,
one must respect too much too pity her.
Unconsciously he dropped the manner with
which he had spoken to her father, and in
| few broken, heartfelt sentences, plead his
doubtful cause.
Anita grew deadly pale and her finger
/ fal lqr
white with pressure, but otherwise she
seemed calm and quiet never once taking
her eyes from Judge Thorne's face, reading
him through and through.
will answer you tomorrow" she said,
when he had done then she tarned away
and went up to her own room What fierce
conflict she waged there with her own heart,
we can never know, but her unselfsh love
conquered at last
With the autumn the little Rescued went
to his new home.
You shall come to us often, Anita" Mrs.
| Thorne had said but the quiet answer was,
No, Mrs Thone, it is not best--it would be
all the harder to leave him again, and my
place is here"
The little mothers face grew somewhat
paler and thinner but there was no other
outward change, except that the wealth of
care and tenderness which she had layished
for years uron the one beloved object was
distributed NOW to bless and cheer the many.
II was sbe who gathered tbe little children
of the v;Ilare togstber into a school which
she taurbt moi 90 mncb from teyt hooks ne
from sbells AMI stonos nnd ao,vars ,lontino
in their yo,,ng hesris tbat seed of love for
Goa and ali t6ot IJe has made which ,vould
snring nm hv-ond.bv in a. plentiful harvest az
faitb and yigbt liv;ng. II was She who read
tho n;LIe ~ The oId who suoothed tbe Mi.
law Of tbe sick who went with the widow
and The ornban whose sweet voice mt in
words the last nraver of the dvine.
She herself siekened at last. wasting slowly,
Int snroIv
al dol,,t think we'd ever rightly known
how much She suffered all her life /" old John
Grev said ~ ma ne we sot fogetber in The
cbnych door ono sabbath afternoon after
service lacking toward the prayeyard. whose
siunie stones were shining In tbe nronhetic
olor,, of smnset 5. She was 60 cbecrv and
naticnt.Iile meyer tolIin' of herself. il wa,
40 Ia the Last There was only one thing she
lonoad for after She felt that She conldn' 4
live and that vns Ia see the how AGAIN. She
bad't eoen him IN, a vears for fhe Thorne,
had been in England for that long. As she
,yot weaker sbe snourned the more con
,,ont M ho ,yillin sha uaed To saw .bnt Il
il could he God's will to let me see him once
moro -
q Tbere wos n heavy storm the niolt sh,
diod mo Wind ho,yled around tbe old
. honsa and we conld slserce hear one anothe,
: sneok for thc noise Of the sea. never car
t fnrget how she looked os She Law there a-lis
! tenin' with her white face. and her ewes 50
4 bio and briqht Ailat once She smoke; 1t,
, eiShtee, wears 400 to-night' saws she. il
. mst snch n storm as this. that God sent m,
!, ko,, aud ,,bila thn words xyas In har n,nuti
- | D'li "',N ""'' "" 'NN - - -
Z | heard a noise OF wheels outdoors, and
a,a,..,,;n,, -, 81, s+o,,s ,nJ ,ho L;toban- -doo
S on"nad and he come inNmnn crown an,
!, IN and stont-a bkelier looEin' lad I neye
r laid INV ewes ON Int the same Rescued. af
. :. How IA She ,, be ,ybisnered sye lande,
+ Iost yeek and ~ onIv Yesterday / hear,