Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-10-23

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again at the gray locks tluttee
over her eyes by the wind, and look
ed wistfully into the pale, weary
half.defiant face. E,ts#.s. 4
"Bless my heart, child! what ar
you thinking about g. The world i
well encugh," she returned hastily
sit is the miserable sinful peOpl
that makes the cruelty" t--
"You. and are part of the ppo
pie, grandma. What have we dom
that we are left here poor, neglect
ed, despised, forlorn T. .4l..
There was a smOthered passion
in the voice. ,
"Bless my heart |" exclaimed
Grandma Soule again; 'whatevel
has the child been thinking of 1"
III haye been thinking all da,
how feeble you are growing, AM
how helpless am, grandma. viii
they take us to the work house if
cannot earn enough to keep u,
here 2" ,.
"Do hear a child of mi ne ask
ing that question y returned the
old woman, iercely. ''To the work
house! never! Why, Daisy, child
| have got enough in the bank to
keep the wolf from our door. Have
you been worrying over that, with
all the rest !? have been too close
mouthed with YOU"
"You havoc, indeed you have,
grandma p Aud this time there
was a sob in the girls sweet voice.
80, grandma, if you would tell me
all to-night-everything about my
mother-I think it would help me,
even if it is a bitter story
''It is bitter, God knows that !;
but, Daisy, he has tempered the
wind to the shCrn lamb" answered
the old woman, sOlemnly.
"lt is very bleak and cold now"
murmured Daisy. "But o grand
ma, look look !" cried she, in quite
another voice, as they struggled on
to the bank Of the rushing, foaming,
surging river. "Tne, bridge is gone
from the upper bank! See the tim
bcrs tearing along in Tho water! /!
And what are all those people do
ing over on the other bank, beside
the mill p
The old woman steadied herself
against the girls shoulder, and hold.
ing up her withered hands, peered
through them long and earnestly.
"They are afraid of wild night,
it is plain to see. They are strength,
ening the dam and the mill walls.
And we'll they may be; the gray
rock, the old boulder, is under wa.
ter, and that was Uncle Joe's fatal
sign. Come back to the house, my
child"
"But, grandmother, will it be
safe Z? You said Uncle Joe's was
swept away-and we are helpless,
all alone. Let us go over to the
village and find shelter. Somebody
will take us ill.,"
"You have not looked behind you,
Daisy. Don't you see that the wa
ter has backed in from the old ditch.
and that the pasture is a deep lake,
and the meadow almost as wild a
torrent as the river ? We cannot
escape from our little knoll that way,
and on the river the bridge is gone"
Daisy gave little cry of conster.
nation.
"But I can run along tue bank
md shout for somebody to come
with boat. Go back, grandma,
md pack bundle, and 1 will find
help for you.'
But Grandma Soule shook her
gray head.
"Who would risk their life iu that |
polling river to save. ours No, my |
;hild; we will return to the humble
louse where the Lord has set our
labitation, and we will trust the
iOd of the widow and the orphan
% care for US. Come, my child
hough this is a south wind, its fury
hills me to the bone, and l am
title faint. We must-go-back,"
Daisy saw that a deadly paleness
lad overspread the speakers face,
md that the last words faltered
rom her lips. She forgot every
hing else, and tenderly assisted the
i'd wOman's tottering steps till they
,ained the cottage again and once
here, she brought her warm drink,
nd chafed the purple hands, and
a warm blanket about her,
md kneeling down upon the floor
'eside her, she laid her head against