Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-08-18

dfeds OF pounds. lOm. IN ashamed of VOL
you a man with twenty worbmen busy up
stairs, a couple Of thousand pounds worth o
stock, aud in the bank a .-"
Hold your tongue, will you " said
roughly, and went out into the shop TO try
and work it all of.
Luke came back soon after, looking very
strange, and was at him directly
Where's the ssvcu-an,six 2" said
angrily.
lie didn't answer, but put three half
crowns down on the desk, took out the book
made his entries-date Of delivery, first pay
ment- when the others due, and the rest OF
1t t-and was then going into the house.
Mind" says, sharply. those payments
are to be kept up To lhe day and to.mor.
row you go 10 Rolly's, who live nearly ou-
posite TO 'em, and ten em TO keep an eve on
the widow, or We shall lose another machine. %
" You needn't be afraid, father" he says,
coldly they're honest enough, only poor.
was just in that humor that ! wanted to
quarrel with somebody, and that did it.
When ask You for your opinion, young
man, You give it me aud when I tell yon
TO do a thing, YOU do it," / said, in as savage
way As ever / spoke to lad. e You go
over to-morrow and tell Rolly's 10 keep O
strict lookout on those people-do YOU
hear p"
"Father," he says. looking me full in th,
face, couldn't insult them by doing such
thing when, without another word, he
walked quietly ont Of the shop, leaving me
worse than ever.
For that boy had never spoken to me like
that before, and | should have gone after
him feeling mad like. only some people came
in, and I didn't see him again TN evening
and a good thing too, for I'm sure | should
have said all sorts of things 10 the boy. that
should have been sorry for after. And
there ! was fuming and frettng about saw
age with everybody, giving short answers.
swapping at the wife and feeling as man
does feel when he knows that he has been
in the wrong, and hasn't the heart TO go and
own it.
II was about eight o'clock that was sit
ting 10y the parlor fire, with the wife working.
and very quiet, when Luke came in from the
workshop with a book under his arm, for he
had been footing up the mems piecework
and what was due 20 them and the sight of
him made me feel as il must quarrel.
lie saw it, too, but he said nothing, only
put the accounts away and began to read.
The wife saw the storm brewing, and She
hAlNM lNW pun NilA L was itt I uhtl llil III
my pipe, nor yet had my evening nap which
| always have after tea. So she did what
she knew so well how TO do-filed my pipe,
forced it into my hand, aud just as was
going to dash it TO pieces in the ashes, she
gave me one of herold looks, kissed me on the
forehead, as with one hand she pressed me
back into my chair and then with the other
she lit a splint and held it to my tobacco.
I H.. al.
like that and after smoking in silence for
half an hour, was lying back, with my
eyes closed, dropping off to sleep, when the
wife said--(what had gone before ! hadn't
heard)
Yes, he's asleep now"
That woke me up of course, and If didn't
lie there shamming, and heard all they said
in q whisper
How came you to make him more vexed
than he was, Luke z" says the wife ; and he
told her.
81 couldn't do it, mother" he said excit-
edly. " 1t was hearthreaking. She's living
in a wretchod room there with her daughter;
and, mother, when saw her, | felt as il
there | can't tell you.'
Go on Luke" she said.
They're half starved" he said, in a
huAhN Way Olls nlbiltI . IL uhlllblf'
Such q sweet, beautiful girl, aud the poor
woman herself almost dying with some ter
ribe disease"
The wife sighed.
"They told me" how hard they had tried
to live 10y ordinary noedle-work, and failed
and that rs q last resource they had tried TO
get the machine"
Poor thingsl" said the wife; but are
H.. H. Ia.I
\ clergyman's widow said Luke. hast
lily " there isu't doubt about it, Poor
girl and they have got to learn TO use il be-
fore it will be Of any use"
Poor girl, Luke SAYS the wife, softly
aud | saw through my eyelashes that she
laid hand upon his arm, and was looking
curiously at him, when if he didn't cover his
face with his hands, rest his elbows on the
table and give low groan Then The old
woman got up, stood behind his chair and
like the foolish old mother would,
Mother" he says, suddenly, will You 20
and see them 2 " .
She didn't answer for minute, only stood
Iooking down at him, and then said softly
They paid you the first money
No." he says, hotly. "l hadn't the
heart to take it,"
"Than that money you paid WAS yours,
Luke ?"
" Yes mother" he said simply; and those
two stopped looking one at the other till
the wife bent down and kissed him, holding
his head afterwards, for a few moments, be
tween her hands. for she always did worship
that chap, our only one and then closed
my eyes tight, and wenton breathing heavy,
and thinking
For something like new revelation had
come upon me. knew Luke was iive-and-
twenty and that | was fifty-four, but he al
WAYS seemed like a boy to me, and here wa.
| waking up TO the fact that he was a grown
nian, and that he was thinking and feeling
as first thought and felt when | saw his
mother, nigh upon eight-and-twenty year.
ago.
lay hack, thinking aud telling myself
was very savage with him for deceiving me
and that wouldn't have him and his mother
LAYING plots together against me, and that
wouldn't stand by and see him make a foo
of himself with the first pretty gih he sci
eyes on, when he might marry Maria Tur
ner. the engineers daughter. and have a nic,
bit of money with her, 10 put into the bust
ness and then be nv partner.
No." | saws; "if you plot together. II
plot all alone" and then pretended 10 ,,nk,
m took ma notice. and had INV supner.
kent rather rrnif the next mor1 inc. au,
made myself very busy about the alace, AN,
daro' ~, snol,a noye shor,Iv ,ban ,,.,,i
= = -. -. @, ~ t.