Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-07-22
SHE THAT WAS A HITCHINS.

so did Mrs. Mosely, when from her cham
Der window she spied Patience Hitching
signing on the doorstep. 1t was bid
enough that oppressive day to discover
mould in the cake-chest and u blight on
the cherry trass, but to SEQ the mould
and blight, embodied in Miss Patience,
crossing ones threshold, was a great deal
worse and Mrs. Mosley was heard by
her kitten to say that she "should give
up"
On second thought, however, she did
no such thing but possessing herself of
the camphor bottle and touching look
of resignation, desce ded to find her guest
seated on the lower stair, wearily tanning
herself with her pocket handkerchief
which it was Miss Hitchins' habit to hoist
as signal Of distress when suffering
from an "attack." She laid it now across
her chest and mutely folded her hand
above it while waiting for her breath to
overtake her. Sitting bolt upright
against the balusters, with her vail over
her face, she looked, in her striped gown,
not unlike the dignifed flower known as
"Jack-in-the pulpit" ifa mature maiden
of forty might be likened to any Of the
floral creation.
1t may be, with her closed eyes, she
seemed to Daniel Kilgore like the Sleep
ing Beauty OF his dreams, for he gazed
at her through the doorway, with mouth
agape, for full minute before he remem
bered to ask Mrs. Mosely where he should
set out "that ere rhubarb."
"Oh, wherever you can find room,"
she said. too intently bent on reviving
Miss Patience to pay much heed to hei
hired man, who stood watching her as
she removed her visitors bonnet anG
sprinkled her face with camphor.
"She doesn't seem to come to. Shan
/ lay her on the lounge ?" said he, com
passionately, advancing toward Miss
Patience with arms extended.
"No! No |" cried Miss Hitchins
looming to" precipitately and waving
him back frantically with her blackmit
ted hands. "It's gone now It's my
heart"
Daniel looked aghast as though sh,
had made tender confession, while Mis-
Patience, rocking back and forth in hel
own arms, proceeded 10 pity herself aud
IDLY
"This is nothing to the turns hav
sometimes. There are hours upon hour
when am so distressed l don't know
whether I'm in this world or the next
But IN better than deserve to be, AM
feel to be thankful that / am as wei
as what / am"
"You don't say so !" calculated Dan
iel, rather awkwardy.
Not that it would matter much If
was to die, being lone woman so" sigh
ed Miss Patience.
"Perhaps it would be as well TO plan
those roots before the sun gets hotter,
suggested Mrs. Mosely, opportunely, ant
Daniel retreated, his honest face aglov
with sympathy.
"She looks pindlin', that's fact,
thought he, tenderly stroking wiltet
rhubarb leaf ''seems to need chirkin
up. / wonder who she is and why sh
isn't somebody ~ For Daniels bache
lor instincts assured him at the first tina
Miss Hitchins was spinster.
Had he lived long at Quigsby, he woul
have known also that she was a homeless
orphan, with crushing legacy OF hypo
chrondria, spending her life in an eterna
round of visiting. She settled down lik
a dreary fog in the various homes int
which she came yet everybody spo'
we'll Of her, for her kind heart was q
brimful of sympathy for the rest Of .hr
manity as for herself.
She and Mrs. Mosely coming down tn
gravel walk presently found Daniel seat
on the wheel-barrow musing.
"I'm studying out place for tina
rhubarb." he explained briskly, his eye
on Patience.
Now it isn't to be supposed for mo
that Daniel was induIging in figure q
speech, in which "rhubarb" stood fo
"Miss Hitchins !" but IL is nevertheless
certain that at the very moment of thei
approach he was thinking, ~ wish hat
a home to take that poor creature to :
tor by her own statement, Patience was
"lono woman" and Daniels heart al
ways softened toward such.
In many respects that organ was lik
"winter Baldwin !" IL was sound at tn
core, it was always aglow, and repeated
bruises only made It more mellow. Con
sequently Daniel dropped into" love a
readily as Silas Wegg dropped into poet
ry, and it had long been his earnest desir'
ito settle down." as he expressed ii, car
rying out the poetic figure in which h'
spoke OF himself in his bachelor life as 1
"bird on a wing"
But, unfortunately, ladies were no
fascinated by Daniel. "He was wei
enough" they said, but they all wanted
to le. we'll enough alone, and, besides
he really couldn't afford TO light the by
meneal torch now, with fuei 30 dear ant
such tax on matches 1t is melan
choly fact that Daniels very SUSCEPTIBLE
ty had been the cause Of his poverty.
1t must be confessed that his irascibl
old father had never believed in love, o
If he ever had, Daniels mother had shak
en- his faith, and he had no patience will
her sons incurable heartburn. But hi
railery, scolding and downright ange
was alike in vain. Daniel wrote low
sonnets under his fathers very eyes ant
drained his own purse in paying the trav
o 4 4. Io