Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-05-31

Mosely where he should set out ''that
ere rhubarb.
"Oh, wherever you can find room,
she said, too intent on reviving Miss
Patience to pay much heed to her
hired man, who stood watching her
as she removed her visitors bonnet
and sprinkled her face with camphor.
"She doesn't seem to come to.
Shan't I lay her on the lounge ?" said
he, compassIonateIy, advancing to-
ward Miss Patience with arms extend.
ed.
NO. no" cried Miss Hitchins,
coming to" precipitately, and waving
him back frantically with her black
mitted hands. Its gone now! It's
my heart :
Daniel looked as aghast as though
she had made Il tender confession,
while Mss Patience, rocking back and
forth in her own arms, proceeded to
pity herself audibly.
"This is nothing to the turns have
sometimes. There are hours upon
hours when am so distressed l don't
know whether I'm in this world or the
next. But I'm better than | deserve
to be, and | feel to be thankful that |
am as well as what | am
"You don't say sol" calculated
Daniel, rather awkwardly.
Not that it would matter much if |
was to die being lone woman so,
sighed Miss Patience.
'perhaps it would be as we'll to
plant those roots before the sun gets
hotter" suggested Mrs. Mosely, op-
portunely and Daniel retreated, his
honest face aglow with sympathy.
"She looks pindlin', that's a fact
thought he. tenderiy stroking wilted
rhubarb leaf ''seems to need chirk-
ing up. l wonder who she is, and
why she isn't somebody ?" For Dan
iel's bachelor instincts assured him at
the first that Miss Hitchins was a
spinster.
Had he lived long at Quigsby, he
would have known also that she was a
homeless orphan, with crushing le'
gacy of hypochondria, spending hel
life in an eternal round of visiting
She settled down like dreary fog in
the various homes into which she
came yet everybody spoke well OF
her for her kind heart was brimful Of
sympathy for the rest Of humanity as
for herself.
She and Mrs. Mosely coming down
the gravel walk, presently found Dan
iel seated on the Wheel i-barrow mu
sing.
"I'm studying out place for tha
rhubarb," he explained, briskly. hi
eyes on Patience.
Now it isn't to be supposed for
moment that Daniel was indulging il
figure Of speech, in which "rhubarb
stood for Miss Hitchins )" but it i
nevertheless certain that at the yer.
moment Of their approach he wa
j thinking, 1T wish | had home tt
take that poor creature to- for, b.
her own statement, Patience was
'lone woman aud Daniels heart al
ways softened toward such.
: In many respects that organ wa
like winter Baldwin )" it was soun'
. at the core, it was always aglow, re
peated bruises made it more mellow
Consequently Daniel 'dropped into
= love, as readily as Sias Wegg dropped
into poetry, and it had long been hi
earnest desire ''to settle down. as h
expressed it, carrying out the poetl
figure, in which he spoke Of himsel
in his bachelor lite, as "bird on
wing
But unfortunately, ladies were no
fascinated by Daniel. "He was wei
enough" they SAID but they all want
ed to let well enough alone ; and be
sides, he really couldn't afford to ligh
. . the hymenial torch now, with fuel S
dear, and such tax on matches |
is a melancholy fact thst Daniels yer
!, susceptibility had been the cause G
" his poverty. 1t must be contesse
% that his irascib.e old father had neye
believed in love--or if he ever haC
" Daniels mother had shaken his tait
and he had no patience with hi
20 u sons incurable heartburn. But h
." =. railery, scoldlng, and downright ange
:, :, were alike in vain. Daniel wrote lov
" sonnets under his fathers very eye
,, and drained his own purse in payin
" y the travelling expenses of his marriag
proposals, with persistency which