The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-08-03

E..
INTO the poor little scrap-book Of Deb's
life. the colors of heaven dropped and
blinded her on. that bewildering, ,beauti-
full, and blessed ride.
In just an hour the sleigh was there,
with the easiest cushions, and the
warmest robes, and belis--the merriest
bel1sl--and the straight young lady. And
Jim McMahoney was there, and be car
ried her down stairs to " setn her. And
her mother was there, and wrapped her
all about in an old red shawl, for Deb
had no things like other little girls.
The young lady had remembered that,
and she had brought the prettiest little
white hood that Deb had ever seen, and
Deb's face looked like bruised day-lily
bud between the shining wool, but Deb
could not see that; and Mrs. McMahoney
was there pairing onions at the door, to
wish her good luck; and all the little
McMahoneys were there, and all the
children who did not wonder, and the
grocer turned in at the alley corner, and
the baker stopped as he turned out, and
everybody stood and smiled to see her
start. The white horse paved the snow
and held up his head : Deb had never
seen such horse-an the young lady
had gathered the reins into her brown
gloves, and the sleigh bells cried for JOY
how they cried land away they
went, and Deb was out of the alley in a
moment, and the, people in the, alley
hurrahed to see her go. S
That bewildering, beautiful, blessed
ridel How warm the little white hood
wasl How the cushions sank beneath
her, and the fur robes opened. like,
feathers to the touch of her poor, thin
hands How the bells sang to her, and
the snowdrifts blinked at her, and the
icicles and the slated roofs and sky and
the peoples facessmied at her I ) :
What's the matter ~ asked the young
lady for Deb drew the great VOLTS robe
over her face and head, and sat SO for a
minute, still and hidden. The young
lady thought she was frightened.
aBut only want to cry a little" said
Deb's little, smothered voice. " I must
cry little first"
When she had cried little she held
up her head, and the shine of her pretty
white hood grew faint beside the shine
of her eyes and cheeks. That bewilder-
ing, beautiful, blessed ridel
Streets, and a crowd, and church
spires were in it-yes, and a wedding and
funeral, too; all things that Deb had
seen in her high chair, in the daytime,
with her eyes shut, she saw in the sleigh,
on that ride, with her eyes wide open.
She sat very still. The young lady
did notstalk to her, and she did not talk
to the young lady. The horse held up
his head. It seemed to Deb to be flying.
She thought that he must be like the
awful, beautiful white horse in Revela-
tions. She felt as if he could take her
to heaven just as we'll as not if the
young lady's brown gloves would only
pull the reins that way.
They rode and rode. In and out Of
the merry streets, through and through
the singing bells, about and about the
great church spires all over, and oyer,
and over the laughing town. They
rode to the river, and the young lady
stopped the white horse so that Deb
could look across, and dApa and down the
shining stream and shining bank.
There's SO much of it." said Deb,
softly thinking Of the crack o. It that she
had seen between two houses for fifteen
/ years. For the crack seemed to hel
very much like, fifteen years in high
chair, and the long, broad-shouldered
silver river seemed to her very much
\ like this world about which che had
wondered. =,
They rode to the mills, and Del
trembled to look up at. their frownine
walls, and to meet their hundred eyes
but some of the girls who wore the little
lpink bows and who knew her, cam,
nodding to look down out of them, ant
she left off trembling to laugh; then, il
minute. she trembled again, for all a
once, without any warning, great An
drescoggin pealed the time just over he
head, and swallowed her up in sound
She turned pale with delighted terror
and then she flushed with terrific,
fright.
Did it pray, or cry, or laughl Deb di'
not know. 1t seemed to her that if tn
white horse would carry her into tn
heart of that bell, she need never sit il
high chair at window again, but rid
and ride with the young lady. It scenes
to her like forever and ever.
They turned away from the Ar
droscoggin without speaking, and rod.
Daylight dimmed, and dusk dropped
and seel all the town blazed with light
They rode and rode, to see the light
Deb could not SPEAK there were
many lights. M &
! And still she could not speak whe
they rode into Brick Alley, and iii
McMahoney and her mother, and Il
, children who did not wonder came OF
! to meet her and take her back to b
high chair
/, She was to happy to speak. She net
never wonder any more. She could 7
/ member.
t But the young lady did not wal
/, her to speak. She touched her whi
T horse and was gone in minute. Ar
1 when Androscoggin rung them both
sleep that night-for the young Lao
q forgot to ask for her Cluny, and was t.
d tired to go to the party-I am sure
k cannot tell which was the happiest, 81
o. or Deb.
r SAN FpANrrccn fea1s lasu ieoouro