The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-11-02
The Lilies By The SteepIe.
BY ANNETTE NOZZLE

! And, on the whole, what man is does
not come into account one-half so much
| as what he does Out in the world this
/ is; still there are places where it matters
| what he thinks Of things All the pub
/ lie wanted to know of Jacob Strong was
| that he sold curtain fixtures and cord.
! keys and screws, and that he carried his
stock in trade about with him, One
! afternoon in June Jacob was going home.
! Business after May was dull: then everv-
body was moving or cleaning house and
| he reaped his modest harvest. He used
! TO shudder as he passed the swarming
/ dirty tenement houses, for if his home
/ had not CHANGED to be where it was he
could have afforded no higher rent than
| was paid here. This hot day he threaded
/ his way through the narrow streets and
/ past stalls smelling of stale fruit, stop
/ ping only once at a flower stand Here
! somebody iostled by the crowd had
knocked off a tea-rose, bruising the
/ flower and breaking the pot
Sell 1t to me for ten cents asked
/ Jacob.
The angry vender hesitated minute
then rolling up dirt and rosebush togeth-
er gave the paper to Jacob. He hurried
on, turned into an old square, through
by-lane to the rear of an ancient brick
| building. The first floor was for Offices
and a masonic hall, the second for a
/ mission school and storing rooms, the
third for offices again. The style OF
architecture suggested a church, and
such it had been.
There was such a brilliant sunset light
without; but here Jacob stumbled up
and through shadows until he reached a
| familiar door which he opened with soft
| eagerness. Such a quaint room was dis
closed. The new partitions were of I'M
| plastered planks now neatly covered over
with brown wrapping paper; above
were the rich old oaken beams of the
ceiling; on the spotless floor were rugs,
soft and old-fashiOned, an antique chair,
tall-backed and once richly cushioned,
stood at the end of the apartment, which,
for some reason was FIVE sided. The
pulpit chair was little removed from
the everyday cheap furniture as if it
were the only fit companion for the other
glory of the place, which was small
round window of stained glass having in
its centre an Agnus Del. Everything
else was hOInely, but sweet with clean
illness. A thick white curtain cut off
one corner of the room, and two doors
opened Out-one into a tiny kitchen,
and put down the rose paper. With his
forehead cooled and his gray hair pushed
of it, one had a fair look at the tall,
thin man and could not learn much
more from his immovable face; but
under black, shaggy eyebrows were
singular eyes-blue and clear, like
child's. As Jacob turned back, the white
curtain parted quickly and small wO-
man in short gown and striped skirt
seemed to have come suddenly out from
a nap and to be troubled on that account.
She tied silk handkerchief about her
head which was covered with short
air as white as silver, and in a CHEEKY
voice began TO chatter. " Derrie me,
Jacob! six o clock and no supper for you
And | lying there like MaTiory Daw
What, Ye haven't been and sold
yer bed, have We? 1t appears TO be there
all the same. There, there, old lady,
don't hurry, Ye know well enough
how it takes the breath out Of ye,' and
Jacob caught her by the ruffle on her
jacket and held her still for a second, not
in play, but soberly, 10 break up her
speed, she having started rapidly toward
the ki, chen. She laughed, showing even
teeth and gentle, good old face, only
whita-unanturally white.
Ye're right, Jacob; if | 60 a bit
slower l gain time in the end. | was a
little more tired than ordinary-I-"
Have We been down the long stairs
this day? D."
She stammered like a child before she
confessed she had.
Well, if We go down tomorrow,
Dolly, hereafter I'll fasten We in-that is
/ if haven't yer promise"
And if We have it ?'
Then what need of a lock-" and
Jacob loOsened his hold on her gown, go
ing himself TO fill the tea kettle and sci
it to boil on the stove. Dolly drew out
the table; putting on bread, meat and
two or three simple viands. When the
tea was made the old couple drew their
I chairs to the table and Dolly bowed her
head, saying aloud.
1--WE confess our UnwOrthiness, we ac>
knowledge Thy goodn, IS, we praise Thy
tende. mercy and give Thee thanks"
She could not see that Jacob looked
| open eyed at the blue and crimson win
dow. She turned his tea from funny,
brown eaTthen pot, round like a cannon
ball, and suddenly cried:
"Well.a day Here we be a eating
away and the door not opened
SO she emphasized the words that
really they must be put in italics-quite
as If there had been but one out of the
/ room, not three. Ii was plain what she
meant when she flung il wide open; for,
! if their home was queer, this outlook was
/ queerer. In adapting the old church to
| prerent uses all sorts of excresceuces
had arisen out of and overran it. Their
own snuggery was fitted into its tOpmost,
unavailable corner, and this door opened
into an unaccountable bit of fiat roof,
away, away up above the roar of the
city, under the glowing sunset sky, so
high that distance sOftened picturesquely
! all ugly sights below, and the eye could
take in aC a sweep the waters of the bay,
returning to rest just here again in the
delight of Dolly's heart-her garden !;
for a garden this was. That very mo-
ment the soft June air stirred lilies and
roses and violet and golden pansies, all
! planted in broad boxes of earth and
/ tended by Dolly's own hands. She had
a bit of rag carpet out here and her
work-basket by her rocking chair, where
| she sewed when alone. You think it
must have been too sunny by day? Ali
now comes her beautiful surprise--the
| hoary old steeple, that gave in solemn
! glory TO DOlly's garden that which given
| to her room in radiance by the stained
window. 1t is a great thing to come in
/ to possession of bits of church if you
! have medieval tastes. Dolly had she
never ceased to rejoice that nobody at
tempted to pull down the steeple.
| There it rose over her garden, up, up,
| grand and cool, like the shadow of
| great rock. How she loved it? She
! knew how it looked, soft and gray,
against the pink clouds at daybreak.
! How cool and massive in hot nOon-times
| when gay breezes came behind it to
! dance with her saucy sweetpea vines!
And often at midnight, when pains kept
| her awake (for old Dolly was not welD
| she watched it, huge and black, among
| the stars, the moon stealing from clouds
over it, Perhaps Jacob enjoyed the
steeple as much as Dolly, for one-half
! his life was in contrast to elevate things
was spent down below, among the rag
men, fish markets and people fighting for
sixpence, but it was not his way to talk
much. Tonight, after supper, they
went out, and Dolly planted the tea-rose,
with enthusiastic little shifts at the per-
fume and a great deal of expressed
rapture generally. Folks had called
Dolly, years ago when young, " a little
fool" because she had fasion of looking
| for sweetness everywhere-and finding
/ - too 90 bOna.- baaS CON amOpO tho