The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-03-09

down into the sitting room, and into
stuffed chair that just fitted my achin
spine, and lifted to a magical footstoc
my demon of a leg, and my eyes fe
upon Miss Mary, who sat opposite me
drawing in and out her needle upo
some tasteful design for pulpit cushion
I recognized the gentle, gracious elemen
50 happily pictured in the poem-th
pale low forehead, from which was draw
back her hair, without crinkle or curl
the mild beam of her hazel eyes; the low
monotone of her voice; the perfec
curves of her lips, which never vary o
break into smiles, or draw themselve
out of shape as other lips are prone t
do. with agony, or JOY, or nasty sarcasm
It was fine, it was good, Dan. Then nc
sooner had lain back and shut my eye,
to. digest this comfortable felicity for the
| tired soul and the aching brain, than ]
ound close to my fainting lips a mug, tC
which was impelled by some intuitive
power--a mug ef quaint devise and
trausparent texture, which 1 afterward
admired, but not then, Dan. I drained
the delightful beverage TO the dregs, and
fopened my eyes upon the generous
cup-bearer, and here, in plump,
dimpled, comfortable humanity, was
the other element needful to the
household-the sagacious, the culinary
the administering. Fancy your poor
tempest-tossed, crippled Jack in the
hands of these two dear women, Before
sfortnight has gone by, the seven devils
are driven out of me. Only this morn
ing held out my hands to them in help
less gratitude, and audibly thanked God
for my broken leg.
Oh yes / said, I can't help it.
You know many and manifold are the
ways in which His infinite mercy is di-
reeted. / was gone in body and spirit;
not a bit of faith, hope or charity left in
me-Only blind drifting 10 that species
offeiine fatalism popularity known as the
dogs. Nothing but you two women
could have saved me. Now I'm dis
AIMED, I'm happy, I'm grateful. I feel
like Christian did when he lay down his
burden at the heavenly gates For
CAM tell you, Dan, just what a point in
Turkish philosophy had reached when
Imercifully broke my leg and poor little
Hetty her arm that morning. l have
incidentally learned that Hetty is
not very strong. but she is in
good hands and will doubtless speedily
mend. Old Blisby Is to 90 out west,
they say, in the spring and take his whole
wretched brood. His old ramshackle Of
q place is for sale-unbearable, perhaps, /
for the amenities of life, but wondlouslv
alluring to vagabond taste. There's a
bit Of rocky waste behind the old barn,
where Hetty and | spent the whole per-
feet June morning aGeld. We were all
alone with the queer wild grasses and /
blossoms that grow there, and would /.
puzzle you to put into recognizable +.
Latin Hetty named them all, with /
the same simplicity that Adam .
lid in Paradise; and the child was so
verify akin to the shy mysterious growth .
Of nature about Us that painted her in .
a part of ID all, and ] wouldn't take big |
nugget of gold for that sketch. |
can tell you, when old Bilsby /
takes her out vest B'r-r-r what /
makes me shiver, l wonder. The seasons I
are short up here, Dan; in the early |
the air IS already chill. I'm /
glad they've put Hetty on the south /.
side. think I know the bit of gable /
and arch that shelters her fallen head
but I won't hobble that way-it is best .
not.
We are to take advantage of the few
noontides left us, now that the season is !
on the wane Miss Mary is to bring a |
soothing old volume out on the sheltered |
porch this morning, and we are to have /
one of Miss Martha's cbets-PocUre in the (
way of luncheon in the early afternoon;
the excellent doctor will take me to
drive, and am your unspeakably COM
Portable and lucky,
JACK LIVINGSTON.
"P. S.-Pve just come back from the .
drive. Whether it was that autumn Is
really creeping upon, and the winds up
here at night-fall chill to the marrow of |
ones bones whether it was that icy fog |
that crept down from the mountains and |
enveloped Us be ore we had gone many
miles, or the lugubrious mood of the !
doctor that made me out of sorts, can /
not tell; but 1 have limped up here to
my room and shut out the ghastly phan-
toms on the mountains yonder, stirred |
up the fire-and it would be hard to frd |
in the foHr quarters of the earth a cheer |
ler nook than this-yet, Dan, l am grim
and uneasy, dull perception of misery
makes my whole harmony out |
or tune and harsh. Confusion to the /
worthy surgeon, with his direful proph /
eciesl 1t can not be expected that /
weak little bones like Hetty's should /
knis together as satisfactorily as my griz- /
ziy muscles and yet he did not say it |
was her arm. He muttered some trash !
about an unconquerable weakness and |
apathy that had seized the child how
she would lie for hours with her face to
the wall, big tears rolling out of her
eyes, and an indefnable yearning in her
face. which haunted the worthy doctor |
day after day, and which he declared |
to me had reached 4 positive pain
to him. And if this burly follower of |
Jason, this chopper of sinews and splint-
erer of bones, can be thus affected, is it |
any wonder that he has infected me with /
his grim folIies? Besides, can fancy it |
50 well, even when Hetty was strong and
1.-THE as a young fawn, there was always |
that beseeching fervor in her eyes-l |
caught it pretty well in that sketch
told you of I'll get it down now and
have a look at it-no, won't l ought !
tobave been satisfied with that mornings
work. INTENDED to take it back to town
with me that afternoon, and go the next
day to Newport to my mother and the
girls. but old Bilsby was little violent
that night, and Hetty clung to ne. Oh,