The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-05-30

loye Tom better
! don't-I dout bu. the viii has made
Il impossible for me 10 marry Arson with
= clear oonscieBce-to marry him and be
happy. II be were sure Of earning for.
Iuue, With which We could make amends
20 little Tom, Il would be different. Bat
| cannot count upon such an improbable
contingency. As you say, Tom will have
bis bead aad hands TO push bis way, bat
the best bead aud The busiest hands DO
not always compel fortune, and II any
harm shonld como TO him from want Of
capital, II he should be tempted to sin
from lack Of money, IL should have TO
answer for II; II would be my guilt,
Nonsense, Iiitiyi your conscience is
too tender. Marry Ausoa and trust to
fate, that's nay sdvice. Supposing yon
refuse, and be mArries somebody eiss,
And-httle Tom does not i've TO grow upl
! shall not have wronget him.
But you will have wron@d Anson.
Not II he-if be msrries mother.
Many would, perhaps, approve Hltty
Thorne's conduct at lhb crisis-more
would condemni bnt she walked accord.
ing to her light IN those truel days. 1t
was no easy task she bad 81 herself.
Hitty had faded In lhe meantime, while
Anson Searle wore his FEARS like gar
lands. The fortune Of which her not i'm.
possible children might have robbed little
Tom had dwiudled TO the nerest pittance
through the knayery of the man TO whose
wisdom 1t had been intrushd, while An
son Searle bad Unexpectedly stepped into
the possession Of the Searb estate, with
its old stone mansion, It's orchards, and
outlying meadow-lands, ahd the income
that had beenrolling up since the Searles
first set loot upon Plymouth Rock.
Twenty years before there had been no
shadow of such possibility, no dream OF
ii in Anson's mind or another's. Two
healthy lives had barred the way against
him, but death bad effected a breach.
What q mistake Hitiy TAorne madeI
people had commented these half dozen
years. She might have been mistress at
Searle Hill II she'd had mdnd TO risk
marrying a poor man. Felix's get their
come.up. once in this word sometimes,
with the usual charity commentators be-
stow upon the motives Of others. Nobody
had known the true cause of Hitty's re-
fusal to marry Sesrle. 1t had been The
town talk, to be sure-a riddle which no
one had solved. She had not even con.
fided her reasons to her lover. He would
overule them, she feared, would call them
absurd, and only make her task more
difficult, and perhaps grow to hate little
Tom-and sometime Tom night need bis
good will; who could tellf Arson Searle
had not borne his dismissal with the for
titude OF an early marty, but he had
sworn he would never ask her twice to
marry him, and he had kept his word.
But perhaps after bis anger cooled, and
he watched her saddening year by year,
some surmise that her behavior had not
been dictated by caprice or any petty mo.
tive grew upon him, and obliged him TO
render her the tardy justice Of apprecia-
tion. And pretty return Tom had
made her speculating with his employ
er's money, and threatening the family
pride with disgrace. Unless five thous-
and dollars were forthcoming, there was
only fortnight between him and ruin.
And Tom was twenty-five. They must
save him. Miss Hitty was one to stand
by her guns; where there was will
there was way, and she followed the
only way she knew. If Mr., Searle, fun
bling about for the reasons of Hitty's
conduct toward himself had at length
stumbled upon the clew- having an inti-
mate knowledge OF her fathers will al
ready-and If be had not been quite he-
roic enough to forgive her for preterring
Toms welfare TO his own, he must have
found grim satisfaction in the turn that
tate had ordered 10 seeing the Tborne
property shrinking day by day, till there
was hardly enough to butter their bread
TIL it wus plain that Hitty's sacrifice
had been for naught. But when did
ever sacrifice prove futilel Though it
fail Of It's direct purpose, does it not en-
rich the soul not only Of the one who sac
rillces, but OF ell beholdersI
II was near twilight Of an autumn day
that Miss Hitty put on ber worn bonnet
and went slowly, with certain reluc.
tance, up the hin toward the Searie man.
sion; she pulled the brszen knocker tim
idly, aud stepped into the house, that
might hAYe been her own, like any beg.
gar. The dead Searles looked down
from the walls OF the oaken hall with
cold questionings in their pursuing eyes; ;
In the great drawing.room the wood FIRE
snapped with q good will, aud glinted
gsyly upon bronze and ormulc, lupon the
quaint mirrors set In garnets, upon the
yellow ivory keys of the old piano. An
son Searle rose TO receive bis guest with
a flush OF surprise.
Is it-yoa- Hittyl be cried. Toui
Yes. You did not expect mel
Expect youl No. Have had reason
to expect you?
We sometimes expect without a rea-
son. | have come-eTpeeting you TO
grant me favor.
A favor9
Yes. Il strikes yon oddly that should
be brought TO beg favor Of you, does it
no1 But there Is no other friend upon
whom ! can make even so shadowy 8
claim ss upon you. Do you think |
a