The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-08-30

arrival. Then you can begin on your
side and we'llmeet zach other half wav. =
He flung me frean him with something
like an OATH 4ou would Joke and
Iauob over nv grs te,s he said. and went.
awsy not to come bsck aeaig.
who would have believed it possible9 ?
That the wears weaId come and aoo the
sweet summers bloom and fade the
heart of the roses goSe strength and fail
and fall away, TO come ga n as strong.
90 fresh "a ever, aad Jack. INV Jaek
never come back e. me2 Yet he was not
dead(nor wed. That was one GOOD
thing. And he tss out there among
tbeae women WITH narrow eves and
stinted feet, and Is didn't as vet know a
word of the langugge He was growing
fat he wrote homo to his people next
door. and bald. wlsich didn't matter on
the top of his heasl 10 long as he could
keen enough TO .enltivate pig.tail
This was necessary, a. he meant to set
up for a Chinese mandarin. and was
already embroide ing a gown for tho
purpose on spare ights. And / felt.
when they read sse the letter, that it
was Jacks turn CIV to make merry,
when other hesrs-ere sick and sad
If he had nae one little line
dbesta as shaTes " Il: Il f siTf. t'sP iovei7 T
bits OF deco a ted f.Hsa, big soft beautiful
shawls of Grape. r sent gewgaws and
gold to so many ohers; Il he had only
given one little won!
They must have I'D him | had been
sorely punished tbt my mischievous
gayety had whiflet out like the flame
of candle that cen the beauty of
which he had beens proud and fond
was gone-every bipt 1t gone. sleep
less nights and usebs repinings, long,
wearisOme days, endss years filled with
wild yearnings for pat which seemed
forever hopeless, hat robbed me OF all.
The old bloom of tbtheart took with it
the crimson cheek, tie laughing eye, and
the light, elastic stp Even my hair
fell out Alas poe me, the flesh fell
from my bones. Al hinted before, it
was not d very iluring object that
greeted me in the ghss on the morning
of my twenty-sevenh birthday. "ArOint
thee, witch - cried, and wiped away
with the hand t0welso1lesaiL tears that
fell upon the dimity buresu cover, and
upon the grave of sd, sweet memories
Then I put on my ugly hown dress, and
the hideous bonnet TO match, and went
off to the church, psusig at the portal
to look longinglY at the cool, quiet
graves of our old neghbors. soft
wind stirred the long gass there; few
birds hoped lightly and fearlessly
about.
"How calmly calmly mile the deal
Who do not theTelOwgTieve!" :"
" The Yea of heayn is Yea" I said,
and went on into thfchurch where the
ladies were grOupedRround the straw
berries that had jut arrived. | took
possession OF wble crate Of these,
sending the young nd pretty maidens
home to recruit torhe evening.
There were & few aint, polite remon-
strances when / defined to take any
active part in the vening's entertain
meut We must cave that part to
the young and affective" / said, and
there WAS a generaIhzz OF acquiysence.
had the cOnsolatin of hearing several
remarks upon mJ extraordinary good
sense and practicaleapabiity
| was graeiousl yallowed, after | had
hulled a whole crae of strawberries, TO
hold a step1adder and some nails for
Mrs Smith. the apahecsTy's wife, while
she hung some Gorgeous drapery, and
otherwise de orwc the cool gray walls
of cur chapel, 50 that ] was pretty well
tired when I wnt home at nightall
Mamma met mat the gate, and looked
at me so doleilly that / burst out
laughing,
" Never minG mamma" said |, 90
won't look so caavorous after Pm rested
and dressed torthe evening"
But I'm sfrSd | was rather painful
object for the aze of doting and once
ambitious mOtAr when had donned my
black silk, andwas ready for the even
ing. Ny hair vas neither crimped nor
curled. You se, mad depended upon
the switch, wheh was bought for puT-
poses of that kid, snd it failed me igno-
miniously at thu last moment My head
ached, and | cald not bear many hair
pins thrust inc my scalp; in no other
way would the obstinate thing be in
duced to stay a. Mamma was heart
broken, and | vas perverse at times l
thought perhap t switch was grievlng
over beloved md lost head of which it
WAS once part md parcel, and | forgave
it, and left it 10 its perverseness from
that time onwah.
When | reached the church | was im~
mediately seiUd upon for something
they called the grocery counter an in
novation brought about by the advent
of a well-to dogrOcer in our midst.
widower, a stick raiser, and man al
hicted with may maladies OF which he
loved to talk. He had generously sent
down from theeity, in round packages
and tin cans, iamples of } Is aYal aoie
goods, and proposed this grocery corner
to the young ladies', which they despised
and would have none of. The grocer
himself found hyor in their sight. They
fitted about him, filled his button holes
with bouquets, his pockets with bonbons;
they looked up in his face and tried TO
talk to him, poor children as best they
could. But they appealed te me TO take
the ugly counter, with its sordld pound
packages for home necessity, and took
it with an i'll concealed avidity. The
truth was, a kind of heart sickness seized
me when | thought that the evening
must be passed in making myself gen
orally agreeable, and | ielt that to wan
der about this place, distorted out of its
sweet SAVIOR of goodness and quiet rest
so dear to a weary Sul-to wander about
among the flags spd wreaths and tents
and arbors, ssssshesAnile for one, a nod
for another bthe pretracted and
agonizing pilgfiEage of lost sou! be
yon1 the borders oIthe Styx
So | speedily pui myself behind the
counter, which cOmfortably hid more
than half my tall, aunt figure, and was
so glad Of the shelkr that | found my
SELF becoming interested in these despised
articles piled up before me. [ de-
termined, if | could TO make my mission
a success, so that l and other poor
weary women might have this refuge to
fly to in these galaseasons Of misery.
The successful grocer, who had not
been very well pleased with the open in
gratitude for his bequest, took heart and
frightened up when he saw me giving
an air of smartness to his goods. He
extricated himself from bevy of Young
and fair ones, and came graciously over
to help me. In sheer gratitude l began
to praise his young colt that was pastur-
ing in field adjoining our gar,ien, and
he remained with me. Shortly after,