Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-05-29

searle had unexpectedly stepped int
, the possession Of the Sparle estat
with ltS old stone mansion, its ol
chard, aud outlying mellow Ian,
and tho income that had been rollln
up since the Searlcs first vet foot upo
Plymouth Rock Twenty years be
fore there had been no shadow ofsuc
a possibility, no dream Of II in An'on
mind or another's, Two healthy 1--we
barred the way against him, bnt deaf
bad effected n breach.
"What II mistake lIitly Thorn
made J people had commented lhes
hall dozen years, "Shc might hay
been mistress at Searle It'll il She,
had n mind to RISK marrying n poo
man. Folks get their comc,up,onc
in this world sometimes" with III,
usual charity commentators bcstov
upon the motives OF Others. Nobod,
had known tho true cause oi llilty,
refusal 10 marry Searlc, 1t had been
the town talk, to be sure--a riddl,
which no one had solved She had
not even conided her reasons TO hel
lover, lie would override them, she
feared, would call them absurd, and
only make her task more difficult, and
perhaps grow 10 hate little Tom
and sometime Tom might need his
goodwill who could tell Anson
Searlc had not borne his dismissal
with the for'itude Of an early martyr.
but he had sworn he would never ask
her twice to marry him, and he had
kept his word, But perhaps after
his anger cooled, and he watched her
year by year, some surmiso
that her behavior had not been die
tated by caprice or any pretty motive
grew upon him. aud obliged him to
render the tardy justice of apprecia-
ion. Aud Il pretty return Tom had
made her-speculallng with his en-.
oloyers money, and threatening the
amily pride with disgrace. Unless
i've thousand dollars were torthcom
ng, there vas only II fortnight be
ween him and ruin. And Tom was
twenty-five, They muSt save him.
Hiss llitty was one to stand by her
,uns where there was a will there
vas a way, and she fcllowed the only
'ay she knew. II Mr.. Searle, lumbl.
1g about Tor the reasons OF llittys
onduct toward himself had at length
upon the ew-having an
ltlmate knowledge of her fathers
i'll already--and if he had not been
ute heroic enough to forgive her for
'eterring Toms welfare to his own, (
must have found a grim satisiac-
on in the turn that fate had ordered
seeing the Thorne property shrink
g day by day, TIL there was hardly
ough to butter their bread-tiIl it =,
as plain that Hitty's sacrifice had .
Ell for nau yht. But when did ever :,
crifce prove futile ? Though it fail 7
its direct purpose, does 1t not en- I
ii the soul not only Of the one who E;
,ri6ees, but of all beholders? i
1t was near twilight of an autumn t(
that Miss Hitty put on her worn Il
met and went slowly, with a GER I'll
n reluctance, up the hill toward the tb
lrle mansion she pulled the brazen be
ocker timidly, and stepped into the OF
lse, that mi iyht have been her own, st,
! any beggar. The dead Searles tn
ked down from the walls of the M
en- hall with cold queslionings in T.,
ir pursuing eyes in the great pl.
wing room the wood fire snapped ,h'
b good will, and glnted gayly the
II bronze and ormolu, upon the In
int mirrors set in garnets, upon SIN
yellow ivory keys Of the old piano. or
on Searle rose to receive his guest des
flush Of surprise. are
s it-you -Hitty ?" he cried.- strt
~" edo
Yes. You did not expect me :" IN
expect you. No Have ! had bre
IN to expect you 2 and
We sometimes expect without n ms,
N. | have come-expecting you out
ant the favor 9th
favor :" ,
'es. 1t strikes you oddly that l '"''
ID be brought To beg a favor of 'u"
does il not ! Bnt there il 70 vi
friend upon whom can make ever
so sbadowy a cain rs upon you. Vi
ou think wonld ask anything of a''''
rbom ] hav. served $3.50 il If pare
u not in extremity 2 A
hope you will ask anything of wbe,
liss Ility anything you want" is m,