Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-10-13

on the Top OF the n1ll, carrying IN one
hand tin can, in the other tin pail
and under either arm brown paper par
eel. / knew at glance that it was Dea-
con Glover.
"That Mr.. Gannet % he inquired
mildly, as he approached s'I want to
know! hadn't any expectation of being
kept SO long, but, you see, it saves the
women folks trouble to fetch things over
when I drive down. Step in, won't you?
I'll get in after. I'll jest hang this can
of kerosene lie on behind. Some dis
likes the smell-maybe you do. The
molasses and tea, and coffee can go under
| the seat as well as not. How's your
| health, sir, and how do you like New
| Valladolid?"
I answered that my health was good,
and that I had not as yet, seen much of
Valladolid the New.
"No more you haven't" said the old
gentleman. "Well, YOU II drive through
the old horse began to stumble along.
| And ON We drove past certain rows of
frame houses very much like each other
and with the same flowers in their front
gardens, until, having passed the church,
we came to one happily set about by old
oak trees, before the gate of which he
| drew up.
A girl stood at the gate--a fair girl in
blue muslin dress and white apron.
Take the molasses, Tilly, before it
gets upset." said the deacon. "This is
Mr.. Gannet, that's to preach for us.
Mr.. Cannot, this is my daughter lilly.
We bowed, and she vanished with the
parcels. e.s .at.
"What lovely little creature!" I said
to myself. "Nothing like Margaret, but
so pretty" And I found myself think
ing of her as [ washed my hands and
brushed my hair in the blue-walled bed
room on the second floor, and white
frlnged Counterpart and curtains and
two black silhouettes over the mantel-
piece, on either side of the china vases of
| roses.
There were only four of us at table
the deacon, his wife, stout lady who
never said more than she could help, and
lilly. She had spent the last winter in
New York, and we talked about all she
had seen. She was sef-possessed with
out being forward, and oh, so pretty-so
pretty! Now, Margaret was splendid
and queenly, SO this was mild praise that
she could not have objected to, only I
said it very often. I preached in the
church on the morrow; l preached on
| the next Sunday. 1t was settled that /
should spend the summer there. Iwrote
this to Margaret:
"Since you cannot be with me it does
not matter where [ am-this stupid place
as well as any other. Address to the
care of Deacon Hezekiah. Glover. I
shall board with him while [ stay"
1t was pleasant summer, despite the
dullness of the place. How good the
quaint old deacon was when one really
knew him! How motherly was Mrs.
Glover; as for lilly, she grew sweeter
every day. often wondered what Mar
garet would have said could she have
seen me helping herto pick blackberries,
to find the runaway cow, to carry home
the milk-pail, driving her over to the
country store and returning with a
freight of groceries-Margaret who
knew nothing of domestic details, and
whose monogrammed and perfumed let
tiers were often brought over from the
Office In company with the kerosene can.
L wrote my sermons at one end Of the
round table, while lilly sat at the other,
sewing. Between us was lamp with
green paper shade Now and then a
big bug would fly in through the win
dow and go flying about our heads. OF a
moth would try to SINCE its wings over
the chimney, and would stop and drive
it out.
The old people would go to bed after
a while, and then lilly and would find
ourselves hungry, and she would go into
the kitchen to find " something good.
[ always held the light for her. When
something good was found we ate it on
the back porch, sitting side by side on
the step like two children.
She was so like a child, that little Til
ly, that it seemed no harm to ask her to
kiss me goodnight or to hold her hand
In mine, as it rested on my arm, in OUT
long walks home from church on Sunday
evenings.
The summer passed October came.
Margaret returned to the city and wrote
to me. It was while we were eating
peaches and cream on the back porch
that evening that [ said to lilly;
81 will tell you a secret if you will
keep it for a while, lilly"
"Oh, of course I will, Mr.. Cannot"
"I am going to be married this fall,
Tilly," [ said "Those pretty letters
you always thought came from my sister
are from the lady who is to marry me.
She is very beautiful, very rich, very
stylish, but very kind. You must come
and see us, lilly, when we are married.
I shall tell Margaret how good you have
been to me-what sweet little sister I
found out here in New Valladolid. Why,
Tilly!-"
For as I spoke I felt the little hand [
held grow cold and heavy in mine. [
say her sink backward. The big china
bowl of peaches and cream slipped with
a crash to the ground and shattered to
| pieces.
[ caught the poor child in my arms
In moment she came to herself and
said that she had overtired herself, she
thought. They had been baking all day