The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1881-07-02

fire made cheerful and bright. Grad
ually Mrs. Denton was led to speak of
her children, all now resting in their
narrow graves in the village church.
yard. She spoke of their uniform good
ness and love for herself, but said little
of her grief at losing them. Her voice
sounded harsh and strange to Miss
Keziah, who understood the effort for
control the poor woman was making.
"Poor soul you've seen sight o
trouble, know" the spinster said soft
ly, and she put her hands tenderly on
those of her guest, which were clasped
hard together.
There was a deep silence for few
moments, unbroken save by the ticking
of the eight-day clock In the corner
Then suddenly Mrs. Denton threw her.
self at Miss Keziah's feet, and broke into
bitter weeping. Hoarse sobs tore their
way from her breast, and her whole
frame shook with the violence of emo
ton. The restraint, the self-control of
years, was broken down. The heart,
burdened for so long, found relief at last
III passionate sobs and cries.
Miss Keziah said nothing, but tender
ly stroked away from the hot forehead
the thick hair grown grey with sorrow.
There was sympathy In every touch.
"You are so different from the rest, )"
said Mrs. Denton, when at length she
had grown calm enough to speak. "The
others who have come to me have driven
me nearly mad with their unmeaning adj
vice. Not one of them knew what I suf-
fered; no one could understand my
grief. When my boy, my Edgar, the
last of all my children, was i'll, no one
came near me-the disease was con-
tagious, they said / nursed him alone.
Alone [ saw him die, followed him alone
to his grave. Could I believe their words
of sympathy after that? All, Miss Ke-
ziah, words could give you no idea of all
that [ have suffered. One by one every
Joy of my life has left me. One by one
my children were taken from me, until
only Edgar was left. How I loved him
How depended upon him to atone for
all | had suffered. How / dreamed over
him. Idle dreams, fOreshadowing haI-
piness that was never to be mine. Then
he was taken, and / was left to sink into
despair. / wanted only to die, to join
my dear ones where no suffering could
ever touch me again. My heart yearned
for sympathy. l would have welcomed
it. But those who came to me came be-
cause they thought it thier duty, not
from love or kindness. Not one of
them asked me to her home, or tried
to make me forget my SORROWS in other
things. No, they reminded me of them,
and preached patience and resignation -
"They acted according to their lights, %
SAID charitable Miss Keziah. "They
have led easy, pleasant lives, and did not
know how to deal with sorrow such as
yours"
"But you knew, said Mrs. Denton, in
low voice.
eyes," answered Miss Keziah, "I
know, because | have suffered too"
They sat talking by the fire until near
ly midnight, and then retired to rest
Mrs. Denton, for the first time since Ed
CARS death offered up silent but earn
est prayer before she fell asleep. Her
heart was no longer hardened.
She did not go back to her cottage the
next morning as she had expected, for
Miss Keziah's rheumatism had been in
creased by her late walk of the previous
evening, and she was unable TO leave hel
bed. For many days she was utterly
helpless, and during that time was ten
derby nursed by Mrs. Denton, who also
made herself generally useful in the
house, and directed the work of the
farm with care and decision. When
Miss Keziah got well she was so much
pleased with the way things had been
managed during her enforced idleness,
that she made a proposition to Mrs Den
ton.
"Suppose you take the place of my
sister Jane" she said, "and stay right
along with me. Ineed somebody as you
see; and what's the use of both of us liv-
ing lonely when we can be company fol
each other as well as not? You'd take q
deal of comfort in Hetty, too. | believe
you love her now most as well as [ do. ,
"She seems like my own little Bertha
come back to me-" said Mrs. Denton.
"But O, Miss Keziah, L ought not to ac.
cept your kindness. have been so hard,
so wicked, so rebeliious, do not deserve
that such good should come to me-"
owe differ about that; but we won't
argue it" said Miss Keziab. 81 want
you, and you'd like to stay; so the things
settled. You're my partner from this
day on"
The next Sunday the good people Of
Denton in Miss keziah's pew at church,
and in attendance at prayers in the eve
ming.
How did you manage ?" asked Mrs.
Bliss, as she stopped Miss Keziah in the
vestibule of the church.
ooh, I asked her to tea, as [ said ]
was going to-" answered Miss Keziah
"and / guess the preserves kinder soft.
ened her up" and she passed on tc
where Mrs. Denton stood waiting tc
help her into the spring wagon.
Neither Miss Keziah nor Mrs. Denton
ever regretted having entered into that
partnership. As the years went by Miss
Keziah often wondered how she should
ever have managed the farm without
the help of the capable, energetic wo
man who had "taken the place of sister
Jane"
Mrs. Denton was never weary of work,
ing for the comfort and prosperity OF
the friend who had come to her in hel
hour of need, and led her out of the
slough of despond. And happiness
made her a different woman. She learn.
ed at last those lessons of patience and
resignation which had seemed so hard
and bitter in the first days of her SORROW.
Despair, rebellion and repining gave
place in her heart to hope and tender,
ness. She grew at last to have only
gentle, tender memories of the loved
ones who had left her, and she proved q
warm, iudicious guardian to little Hetty
when warm-hearted Miss Keziah had
passed away from earth.