The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-04-23

locking the door, and felt her way
through the little entry.
There is always something ''uncanny"
about going alone at night into dark
and shut-up house. Every person of
the best regulated minds experience a
vague suspicion of something behind
them, sense of possible ghostly hands
about to clutch them in the darkness.
Nabby was woman like Mrs. Edmund
Sparkler, with "no nonsense about
her ;" but nevertheless cheerful tale
she had read only yesterday about q
| burglar and a lone woman, kept coming
into her head, and she carefully avoided
the blackness of the corners and the
pantry door as she CROPPED around the
kitchen for a candle. Of course the
fire had gone out.
"Two heads are better than one, if
one is sleeps head" Nabby might
have been heard muttering out in the
woodhouse, as she stopped painfully
down, picking up chips; by which orac-
ular utterance suspect she was think
ing what a good supply of kindlings
Josiah always kept on hand for her, and
how much more comfortable it was in
the old times, coming home to house
bright with light and warmth, and Jo-
siah's welcome.
For Josiah cherished the most pro-
found admiration for Nabby-an admi-
ration not unmingled with awe. He
thought her most wonderful woman.
She was just as beautiful to him now as
in the old counting days, before the
brightness and quickness of the black
eyes had degenerated into sharpness;
before the smiling mouth had acquired
its hard, frmly-set expression; before
there were any wrinkles in the smooth
forehead. People thought Nabby had
{ done we'll in marrying Josiah Gould-a
pleasant, good-natured young fellow
that every one liked, young mechanic,
not very rich yet, it is true; but with q
good trade and such wife as Nabby,
there seemed to be nothing to prevent
his figuring as zone OF our first citi-
zens."
Anybody can be somebody in this
country if he is only determined. But
that was the difficulty with Josiah. He
never was determined about anything.
He fell into the habit of drinking be-
cause he lacked sufficient strength of
will to avoid it. Then Nabby's sharp
words and his own miserable sense OF
meanness and self-contempt, of utter
| encouragement and despair, drove him
lower and lower into the slough OF
despond without effort or hope.
By beautiful dispensation of Prov
| idence, whenever poor, shiftless, good
for-nothing man is sent out into oul
world, some active, go-ahead little
woman is invariably fastened to him to
tow him along through and keep his
head above water. 1t is for the best,
poor fellow without her? At the same
| time, she sometimes finds it little
| hard.
| Nabby was ambitious and proud
spirited, willing to work hard to save
| to do her part-anxious to get on in the
world and stand well among her neigh
bors. The fact gradually realized, that
in her husband she had no support, only
drag and burden, and finally dis.
grace, had been a disappointment EN-,
differing her whole nature. To have q
| Ddlli blldu llO OllO ICSDSCUCNt, bIId
even the boys around town called IS
Could" was dreadful to Nabby. Per
haps it was hardly strange that she grew
hard and bitter.
Meantime Nabby had succeeded il
starting the fire, and, having changed
her dress, sat down to dry her feet until
the tea-kettle boiled. But even the
rudy light and warmth with which the
kitcI en- now glowed could not send of
the dreariness of the night. The rair
tapped with ghostly finger tip upor
the window-pane, and the wind howleG
and walled around the house like the
spirits of the lost pleading to be once
more taken back into human life and
warmth. Such wind stirs in even the
happiest heart vague sense of loss, O.
change Of all that goes to make up the
unsatisfactoriness of life. Dead sor
rows creep forth from their graves or
such cold nights, and stalk up and dowr
the echoing chambers of the heart.
Nabby could not help wondering
where Josiah was tonight. It was sc
lonely sitting there with no one to speal
to, listening to the moaning wind, the
creaking of the blinds, the loud ticking
of the clock.
The wind walled and walled, ant
Nabby thought and thought. The fac
of having freed her mind" to The
squire had relieved her long pent-ul
indignation, and now she felt more sac
than angry. Up before her seemed t.
rise picture of her life-the youthful
dreams and hopes, the changes and dis
appointments, the love turned int
wrangling. She even thought of JOSIAH
with pity. For the first time f" she pu
herself in his place." and realized how
impossible it was for one of his veal
nature to resist, unaided, the temptation
which would cost stronger will al
effort.
"pm afraid I've been a little too sharl
with Josiah" thought she, 'Pve sorte
took it for granted I was saint and b,
was sinner and scolded him RICH
along down-hill. A nice saint I am
AS proud and high-strung as Lucife
himself! Oh, dear!" sighed Nabby
ga pretty mess I've made of living! I
we could go back and begin over again
seems to me things would go better"
Just then there was faint noise. lik