The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-11-12
THE PIECE THAT WAS LOST.
BY EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER.

BY EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER.
There was promise of capital hay day
so SllAs Rodgers decided, as he stood In the
back porch after milking, polishing his face
with coarse towel and noting the weather
signs between the Iubs. A capital hay day 1;
but d 'spell ,f weather might be expected
soon; for did not the almanac say, "A bout
this time look out tor storms2' SO all hands
were warned - he in readiness TO NOW the
lower intersale III the morning and !, Sc no
time in getting ri Il, for the intervale was
wampy after a rain.
The chores were done, the supper eaten.
Silas. vi it'll his chair tilted sgainst the wall.
was sleeping the sleep of the just, lille his
good wife pzltered about the kitchen, set
ting her sponge. beating up some '-iz grid-
die cakes for bre lkfsst, grinding the coffee,
and in dozen prOvident ways squeezing
out OF the tired day little heIp tor theSnor-
row. Reuben wenEtothe store tor new
scythe snath; Abner. the hired man, hung
over the BARNARD gate with the beloved
nine tbst tfisd the housewives soul, and
pretty Mistress Hetty wrinkled her fore
head and pricked her fingers over the new
dress she was trying t. make In the few
leisure minutes snatched from Homework
She made a charming picture in the frame
Of the vine wreathed window, her sleeves
still rolled above her plump elbows, the
bright hair drawn back from the rosy face,
which was turned full to the lamp "a she
threaded her needle, or paused to hEt some
Door deiuded moth away from the dangerous
flame that fascinated him. A charming
picture. but no one to look at 1t; for the
p eat Norway pine held up ascreen OF solid
blackness between. the window and the road,
: even it any belated treveler had CHANGED to
pass that way, and only Hetsy's white cat
crept stealthily along the top OF the gardeE
fence with murderous designs upon an un-
timely brood of chirping birds in the cur
rant bushes Only this-ah, beware, Mis-
tress Hettyl evil eyes are looking at you;
ewes from which even a heather mother
would cover your lace with her hands, and
breathe a PRAYER to break the unholy spell
thew might cast upon yOu-a womans eyes
.peerng IRON the thick jungle OF lilacs and
ssvringas so near it seems a. If Hetty must
feel them. But Hetty feels nothing, sees
NOTHING. but the troublesome dress; and as
the perpIexing ruffles are conquered one by
one. her heart grows light, the little frown
smoothes away, and Hetty begins TO sing.
What a sweet voice she has! IL reaches the
tired mother. and lightens her heart too. Ii
wakens her father, and then lulls him pleas
antly ID sleep again. Now Abner hears 1t
aud draws his hickory shirt sleeve across
Ms ewes: and that watcher in the green
stangie-who can guess what she thinks or
feels as she sinks down with her chin upon
her hands, and her face quite in the dark,
and listens 10 the palmetto story of "The
Ninety and Miner" Hetty herself Is not
half conscious OF the pathos with which she
bewails the lost one,
.Away on the mountains bleak and bare,
@Avay from the tender shepherds care.
and goes on through the tender $ .ory to the
Anai rejoicing when the Shepherd bring:
hack his own. She is still humming 1t hit
-tuilv over and over when her mother open:
the door of the sleeping-room and bids bel
oo to bed. and not ruin her eyes with sewing
by lamp light.
sJust a minute" says Hetty; ''as soon a;
= I finish this sleeve And the minute:
Glide on and on, the sleeve Is finished, held
IN and admired, and Mistress BETTY takes
of her shoes and slips softly upstairs to bed
She does not even close the window. Wha
= sheuld come into the house unbidden save
the eat and the cool nigh ARR Everything
Ia silent The neither bird broods her LITTLE
ones securely, unconscious OF the. crue
ewes near by, until REUBEN comes whistiin!
along the road, and, boy-hke, stops to shy
some at the tempting white mark on the gar
den fence; the prowler leaps away with on
hounds over the wet grass, and tragedy
ayerted with nothing to show for 1t bu
dInv tracks upon tue piece OF "factory
spresd. out to bleach. BY and by there Is
stir In the lilac Jungle; woman come
cautiously outot her hiding, and steals ava
to the barn The COWS are lying here an
there under. lifelong shed, sleeping. perhap
in n cows uneasy fashion, but with certal
ar cf netherIiness and content about then
Aar AZ come
as s6e threads her way among them. enter
the harm mounts the scsfiold already we
allied with the sweet new hay and Is 500
asleep. hearing now and then broken twl
tor from the restless swallows under II
caves. or perchance faint sweet voiC
singing, with lingering pity In Its ton
..sick. and wounded, and ready to die"
Who can tell when the summer day b
o;ns9 One instant dusky silence, coo
moist and fragrant, hanging over the NIL
The next burst of song ftom some tree-to
csnobt up from a hundred green covert
swelled and repeated and prolonged In
mad chorus that presently settles again In
s;lence. Then the slow stir OF life, awake
ing. the hustle among the poultry, the lo'
inS of some impatient COW, or the steaf
sound of her companions nipping the shol
iuicy grass, the unwilling creak OF rhe
matte pump handle, and here aud there I
dull thud of an improvided axe prepsrll
the kindling for the kitchen hre-
The day was well under way in Sill
Rodgers household before the majority
his neighbors mad reached this point L
cows were MIXED and turned into the gre
lane to make their own way to the pastu
the steady "c-r-r-r-r'' of the grindstone al
the ring of steel told that the moments
fore breakfast were being made the most
and even at table there were few wor
spoken, and no useless lingering. But aft
breakfast Silas Rodgers took down