, 1882-05-26

graves III the church yard, WIN
crossed hands upon their bosoms, and
feet quiet from all earthly going to
and fro for eyermOre
Not that Hannah Gncidt was tired
in body, on weary with the toll of
household duty; for she was strong
of frame and her health was perfect,
as her hands were willing, 1t was on
her humble heart the burden lay, her
spirit that was worn with earthly
travail.
Twenty three years to day I've
been his WIFE" she muttered, "and
I've loved him well, and worked hard
and faithful to keep things decent,
and its come to this at last. Things
had been better says he, If he'd
married Miss Lester! "
Yes. that was what farmer Gneldt,
harassed by toll and debt, had said
to her that very morning; and it
seemed to Hannah like the confession
of a long repentance, forced from her
husbands lips at last. ....... ..
Poor mani | wish | could help
him." she sighed, leaning on her
broom beside the door. Il doubt
he's right about Miss Lester"
With that her eyes foil and rested
by chance on the door step ~
II can mend that, any how" she
said, land l have time, for work is
done" I '.
So she hung the broom up and
peeped into the oven, and set the
kettle on, and then, hooded and
shawled, crossed the fields to where
the farm joined that of Simeon Gray.
On one spot were men at work, and
stones lying about. .'.
Hannah Gneldt nodded to the old
farmer and he came to meet her.
/ want stone" she said. MAY
/ have one?" ... ..
"Iwish you'd take em ALL said the
farmer; "a lot of old rubbish. You
see Pm clearing away what they call
the old graveyard at last. Wife talks
to me o sacrilege and disturbin'
bones Bless you, there amt been
none for years and years; and these
hard times man can't let land go to
waste. I tell wife she don't know
nothin' about it. What dye want to
do? Pave bit round the well?"
"No, want step,' said Hannah.
"That great white one is just the
thing" And she pointed to a slab
hard by. a''' ''..' ''-.''" ."' .
"Ike shall bring it over tonight"
said the farmer.
NO" said Hannah, II can roll it
alonglD. .............. ..u.at
q And her arms, strong as most
mems, went to work at once, and the
slab was rolled, and pushed, and
lifted on its way, 1t was toll for a
laborer, but it did Hannah good She
tugged away, pushing, and lifting,
and adding woman's ingenuity to
mans strength; so that at last it was
at her own door. There she let it
rest, and dug the old stone out, and
afterward brought water to wash the
slab with; white as driven snow, for
the most part, with some little yellow
weather-stains about the edge, and ON
one side the black inscription--a
name, line OF. eulogy, and dates.
Hannah stared with the curiosity of
one who cannot read 90 h'rG..H III
81 wish 1 could tell what that was"
she said Some ones name and age.
Ah, there We're sore hearts when that
was new, | hope when | die, Oliver
will. have written over me that / was
a good wife I've tried to be L
ought to know that big letter-wait a
bit, / believe it is Z.p'H sc,! 'H irui ,
Then she turned the inscription
downward and washed the other side,
clean and white, and fitted it into its
place -n1 I,-, I.,,,+.-,..r, =.
She received little credit for her
work. Oliver only muttered: :Jl.iu g..
'"You needn't have published the
fact that | couldn't afford a porch to
all the place" And no one noticed
the step afterward save Hannah when
she scrubbed itsloJ .->i .lst i.a1 81.
Matters were very bad at the
Gneldts'. Oliver brooded over the
fire in speeehless sorrow growing
grayer and balder with each passing
day. Hannah kept ruin off by max
ing a home of the poor house, and a
feast of the humble fare, by her
housewives skill She might even
have been cheerful but for the mem
ory Of that luckless speech.
un Working in her garden one day,
when the first spring grass was grow
ing green, Hannah heard footsteps,
and lifting her head, saw two gentle
men beside her, and arose precipitate-
ly with womanly anxiety about her
ankles, not strictly covered perhaps
by her cotton gown The nearest
gentleman, an elderly man with
bright dark eyes, addressed her:
4 Mrs, Gnetdt, I presume"
'-" Yes. Sir" I-r..I ...,.,..'
3, She asked him to walk in and he
did so, the other following. So .lo4 n.
In the little parlor they sat down
you are Mrs Hannah Gneldt,