The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-02-09

MIXED. Then Mrs. Denton remarked
that it was growing late and she must
hurry home.
"What's the need O. your goin'?" asked
Miss Keziah. "Ei've got four spare
rooms, and would be glad if they were
all full. Suppose you stay with me all
night ?"
Mrs. Denton hesitated. She thought
of her lonely, neglected house, peopled
with the ghosts of her dead childred, and
contrasted it with the bright, homehke
place where child's sweet voice made
music
"Do stay" said little Hetty, clinging
to the visator's dress.
This decided the poor, heart-broken
woman.
81 will, and thank you for asking me,
Miss Keziah. have not deserved such
kindness.
That night, after Hetty went to bed,
the two women sat and talked in the large
sitting room, which an open wood fire
made cheerful and pleasant. Gradually
Mrs. Denton was made to speak of her
children, all now resting in their narrow
graves in the village cemetery. She
spoke of their uniform goodness and love
for herself, but said little of her grief at
losing them. Her voice sounded harsh
and strange to Miss Keziah, who under
stood the efforts for control the woman
was making.
''Poor soul, you've had sight of
trouble, I know" the spinster said soft
ly,as she put her hands tenderly on those
of her guest, which were clasped hard to-
gether.
There was 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 frame
shook with the violence of her emotion.
The restraint, the self control of years,
was broken down. The heart hardened
for SO long found relief at last in pas
sionate sobs and cries.
Miss Keziah said nothing, but tender
ly stroked away from the hot forehead
the thick hair grown gray with sorrow.
"You are so different from the rest"
said Mrs. Denton, when at last she had
grown calm enough to speak. 'The
others who have come to me have driven
me nearly mad with unlaeaning advice
Not one of them know what L suffered,
not one of them could understand my
grief. When my boy, my Edgar, the
last of all my children, was ill, no one !
came near me-the disease was contagi- i
Gus, they said. I nursed him aloae, |
saw MIN uIe, anu IoIIoweu MIN
to his grave. Could l believe their words
of sympathy after that? All, Miss Keziah,
words could give you no idea of all that
/ suffered. One by one my children
were taken from me until only Edgar
was left, How loved him! How I de-
pended upon him to atone for all that
had suffered How I dreamed over him.
Idle dreams, foreshowing happiness that
never was to be mine. Then be was TAX
en-, and | was left to sink into despair. I
only wanted to die, to join the dear ones
where no suffering could ever touch me.
My heart yearned sympathy. l would
have welcomed it. But those that came
to me came because they thought it their
duty, not from love and 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 regis
ltion."
''They acted according to their Lights
said charitable Miss Keziah. "They have
led easy, pleasant lives, and did not
know how to deal with such sorrow 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 till nearly
midnight, and then retired to rest. Mrs.
Denton for the first time since Edgar's
death offered up prayer, before she fell
asleep. Her heart was no longer har-
dened.
She did not go back to her cottage the
next morning as she expected, for Miss
Keziah's rheumatism had been increased
by her walk of the previous evening, and
she was unable to leave her bed. For
many days she was utterly helpless, and
during that time was tenderly nursed by
Mrs. Denton, who also made herself
generally useful in the house, and di-
rected the work of the farm with care
and decision. When Miss Keziah got
we'll she was SO much pleased with the
way things had been managed during
her enforced idleness, that she made
proposition to Mrs. Denton.
Suppose you take the place of my
sister Jane" she said, ''and stay right
along with me. / need somebody, as
you see, and what's the use of both of
us living lonely, when we can be COM
pany for each other as we'll as not2 You
would take deal of comfort in Hetty.
too believe you love her now most
| as well as I do"
''She seems like my own little Bertha
come back to me-" said Mrs. Denton.
''But, oh, Miss Keziah, I ought not to
accept your kindness. l have been so
hard, so wicked, SO rebellious. 1 do not
deserve that such good things should
come to me-"