Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-12-13

" Five wears since that winter IN the
log sehCol,house. when Mr., Gray taught.
isn't II, R,cbelf" saws Tom, ono r',l
Ing in NAV, as they two eAt down On the
step leading to the porch,
AYES live years tho 2bth OF last
March sines he lett" answered his sis'
ter "why, Tom, whht made you think
OF himf'
Why, I heard to-day that he was
QUO Oi the LAWYERS IN that great case OF
Aaun lers against Saunders, that IL to be
tried this term Of court Twill DO glad
10 see him, won't your
Eyes" said Rachel slowlyi "but !
expect he has forgotten u.s."
Al tho same hour, q young man ol
twenty i've ~ six was sitting 10 room
of hotel IN Mayw,o,l, the village whcre
Rachel had gne to school, Just two
miles from her home and he, too. was
thinking OF that winter five years ago,
NJ must run ont 10 SIillman'H" he was
saving TO himself. "Wuat q eurmudgeon
the old fellow Was 40 awful hard on his
children / aud that girl with tho ireekles
and funny n0sr, how bright she was,
and what eyes ahe had, They iairy
talked. Yes. | II 90 out there. sure"
Tom hurried into town ntSt morning,
He told his father he would not "miss
that trial for anything" iIo did noi
return to dinner, and II was evening
before he put in an appearance, Thou
he was brimming with talk, He had no
much TO say abont tho trial. II was
going TO be tho big thing OF the term,
"ThouSanda OF deilars involved" he
said, 'and great Interests at stake, And
toll you, father" he won't on, "that
fellow Gmy, who taught here i've years
ago, you know. ho y In tho casc, aud
cuts q figure, too. | went NJ and spoke
10 him. He remob bcred me right of,
aud asked about the girls, He y com
ing out with mo tomorrow evening, II
he eau get OF"
Rachel Ia restless all night, aud, mex,
dav. Susy asked more than once
'What ails you, Rachel you Adgct
so.'
Bnt, when evening comes, ale enters
tho pretty parlor where Susy ind Mrs,
StiIlman are entertaining the guest in
a perfectly aclI.possessed panner, and
says, IN she extends her hand {:
'Good.evening, teacher. How goes
the battle with Apollyon 2
And tho young lawyer springs to his
fees, grasps tho outstretched hand, and
eXclaims
'Rachel' Is is possible 2
Aud holds her hand, and looks in her
eyes, until Susy laughs, and MIS-. Sill.
man says ai,erwaid ho fell in love thea
and there.
However that may have been, II is
certain Mr.. GRAY develops wonderful
in,eres, in the 'Slillman district during
his STAY in haywood. The trial is long
aud tedious but he is the most patient
OF lawyers and, when some of the otner
members OF the bur propose holding
night sessions, to harry matters up n
little. he opposes il earnestly.
IT o hard on the judge who is an old
man, he says. '
who would have thought Rachel
could have made such woman ?" he saiG
to himself. No wonder could never liud
n girl to suit me, when she has been my
id al
You SEQ he was trying to persuade
himself that winter five = ars ago and,
perhaps, it was true. May be those eyes
had held him. At my rate, he saws they
did and, when they drew him back to
Stillman's, time and time again, he sue
ceeded in making Rachel believe it
and at last, with the key OF promise,
she let him out OF Doubling Castle
Let us take one more look at the
Stillman homestead, two years later II
is Christmas. All the family are there,
including Frank and Jim Lansing, with
wives and children. Margaret is prettier
than ever, everybody says and, truly,
with the love light in her eyes as she
loo at her husband, with their boy on
his knee, she beautiful. Martha and
her husband seem content and happy,
with their two girls !; but Martha is del
icate, aud Jack Ryder does not get along
very we'll. He is not a money making
man, but honest and industrious. Susy
ind Tom are he life OF the gathering
Tom dec ares Susy is the flower OF the
Stillman flock, and makes her cheeks
like crimson roses, by telling the assem-
; bled family, that certain young farme,
neigh Dor agrees with him in his opinion
But directly she turns the tables on him
by asking him where that pair OF EN-
broidered slippers came IRON ? and
whom he bought that plain gold ring
for? 10 and his wife are present
also. There has been a reconciliation
II turn sout that Mrs. Sriilman has cor
responded with John all the time and
at last he came back, wise man, sc
changed, that old Mr.. Grant, bis wife''
father, thinks, and says, ANY woman
!. can get along with John Stillman, ii She
half tries
Only Elizabeth is absent. She mar
ried a minis er an Old lover, who. dis
heartened by Mr.. Stillman's autagonistit
, manners had given her up, and gone
West years ago. Returning on visi
. some six months before he had foun(
her faithful, as he had been, and it die
3 not take long to bring things rig It wher
I once Mrs. Stillman got a clew to them
So, when the minister's visit is ended
, his bride went home with him. Ther'
r is a letter from her in Mrs. Siillman'
, pocket, as she whispers to Rachel, who
owing to her husbands business, is {
late arrival
q When they are all seated at the dinner
table, the letter is produced, and read
/ and Tom saws it is most as good a
r hearing Lizzie talk All is gaytty ant
r good feeling But R.chel cannot enjo.
{ it,. She is thinking OF the mother WHIT
was not permitted to give her childrel
. one happy Christmas, and her heart il
full of bitterness Then her stepmother'
r voice aronses her. She has not heart
, her first words but this is what she il
8 saving nov:
"Forgiving as we would be forgiven
r being at peace with the whole world
that. think, is the true way to celebrate
4 Christmas
After dinner, Rachel and her step
5 mother 20 up stairs, taking with then
, r R,chel's baby, who rubs his eyes as
) he wan.ed nap. As she rocks him
3 coaxing him to sleep, they fall into
quiet talk over old times, and Mrs. Still
' man saws softly:
Q "Rachel, I don't think / need b
a ashamed to meet my old friends now
oron;sad vban she Law diving To he