Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-04-10

tenderness and pity of her deeply
tried soul.
81 shall always be true to you,
Sam, she said. ''There are some
things we can't understand. We
must be patient. But that-what we
hoped for once-now-in this world
that, dear Sam, must never be l''
Eyes, Mary Sam answered,
sweetly obedient, thrilled through
and through by the touch of her dear
hand, s1that never must be-" And
he repeated the words simply all the
way home, ssthat must never be-" It
was all right, somehow. ''Mary
knew" But he folded the wedding
clothes and put them away that night
as one who should never need to take
them out again.
After this, the ruined life clunp
still closer to that strong and patient
one, and the little services which Sam
was accustomed to perform for Mary
when not suffering with the ague, OF
following after the fond hallucination
of his "pension" fetching of
wood and drawing of water-these
lost to his poor adoring mind every
base and menial quality, and were
like the offering of devotee laid
tremblingly at the feet of an angel.
And the time passed all too swift
ly for the work of Mary's hands.
Besides her ministrations to Sam and
her mother, her generous thought for
the wretched Travers family, the
name of Mary Ellsworth, for the gra-
cious help and sympathy which it i'm
piled, was known and loved in all the
village below, and in times of sick
ness, or sorrow, or added care, the
journey up the mountain side was
cheap which could procure day of
those coveted services.
1t was the affiiction of unexpected
company which had overtaken Judge
Holcomb's wifeless home and re-
fractory servants. Mary, with rare
firmness, established there in day
her universal rule of peace. Among
the other guests was young actress
from New York, the Judges niece,
blonde, handsome, magnificent. At
evening, as Mary stood, before her
return home, waiting an instant in
the hall, so quiet and demure, with
her dark hair parted in an old, old
| fashion, and her sad, lustrous eyes,
and her face breathing that ineffable
refinement which the calm endurance
of some hidden and exalted sorrow
alone can give, the dashing young
actress advanced upon her suddenly,
geesatuffe gea uffeiA9 fl 9efP fPsf ssftr6hgt we maPRfgElo maPg:
love you! !'' she whispered. II love
you desperately!'
The Judges own wooing was less
impassioned, when, some weeks af-
terward, he left his smart horse and
buggy at Marys gate, and entered
the house.
Il formed very fav'rable opinion
of you, Mary" said this grandiose
parsonage, "a good many years ago,
and I've never had any cause to al
ter that opinion. In fact, I come in
here to say that l should like to have
you come down to my house in the
capacity of a wife,
There was grace, a perfect self
reliance, in Mary's oldfashioned
manner, which relieved it from any
imputation of stiffness, as she an
swered, in much the same words that
she had used in addressing Sam some
time before, but with such different
tone in the ring of her clear voice ::
II thank you, but that can never
be-" And the Judge drove away,
amazed and disappointed, but most
of all sorry for Mary.
Sam was the next caller. He had
| seen the smart buggy at Mary's gate.
He entered, timid and hesitating, and
| sat for some time shifting uneasily
about in his chair. At length he
} said: s'I-I never cared for any girl
: but you, Mary, II never could" he
e repeated, earnestly.
And Mary answered, as she had
done before: '.No, Sam, / don't be-
4 lieve you ever could"
: Sam drew his sleeve quickly across
0 his eyes.
It ''You-you amt goin' to leave the
s mountain, are you, Mary?" he gasp
ed. ''You amt. goin' to leave The
p mountain, Mary?'
d 'sNever" answered Mary, and a.
l. before, her tone quieted and consol
O ed him.
o After what seemed a long time
It though, the tears were still standing
ic in Sans blue eyes:
a II forgot, Mary he said, meekly
g II came to say-you're young yet
N and handsome, Maryland if yo
le had better chance-I don't knON
J. what What we should do withou
90 you-but if you had a better chanc
d -you-you mustn't know
re Mary"
s. There he paused. Mary did nc
i'd smile, but her heart yearned owe
v. Sam as mothers might over a chill
s. who has tried in vain to be good, an
p brave, and unselfish. And Sam wei
ly away comforted.
o. 1t was the third bleak winter sine
10 Sans return to the mountain, and b
al noanwbile orOWino weaker and sill