St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-02-03

SbilIt. AL dS
Mary stood, before her return home,
waiting an instant i'll the hall, so quiet
and demure, with her dark hair parted
in an old, old fashion, and her sad lus
trous 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 sud
denly, and folded her with an impetu
Gus gesture in her strong white arms.
II love you" she whispered. 81 love
you. love you desperately ~
The judges own wooing was less
impassioned, when, some weeks after
ward, he left his smart horse and bug
gy at Mary's gate, and entered the
house.
II formed a very fav'rable opinion of
you, Mary" said this grandiOse per
sOnage, "a good many years ago, and
I've never had any cause to alter that
opinion. In fact, come in here to say
that | should like to have you come
down to my house in the capacity of a
rife"
There was grace, perfect self-re-
lance, in Mary's old fashioned man
ner, which relieved it from any impu
tatiOn of stiffness, as she answered, in
much the same words that she had
used in addressing Sam some time be-
fore, but with such different tone in
the ring of her clear voice: 81 thank
yOu, but that can never be-" And the
Judge drove away, amazed and disap
pointed, but most of all sorry for Mary.
Sam was the next clller. He had
Ia a,f hV,r0rNr of MarN-1S 70
He entered, timid and hesitating, and
sat for some time shifting uneasily
about in his chair. At length: "I-I
never cared for any girl but you, Ma
ry. II never COULD" he repeated,
earnestly.
And Mary answered, as she had done
before, "NO, Sam, don't believe you
ever could"
Sam drew his sleeve quickly across
his eyes. "YOu-you amt goin' to
leave the mountain, are you, Mary ?"
he gasped. ''You amt goin' to leave
the old mountain, Mary ?"
"Never" Mary answered, and, as
before, her tone quieted and consOled
him.
After what seemed a long time,
though the tears were still standing in
Sans blue eyes, 81 forgot, Mary" he
said, meekly. 81 came i'll to say
you're young yet, and handsome, Ma
ry-and if you had better chance
don't know what What we should
do without yOu-but if you had bet
ter chance-you-you mustn't-yOu
ow-Mary-"
There he paused. Mary did not
smile, but her heart yearned over Sam
as mothers might over child who
has tried in vain to be good and brave
and unseltiSh. And Sam went away
cOmfOrted.
1t was the third bleak winter since
meanwhile growing weaker and sillieI
with each successive season, but ever
faithful in his inquiries after his pen
sion at the Bloomington post Office
The Bloomington boys thought it q
rare joke to impress upon his mind that
the only reason why Miss Mary de-
ferred giving him her hand in marriage
was his continued inability to obtain
his pension.
'Jest wait till you get your pension
SAM" said Ned Hemingway, the store
keeper, delicately limiting on this point
land then see ~
And Sam doubted utterly at first
away down in his heart doubted al
ways but as he lent himself more and
more to the erratic fancy, it fired and
consumed his brain.
One night, from the alternate chills
and feVers which shook his frame, San
fell asleep. Instead of his lone dark
room, the road winding from the noun
tain to the village rose before his eyes
That road, usually so tortuOus anC
long, was straight and bathed in light
He traversed it. At the end a palace
gate, and at the gate a white winged
angel stood, his pension in her shining
hand. Sam gazed. Above those
peaceful wings was Mary's face. Sh,
smiled as she had smiled upon hin
long ago. He woke, and slept no more
that night.
With the morning he put on his wed
ding clothes. No doubt or hesitation
possessed him now. There was ter
rible exultation in his eyes. This tim,
he did not stop, as was his wont, a
Miss Marv's house The road dowI
the mountain side was tortuous an,
long. There was no palace gate at tn,
tDu HO ItHslOH- IOSt WHO W ditHtt
Sans face i'll this last instance of hi
ever-recurring disappointment say tha
look came over it which had neve
= been there before. He rested on tn
counter, and drowsed, and almos
tainted, but he would not drink. Thi
provoked unbOunded astOnishment
) Sans dying flesh craved the cup witt
an awful thirst, but Mary's eyes wer
stronger, and Mary's eyes seemed t.
be upon him, and he would not drink
at would choke me, boys" he trie,
to say, turning away weakly.
He manifested a desire to make hi
. will. 1t was a rare occasion at til
- Bloomington grocery.
, "It's all to go to Mary" he exclaim
ed, excitedly, "pensiOn, back pay, an
all" The last flame of the fever wa
l flickering and wasting in his eyes. H
, rested and dozed again. At noon h
started for home; at four o'clock h
), had traversed only half of the lionel
! winter road at the foot of the noun
t tain-it was sunset-he staggered an
t fell down. We shrink from the re
D cords of fates so sad. We need nc
n fear. One greater than we, and NOR
compassionate by far, comforts tn
/ death of his lambs when they fall i
), desOlate places. The pain in Sam
5 body eased. Across his mind fitted
n brief trouble.
: ~ wish Mary could know" he sait
5 ''that | wouldn't touch it-fOr he
4 sake" And later and more sOlemnly
5 81 wish Mary could knOw-that | seeI
= -nOw-tO understand. | seem-nO'
q to see"
e An old story tells of the prodigi
who wandered, and who came back t
V his fathers house; of the purpose, run
s ming through all the weakness and sill
| of tba uon1ar an6 STfferinu of our In