The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-12-14

doing 50, and then hesitated, with q painful
doubt clouding his brow. In truth he had not |
something seemed to trouble and vex him, and
he would remain silent and lost in thought for
almost hours while they were together. But
on the day of his departure his face frightened,
said, with a great deal Of meaning in his
glance and tone: 81 shall write to you as soon
as l reach Boston, Rhody, and mind you
answer my lel tersoon." But the letter never
came. Now the buds were swelling in the
April sunshine; fishing boats were rocking on
the water; the women gossiped with each
other In the open doorways the happy young
people looked forward to days that were
coming; the sad young and old people remem-
bered days that were past. The sunshine
painted pictures of them. The birds and wind
and sea sang and talked about them.
To Rhoda everything was alive with Toms
memory, and one soft, lovely morning after a
rain, when a light mist lurkedin corners of the
violet sky, as il Nature were drying her eyes
on the arrest Of handkerchiefs, she walked up
to The Fernald cottage and presented Cynthy
Ann with a folded envelope which contained
all the little hoard OF money which she had
saved from childhood, saying in a choked voice
that she thought it was time to think about
the monument now.
Cyuthy Ann face become fairly radiant.
" Pm glad you've come to be so right-mind-
ed" said she. "Pa he's bigoted m sot ag'inst
it yit. But there's no need o. sayin' anything
about 1t to him tell the stunts all bought m
paid fur, N ready to be sot up. He won't hev
ter do without no worldly comforts by no
means, ez Uncle Lysarnder hes Jest sent US a
little present o. money. 1t come Jest like
Proverdence by mail when we wuz a-talkin'
about the monument t'other day, marin m l,
m no name to it at II. What do We think
about the verse, Rhody2 1t h I'd orter be some
thin ! solemn m warnin', l s'pose."
But Rhoda had al e :dy slipped out Of the
door. She was in no mood for talking 10
Cynthy Ann. She had felt assure OF TOMS
dea h for some time, but conserving to the
m ,nument seemed like formally giving him
up, like preparing for his funeral. But it was
all she could do for him now, and it was fitting
that the stone should be raised in his memory,
though she dreaded the talk it would occasion
and the mournfully festive scenes which would
be enacted in the tburying-lot."
The next day Mrs. Fernald and Cynthy Ann,
accompanied by Seth Smallidge, a brisk little
fisherman who resembled o saud-peep in black
Clothes, drove over to the Port, and after a
great deal of pickering and consultation, of
waiting and doubling, and delight and depres-
sion, made the purchase of the monument.
Cynthy Ann carrisd the money in the toe of a
Sunday stocking, an ordinary pocket-book not
being considered sufficiently safe, AID both
Mrs. Fernald and Seth assisted her in counting
out the sum required to complete the pur-
chase.
"Well, guess Peters Charles won't look
much compared to this, but Pm disappointed
that it carn't be sent home before Tomorrow"
said Mrs. Fernald, as they drove homeward to-
ward evening.
"rhere amt nothin' like it in the place, but
pail grumble about the cost. We sha'n't hear
the last OF it for nobody knows when, pas jess
so bigoted,' groanei Cynthy Ann, a shadow
clouding her shining countenance.
Early the next morning the monument, tall,
shining and splendid, was brought over to the
Point, Toms name and age, and the suitable
and solem verse from a hymn which the
minister himself had ''picked out" engraved
on its surface, and was deposited on the
ground in the little family lot. In the after
noon is was to be set up with appropriate cere-
m mics.
Nrs. Fernald and Cynthy Ann were out
falling into raptures over it, as ia shionable city
W men would have fallen int , raptures over a
newly-imported Paris gown, when pa, who
had been ''settin' in the store" came strolling
homeward along the path which led through
the orchard. As the stupendous column of
white marble met his eye, he stopped short
with wrath and asst mishment. "Well, eff this
amt the set-tiredest piece % work lever heerd
tell aboutl Heave me overheard eff rll STAN
SIGH nonsensel Here you've bin a-buyin' a
stun ez big m grand ez Bunker Hill Moni-
ment for a Twin boy, to say nothin' o. the
ridickiIousness of sich consumed poor folks
a-sportin' s CHI a thing. Els wuth more'n the
old house m the lot O. land m the nets m
fshin'-boats al hove t 'geth r., m you've bin
m spent all Lysander's money, m Rhody's
too, IIlbe bound, eff she wuz fool enough fur
ter give it ter yer, poor gal; m drank currant-
leaf tea with merlasses fur sweet'nin', M
pinched yerselves on 1njun bread without no
butter, till ye're ez lean m ugly ez two
witches. Winters a-comin' bime by, too, eff
tits spring now, m my fishin' won't amount
ter much this year. Pm a-gi tim too old'n
stiff ter go out now; FOLKS hez too much
git ter he seventy, m Seth Smallidge hain't
got no more backbone then a jelly-fish. Els
good luck eff We don't all starve ter pay fur
his. | tell yer Tom amt dead, %nuther; l
know him a go ID deal be tern you wimmen-
folks did, hat never cared nothin' about him
but ter s uf him with verses to sh wv nff ter
the parson with, m ter starve him inter sayin'
the herrin' wuz ez good ez roast beef; m |
know he amt the kind ov a Teller to git
~drownded frum a wrack ser dretful easy; nor
ter give in m cast anchor ashore, less suthin'
more'n common tackled him."
so, pa, how you do discounternance Prov
erdence!' sobbed Mrs. Fernald.
"~Discounternance Proyerdence or not, l
won't hev that there monument put up in my
lot. 1 reckon Pm master here while 1 live,
whuther or no. When Iheave to, though Pm
hopin' that won't be till my boy comes home''
with a little softened culver in his wrathful
voice-"you1l cut up eff yer think fit, ov
course, but while 1 hev my senses that there
thing will be out of sight. l may swoond or
lose conscientiousness, but eff yer set it up
then, Ill hev it hauled down agin ez soon as /
come to myself, m so there's no use talkin'.' -
And so it proved. The tears and remon-
strances of his wife and daughter only caused
the old man to be more set in his determine
ton. The S 'lemn advice Of the minister, who
was called to the rescue, was without avail.
"Ef they had boughta small, reasonable stun
l wouldn't ha' made no objection ter their put
TIM on it up, parson, eff it would hal given ZEN
no sa' isfaction, though Tom amt dead" he
said; ''but that moniment-Lordyi t would
ha' shamed the hull place!".
So the nun was hauled into the wood
shed, placed prone against the wall, and GOV
cred with an old rag carpet, instead OF over
ing proudly toward the sky, and attracting
the admiration of all b.holders, as Mrs. Fer
nald and Cynthy Aun had fondly anticipa' ed,
and was me | Toned no more in the household
for a long time. Early in the autum ! Cynthy
Ann and Seth Smallidge were married, and
Seth came, bringing his worldly effects with
him, to dwell in the Fernald cottage. As the
old man predicted, the winter proved to be 6
hard one, and at times food was scarce in the
household. Seth, who never was known tc
have good luck, went off to the Banks on 6
fishing voyage after the honeymoon was over
but soon returned with a frozen foot, and
spent the remainder of the winter by the fire
side, doing overa pile of ancient newspapers
But toward spring, when pa was attacked with
his annual spell OF rheumatics, and fortune
seemed darker than ever, another gilt OIL
money came from LYsander.
"S'prisin that Lysarnder should be so lib'ral
fur ef he is rollin' in riches, he's got a famil,
ov his own ter look after, m he's only half
brother to me, %nuther, m used ter be mod
rately tight till a spell ago. Strange ne dom
write nothin' whel he sends the money, too
The fust time he sent any he kinde limited the
we'd orter be obleeged ter him in two hui
pages. 1t seems now ez II it come frum tn,
Lord, eff I am a miserable sinner, IN dom
make no greet effort to keep clear o. Sa an
But the Lord knows Pm thankful, anyhow
said the old man from his sick-bed.
Time rolled on in much the same fashion a
Herring Point. Three more tempestuous win
tiers beat about the little hamlet, froze the sci
spray on to the window-panes, drove wreck
against the shore, and pinched and d~esolatet
the homes of the poor. -Four still, fair sum
mers stirred the sleepy scents of the PIN
woods, ripened the berries on the hills, openeC
the brilliant flowers in the salt marshes, ant
bronZed the cheeks CT the fisher-folk with H.
hot glad sunshine. Life seemed prosperou
and peaceful at this gracious season.
Seth Smallidge was still unlucky, but pa, II
spite of his "human n~atur', ~ his seventy fou
year, and his ''sPell o. rheuInatics,' continues