St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-12-21
A Touching story of the Late
War.


"a strong face ? YOu may well say
that ma'am, and the picture don't half
do her Justice, either. | reckon it
would be hard to find woman now
like the one who owned that face, and
her life was Il story just like those you
read in books. If you don't mind I'll
tell you about her,",the old man
closed his eyes moment, as if he
would recall from his inner thoughts
the years long since passed, and while
he waited studied more closely the
face in the picture before me.
Many years must have come and
gone since the artist had given the last
touch to his work, but it smiled upon
me in such living way, and stood out
so plainly upon the canvass, that it
needed no word to tell that it had been
the work of a master hand. A massive
frame of heavy gilt that had grown
but little dimmed by time, and the
laces resting ut her throat, gave evi-
dence of wealth.
1t was Il young face, a strong face,
almost a handsome face, but its great
characteristic was intellectual force,
and intense will-pOwer. This gave her
il sort of fascination that held the OBJ
server who had seen it once, until he
must look and look again. 1t was not
the kind of picture usually found i'll
cottages, and seemed out of keeping
with the old man, who sat on the vine
covered porch, dreaming the autumn
days away.
| had lost my way in rambling
through the outskirts of TullahOma
tone of the lOveliest of all our New
England towns, and almost as we'll
known as Il resort, as for its college, J
and had stumbled upon this cottage
before | was aware. The old man,
venerable with age, and alone, attract
ed me. | asked permission to rest,
and while waiting for drink of spring
water my eyes rested on the picture |
have mentioned, and caused me to eX-
claim, "What strong face" He
was ready for the story, which | will
give in his own words.
"You see" he began, "we had been
married ten years, and never chick
or child had come to us. 1t was getting
sort o lonesome for us, to sit down
morning, noon and night, just us two,
and we begun talk of adopting Il child,
came. They were born Thank sgiving
morning, and though it is nigh on to
forty year since it happened, | can see
those two little heads a-lyin' on one
pillow, just as plain as if it had been
to-day. One was boy. That's foI
company for yon, Ephraim,' my wife
said; t'other was a girl, That's fol
company for me- she added. 'What
shall we call them ?
Something that means something,
| answered.
"'Just so | think she said. And
after thinking and talking and praying
over it, we made up our minds to call
the boy Welcome and the girl Thanks
giving. That's her in the picture, and
everyone III tell you speak the truth
when | say she was as smart a girl AT
ever drew her breath.
"WelcOme was always delicate, bu
she was strong and well and knew
more than any girl ever saw. W.
lived over the mountains, in a neigh
boring county, then, where schools
were poor, and children couldn't have
a chance to use their brains ; for, yOl
see, if body can't be taught how t,
USE IIltll lOS NOISC lIlttu ]
they didn't have them, for they jus
keep working inside with nothing t.
do, till they wear body out, body an,
soul. So, when the twins were tel
years old, | said to my wife:
'Samanthy, do you know wha
we're dOing?'
"'No, Epharim,' says she, and sh
looked up suddenly.
"'We're making idols of those bless
ed twins, and not doing our duty b
'em.'
"I've thought the same thing sh
said.
What's to be done p says |.
pray about it," she says. Saman
thy was wonderful woman to pra
about everything.
Something else must be done
says l.
"'What's that p
"'Sell this place, and move to Tul
lahoma, where they can have goo
schooling. Who ever knew a chill
to teach herself to read whe
she was three years old, like on
Thanksgiving? And we might bette
u starve their bodies than their mind,
for the minds last forever
= "'You're right, Epharim, you're a
ways seeing what must be done. We
sell, this fall"
And so we did, and we came to tn
very cottage, and settled down wbel
we could send 'em to school, and be
gan to take college students to boar
= Wife was good cook, and we SOC
had as many as we wanted. One
em was poor chap, who offered
teach TIN. twins I'm. liz hnnrh LIE ~.