The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-05-18

WAS lHJtUueu lOT u uDllltStlC lie, us
her eyes fell upon the three harum-
scarum children in their torn frocks
and mischief-the children who might
have been her own but for their moth
er's double-dealing.
If Deacon Brickett could have seen
the manuscript of Mr.. Miller's sermon
as he reflected in his study that even
ing, he would have supposed that the
words, "Come again, dear dream"
scrawled on the margin, referred be-
yond a doubt to the dream of Jacob
when he saw the angels of God as
cending and descending.
X y X X 4 X
"Them there Miller boys be enough
to drive you to glory, an no mistake"
declared Jane, a few weeks later. 81
wouldn't be their mother-no, not if
you'd give 'em to me-"
"They're not mine to give" said
Miss Prue. "What have they done
now?"
Ozone? They've gone and broke
the peahen's eggs, to see the little pea
cocks, sure's your alive. They expected
to find EN- full-tledged, long tail and
all. Amy's gone home crying"
"And where are the boysT'
"Mr. Miller, he's going to send 'em
to bed without their supper, and serve
'em right. Their mothers shiIked all
the bother of EN-, sure enough
without their supper poor
things.' tried Miss Prue. "Why, its
only 3 o'clock of a summers day. L
remember when l used to be sent to
bed by daylight when l was little and
naughty, and it always seemed to me a
horrible injustice. Jane, run over to
the par. onage, and tell Mr.. Miller he
will do me a favor if he will"
"Baste 'em soundly," put in Jane.
Jane how inhuman He will do
me a favor if he will let them off this
time"
"Now, Miss Prue, if you'd write it
yOurSelf-sure's you live-eXcuSa me,
miss-but 1 ain t got the face to carry
that there message" And it so hap
pened that the Rev. Austin Miller
found himself dreaming ver a per-
fumed note, in his study, while his
sermon on "The Mistakes of a
Christian " lay forgotten before him
dreaming of the first note he had ever
received from Miss Prue, fifteen years
or so ago, the words of which started
out from some hidden corner of his
brain where they had been sleeping
unknown to him dreaming of the
dewy evenings in the rose garden of
the old parsonage, where he studied
Divinity and she taught the children
their A B Cs; of moonlight nights
on the river together, and spring
mornings in the woods hunting for
the first wild flower; of Sundays, when
they sang together in the choir; of
their stroll home through green, sweet
scented lanes. The thousand and one
dear hours they had spent in each
others company passed before his
minds eye like some beautiful panO'
rama. lie wondered if, indeed, he
was the hero of those dreams, if he
had ever been SO happy. The first
parting, the first arrangement, wrung
his heart anew, as if they had hap
pened only yesterday. What a foolish
thing their little quarrel looked like
to-day, seen by the light of years and
knowledge-such a tritle, but with
such large results. Yet he had been
the first to make an overture toward
reconciliation, thank God! If she ac-
copied his overture she was to write
and say so, but nc word had come to
him in reply. What DAYS and hours
of dark suspense lifted their shadows
before him; how the whole world had
seemed bleak and Improbable with
out her And in a season of weak
ness, when his wounded heart could
bear no more, he had accepted the
sympathy and comfort nearest at
hand, and had finally married Lefty
Carew, because she loved him, only to
wake up one day to find that he owed
al his unhappiness to her. Miss Hill
dreth had indeed answered him, had
given Lefty the letter to mail-they
had been intimate friends in those
days, intrusted with each others heart
beats-and Ketty had detained the
missive that would have healed the
breach. How did he know this
Years after it tumbled out of a drawer
of old letters, and confronted him with
its familiar address. Miss Carew
thought she had secured herself for al
time by burning Prue's letter, but She
had tossed the wrong envelope into thu
CRATE. Austin Miller had lived his
sorrow over again after this discovery
he had walked with it and wre tee
with it without getting nearer happi
ness, and had long ago made up hi
mind to do without it. But he had
thought it due to Prudence Hildretl
tie send her word that by an accident
her letter had come to hand about five
years too late; he said nothing OF
Letty's share in the matter, but Pru
dence understood all. These memorie
had been revived by Prue's hasty not
asking him to forgive the children foI
, breaking up the pea-hen's nest! He
children, too He looked at the clock
3D.. he had been idle two whole hours
"Of what wa he t%hinking?" he aske.
; himself; "where was he drifting? a.