Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-08-31

at TINS moment. Ho naBtened 10 SPEAK hBhln,
as il the sound Of his own voice were needed
to assure him Of the commences Of tho place
and scene.
"But how long has he been dead p he ask
ed "And his daughter what became Of
herr"
Tho grave digger Strengthened herself TO
her full height. brushing back her wind
blown hair with one grimy hand, she raised
her face so that her deep.set eyes were fixed
upon the questioner's face.
$50 you knew Della Grimwet? ~ sho said.
"When were you here before It'd go hard
for you to make her out now, IL it's long
since"
as she here still ?" Farnsworth persisted,
ignoring her question.
"Yes," tho sexton replied suddenly, sink
ing back into the unfinished grave as u fright
ened animal might retreat into its den. eyes
she lives in the old place"
"Alone?"
"Hor aud the boy"
He recoled a step, az il the mention Of a
child startled or repeed him. Yet to a close
observer it might have seemed as il he were
making an effort to press her with further
questions. If so, his courage did not prove
sutlici, nt and he watched in silence while
the woman before him went steadily on with
her nrduous work Presently, however, he
advanced again toward the edge Of the pit,
which was rapidly approaching completion
under her familiar labor.
"Should find her at home at this time 2"
he inquired. "Or would she be out at
work z"
"Sho's out most likely" was the reply
"Shell be home along about sundown."
Farnsworth fingered irresolutely moment
or two, as If there were many things con
cerning which he could wish to ask but, as
the woman gave him no encouragement he
turned at last and climbed the slippery, rag
ged path up to the church, untethered his
horse and drove slowly down the hill to the
village.
Cap'n Nat Hersey was Just coming out of
the village store, and to him Farnsworth ad-
dressed an inquiry where he might ind shell
ter for himself and horse.
"Well," the cap'n responded, with the de
liberation of a man who has very little to say
and his whole life to say it in, well, dunno
but ye might get a chance with Widder Be
mis-, an l dunno as ye could; but there amt
no harm trying, as / knows Of
Further inquiry regarding the whereabouts
Of the domicile Of the Widow Bemis led to
an offer on the part Of Cap'n Hersey to act
as pilot to that haven. lie declined, how
ever 10 take a seat in the buggy. The cap'n
had his own opinion of land-vchicles.
man might with perfect assurance trust him
self in boat but for his own part, the
cap'n had no faith in those dangerous struc-
lures which roam about with nothing better
than dry land under them. He walked along
by the side Of the carriage, conversing afTa-
bly, with the stranger under his convoy.
Isn't it queer notion to have woman
for sexton;' Farnsworth asked as they
wended along
"well, yes" the cap'n returned reflective
ly. "Ies, it is sort Of curious. Folks most.
y speaks Of it that comes here. II il curl
Gus, If ye look at it that way. But it all
come about rs natural as baruacle on a
keel. Old Sexton Grimwet kept getting con-
siderable feeble and Della she took to help
ing him with his work. She was sort of cut
off from folks, as ye may say, owing to hay-
ing baby and no father to show for it, and
she naturally took TO hegving anchor alone, or
leastways along with the old man. Andwhen
the old man was took down with languish-
ment, she turned to and did all his work for
him, Having gradually worked into 1t as
you may say
The cap'n paused to recover from his as
constituent at having been betrayed into 80
long a speech but, the stranger had the
air of expecting him to continue, he present
y went on again:
"There was them that wanted her turned
out wneu old Grmwct died. Some said
woman of that character hadn't ought to
have no connection with the church, even to
digging its grave. But Parson Eaton lie was
good for 'em-Ive always noticed that when
these pous men get their mad up they most
generally have things their own way and he
preached 'em sermon about the Samaritan
woman, and Mary Magdaene, and a lot more
of them disreputable Scripture won en- folks,
and though he never mentioned Della by
name they all knew what he was driving at,
and they wilted Twas a pitiful sight to see
the girl digging her own fathers grave up
there. Me and Tom Tobey and Zenas Fas.
ton took hold and finished it for her"
They moved on in silence a mOmentor two.
Farnsworth's gaze was fixed upon the dark.
euing bay, and no longer interrogated his
companion but the latter soon again took
up his narrative;
Twas well the parson stood up for Dele,
| too women folks is so cussed hard on each
other They wouldn't ha let the girl live, |
believe. l always were of the notion there
warn't no harm in Dele. Some - city
| chap got the better of her. She never was
| over.smart but she was awful pretty and /
never believed there was any harm in her
At any rate, she digs a grave as well as
man, and guess them that's in EN- don't lay
awake none thinking who tucked 'em in"
The house of the Widow Bemis was by
| this time reached, and that estimable lady,
| who in the summer furnished accommoda-
tons TO a boarder whenever that rare bless
ing was to be secured in Kempton, readily
undertook the charge of Mr.. FarnswOrth aud
| his horse for the night. The latter was given
into the care of her daughter, for the fire.
| quent absences of the men had accustomed
| the damsels of kemptOn to those labors
which in inland villages are more frequently
| left to their brothers and Farnsworth stroll.
ed of toward the wharves, leaving the we'd
| ow Bemis and Cap'n Hersey in an agony of
i - i'm r1 10 hipna n anH bia nd
| Whatever may have been Farnsworth's
| feelings at the discovery that the daughter of
| the dead sexton and the woman of whom he
| had asked tidings of her were identical, and
| they must have been both deep and strong, -
| he had given no outward sign. But now
the settling of his brows, and the disquiet
apparent in his eyes, betrayed his inward
conflict. He strolled out upon one of the
rotting wharves about which the tide Tapped
in mournful iteration, folded his arms upon a
breast high post and stood gazing seaward.
The retrospect which occupied his mind
| was scarcely more cheerful than the gray
| scene which spread before his oyes How
awful are the corpses Of dead sins which
| memory casts up, az the sea its victims The
betrayal of a woman is ghastly thing when
one looks back upon it stripped of the gar
lands aud entertainments of passion and
| temptation and to Farnsworth with the i'm
|
earth stained woman digging a grave upon
the bleak hillside, the fault of his youth
seemed an incredible dream which only
stubborn and stinging memory converted in
to possibility. A retrospect is apt to be es-
sentially plea for self against conscience /;
but in his gloomy revery Farnsworth found
scant excuse for the wreck he had made Of
the life of Della Grimwet. He had gone
away, married, and lived honored and pros
porous. He would have forgotten, had not
some nobility of his nature prevented. With
the stubbornness of his race, he had fought
long and determinedy against his conscience,
but he had been forced to yield at last. The
death of his wife, to whom he had been ten
derly attached, had at once left him free to
make such reparation as might still be posi-.
BILE, and had softened him as only sharp sor-
row can. He had come to Kempton with the
determination of finding Della, and of doing
whatever could be done, at whatever cost tc
himself.
He had been unprepared, however, for the
woman he found. He had left fresh, beau
tiful young girl ten years had transformed
her into a repulsye old woman. He had nc
means of adequately measuring the force oi
the storms of scom and poverty and sorrow