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

brief instant with his hand upon the old
knocker, as II nothing here had changed in
ten years. The sunlight would have shown
him traces OF decay, but in the gathering
dusk the house seemed pallid phantom from
the past, unchanged but lifeless.
But his knock at once destroyed all illu-
sions since il summoned the woman who be.
longed not at all to the past which he remem-
bered, but to the pitiful and too tangible
present. She held her guttering candle up
without word, and, having identified him,
made him, without speaking, signal to enter
When Farnsworth had left her in the after.
noon, Della orouched in the bottom Of the
grave she was digging, her first feeling being
an unreasoning desire for conoeament She
thought she should remain passive if the sides
Of the pit collapsed and buried her. In the
old days before her boy was born she had
been out night after night on the old wharves,
praying for courage to drown herself After
the child came, her feelings changed, and
she longed only to escape and to take her son
away from the scorn and sordid life which
surrounded them. Gradually she had be.
come hardened hers was one of those com
mon natures to which custom aud pain are
opiates, mercifully dulling all sensibilities
To-day tho appearance of her betrayer had
revivi6ed all the old impressions, and for a
moment seemed to transport her to the early
days when her anguish was new. The keen
est pangs Of sorrow stabbed her afresh, and
she lived again the bitter moments of her sin
and shame.
But habit is strong and presently the fad.
ing light reminded the sexton that her work
was still unfinished, and that Widow Petit
grove, who was past all earthly tribulation,
must have her last bed prepared. whatever
the woe Of the living woman who worked at
it with trembling hands and n sensation as il
demon had clutched her by the throat.
Yet work was not unmerciful it brought
some relief since il served TO dilute the
thought which rushed dizzyingly to her brain,
and by the time her toll was completed she
was steader. When she opened the door to
Farnsworth she was not unlike her usual stolid
self. She perceived at o glance that he had
learned who she was, and she hoped, in a
blind, aching way, that he had not betrayed
his presence to the neighbors, thus to re-
awaken all the old singing flight of bitter
words.
Farnsworth followed Della into the kitchen,
without even those greetings which habit
renders so involuntary that only in the most
poignant moments are they disregarded.
With their past between them it was not easy
to break the silence. Farusworth seated him.
self, and the woman stood regarding him
There was in her attitude all the questioning,
the agony of her years of suffering Her
wrongs and her sorrows gave her dignity
before which he shrank as he could not have
quailed under the most whitening reproaches.
Whatever words be would have spoken-and
no man can come deliberately to so important
a crisis without formulating, even if uncon-
sciOusly the plea which his sell. defence will
make-were forgotten, or seemed miserably
fv,a1 D.. >
woman, palld aud worn before her time with
privation, anguish and unwomanly toll 2 The
contrast between bis rich and careful dress
and her coarse garb, between his white
hands and her knotted fingers, between his
high-bred pale face and her cowed, weather.
beaten countenance, was too violent not to
be apparent to them both, AS il they were
in some strange way merely spectators look
ing dispassionately at this wretched meeting
OF those who had once been passionate low
ers.
With each moment the silence became more
oppressive; yet as each moment dragged by
it became more difficult to break the stiffness.
Only a man utterly devoid of remorse or
feeling could have framed upon his tongue
common place phrases at such a time It
seemed TO Farnsworth as if he were brought
to judgment before the whole universe His
throat became parched. He longed to have
the candle and the flames Pickering in the
old fireplace go out in darkness and take
from his sight the Nemesis that confronted
him.
He broke the silence at last with cry:
"Ah, my God, Della! What have done ?"
She wavered as she stood, putting out her
hand as If reaching for support. Then she
half staggered backward into chair.
There is nothing can say :" Farnsworth
went on vehemently. There is nothing
can do! / came here dreaming of making
reparation; but there is no reparation l can
make. There is nothing that can change the
past, nothing that will undo what l have
done to you. Oh. my God How little I
dreamed it would be like this -
NO" she said slowly, almost stupidly,
nothing can undo it"
why did you not tell me p he began.
Why"
But the words rebuked him before they
were spoken. He buried his face in his
hands, and again they were silent What the
woman, this woman iwho had never been
able to think much, even in her best days,
and now was blunted and dulled almost to
stupidity, what she felt in those bitter mo-
ments who can tell ? The mans soul was a
tumult OF wild regret and unavailing remorse.
while she waited again for him to speak.
But" Farnsworth said at length, a new
idea seizing him, but the-our child, Della {?
The boy;'
A shuddering seized her Unused to Civ
ing way to her emotions, she was torn by her
excited feelings almost to the verge of con.
vulsions. She clutched the arms of her
chair aud set her teeth together. In her in
coherent attempts at thought as she delved
among her graves there had occurred to her
the possibility that the father might some
time take his child from her. Now this fear
possessed her like physical epilepsy
Twice she tried to speak, and only emitted q
gurgling sound as if stranglng. He sprang
toward her, but sudden repulsion gave her
self control. She put out her hands as if to
ward him of
"Oh, my boy, my boy !" she cried, break
ing out into hysterical sobs. "My boy, my
boy !"
She wrung her hands and twisted them to.
gether in fierce contortions which frightened
Farnsworth but she still would not allow
him to approach her. She struggled for
composure, writhing in paroxisms dreadful
to see.
"Oh, my child !" she cried out, in tone
new and piercing mo, no Not him Oh,
God You cannot have my boy !"
Farusworth retreated sharply.
He had not considered this. Indeed, so
different was everything he found from ev-
erythiug he had expected, that whatever he
had preoonsdered was swept out of existence
as irrelevant. He was confronted with cat
astrophe in which it was necessary to Judge
unerringly aud TO act instantly, yet which
paralzed all his powers by its strangeness
and its horror. He groped his way back TO
his chair and sat down, leaving the silence un-
broken save by her convulsive breathing and
his deep. drawn sighs,
All at once a new sound broke in upon
them, and the mother started to her feet.
HE is coming !" she gasped hoarsely. 81
sent him away; but he has come back. He
could not keep away, my beautiful boy"
Her face was illumined with love which
well-nigh trranshgured it. The door was
opened violently, and the boy came rudely in,
"a guant, rough whelp of ten summers, de.
fant, bold, and curious.
II knew there was something up" the
young rascal observed. with much self.com.
placency. II knew when you sent me of to
stay all night that somebody's funeral was
comm of, aud was bound I'd be here tc
see il"
Neither the mother nor the father returned
any answer. Ordinary feelings were so abso
lutely swept away that the woman did no
even remember that she should have attempt
ed to quiet and to excuse the intruder. Ever
the maternal pride which would usually have
been troubled by the impression the child
rudeness must make upon her guest was over