River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-11-15
THE OUTWARD SEEMING.
BY FLORENCE R. HAL1owEL1

she took her spectacles frol. her nose,
and slowly replaced IN its envelope the
letter she had been reading to her friend
Miss Hepzibah Lackey. 'I think l
know my duty as well as most folks, an
givin' help to Susan Bayard an her chill
dren don't come under that head"
"But bein' as they're your own kin, 3"
said Miss Hepzibah, deprecatingly, ''it's
only natural for 'em to look to you"
"Let EN- look They'll take it out in
lookin.' | told Tom when he married
Susan Bayard that the day'd come when
| he'd rue it. She was alters spindlin an
sort O. helpless. But Tom was that
headstrong he wouldn't listen to nobody.
He spent his last cent in buyin' that
farm over to Milford, an. then had TO
mortgage it before he could start his
crops
1T was unfortunit his dyin' so soon,'
| said Miss Hepzibah, who was kindly
old soul. "Ef he'd lived a couple o.
years more he'd paid for the place an
left Susan comfortable. | shouldn't
wonder bat she's had hard pull these
two years to get along with those three
| children
Most likely she has. But don't see
| as I'm called on to shoulder her burdens
with her. Goodness knows I've enough
| already without lookan' out for any
| more"
ayes, your hands are pretty full
| that's a fact said Miss Hepzibah.
hear folks sayin' every day that they
| don't know what the minister would do
without you"
'"I reckon I've labored pretty faithful
in the Masters vineyard" said MISS
Sarah, ''if / do say it as shouldn't"
And You'll get your reward, Miss
| jenkins" said Miss Hepzbah, as she
rose to 90. "You can.allers take comfort
| in thinkin' that. But | do wish you
could see your way TO help Susan bit"
''She don't desarve help" and Miss
| Sarah's tone was decidedly acid.
| "She'd oughter have taken my advice
in the first place. | told 'em how i
would be, an it's come out pretty much
as said. ! told Tom she was too ever
| Iastin' delicate, an would break down
| in lessen five years. But he would
have his own way an marry her, an
now here she is laid up-iust as J SAID
she'd be-"
"Pitv they didn't listen to you" said
| Miss Hepzebah as she went out But
young foung folks is gener'ly mortal
| beadstrong."
Miss jenkins often boosted
that she never spent an ld,e
minute; and there was always
work of one kind or another for
her to do; but after her visitor had gone
| she sat for some time with Ter hands IN
| her lap, thinking over the contents OF
| rn,,aTxroH
Toms marriage To Susan Bayard, the
| orphan daughter of q man who, to use
| the expressions of his neighbors, had
| never been "forehanded," had not
| pleased his sister, who thought Susan
| far too delicate and dainty to prove of
| much help as the wife ola farmer OF
| slender means.
Tom. however had been very happy
| in his welded life, and had never re-
| GREETED his choice, as he took pains TO
| say to his sister whenever he wrote to
| her.
And Miss Sarah who wasn't RS good a
| Christian us she thought herself, and
| did not fancy being called false proph-
| ct, resented his happiness and allowed
| a feeling of enmity to grow up in her
| heart against Susan.
Toms death, seven years after his
| marriage, was terrible blow to his
wife and children, who were left almost
| penniless.
But Susan, knowing the way in which
| she was regarded by her slster-in law
| did not dream of calling upon Miss Sa-
rah for help.
Through the influence of a friend the
| Young widow secured the position of
| teacher in district school, and for two
| wears, on a very slender salary, had
| managed to keep the wolf from the
| door.
Then the mortgage on her home was
| foreclosed and long illness which fol-
| lowed her removal from the farm to a
small room in the village of Milford,
| made it necessary for the trustees Of the
i school TO provide another teacher in her
| place.
house provided Susan with money to de.
fray her expenses during her illness; but
| she found herself when convalescent ut
| terly pennless, and with three small
| children looking to her for support
1t was then that, with a heavy heart,
| she wrote to her sister-In-law, and it
was letter which ought to have called
| forth only sympathy and pity from its
| recipient, but which gave Miss Sarah on
| ~ strange sort of pleasure In being
able at last to say, 81 told you So"
AS she sat in her kitchen that warm
| July afternoon, the quiet broken only
| by the ticking of the large eight-day
clock and the soft purring of the cat by
the stove, she was thinking what she
| would write in reply; in what words she
| would remind Susan OF Toms declara-
ton that neither he nor his should
ever ask for favor or a cent at his SIS
ter's hands"
Tie clock struck four with loud
whirring noise, which reused Miss Jen-
kins with start FROM her reyerie, and
size sprang up, surprised and shocked
to find how long she had been idle.
"I'll let her wait awhile for my ans
wer," she thought. "It'll do her good
TO be in suspense bit. And | reckon
it amt too late to go after them lack
berries in the medder-lOt. First thing
know them pesky town-boys will be
after EN-, an WON'T get none for JAM"
She put on her sunbonnet, and taking
large tin pail from the PANTRY, went
out. She paused on the path which
led TO the meadow to look back at the
house, thinking 1t was very like Susan
had calculated on being asked to take
up her abode there.
1t was large, old-ashioned house,
with roomy chambers. wide fire. place 8,
and plenty Of windows. The grounds
surrounding it were we'll shaded, and an
abundance of flowers doomed in the
front garden. II would have been a
grand place for children to play, but
none had ever played thele since Tom
had been grown. The place had been
left to Miss Sarah by an aunt, and Tom
had no share in it. Miss Sarah, how
ever, bad cared for and supported her
brother, who was very much her junior,
until he was able to strike out for him
self; and she made him present Of five
hundred dollars when he attained his
majority. She Thought she had done
more than her duty hy him, and she
desired that he should pay her some
consideration in the matter of his mar
riage. She had never felt the same
toward him since, though she tried
to heed the old motto, De mortuls Nil
nisi bonum," whenever she spoke OF
him.
The blackberries in the meadow
were very ripe and large, and 50 plent-
eous that Miss Sarah had no difficulty
in filling her pail in very short
time. 1t occurred to her as she walked
homewavd that perhaps the minister's
wife might want to make jam. too, and
would appreciate the gift of few quar- s
OF berries, such as these. So, on reach
ing home, Miss Sarah filed smaller
pail with the fruit, and, starting out
again, turned her steps toward the vii
lage
81 look such a sight in this sunbon-
net, ] reckon I'd best go in the back
eha tborubt abe anpFO9c hp ed |