St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-05-18

!
West, they say, right off. This ought
to seem providential."
SOPHIE was pretty, compact little
body, with jaunty air, that always
gave her the effect of being well-dress-
ed. Her nose turned up a trifie and
her mouth was large, can't deny but
if her mirror told her the truth about
these, then it was to be trusted when it
said that the curve and cOlOring of her
cheek were faultless and that her eyes
were all that any reasonable girl could
desire. Hadn't Fred BarrOws told
somebody that these same eyes were
the handsOmest in the town Some
how, at those times when poverty
pinched at home, or when IA primary
school seemed to her the furthest re-
move from heaven, that little speech
had proved IA wonderful consoler. Poor
girl don't grudge her the foolish com
fort. She needed it.
She had noticed, as she approached
the house that day, how much it was in
need of paint. As she stepped in the
back room, TO leave her Overshoes, she
saw that the coal-bin was very low.
On entering the kitchen, her mother
met her and showed her the doctors
bill. The girl smiled at this appropri-
ate climax; but it was "A smile that on
young face always fills me with fore
boding. 1t was still on her lips as she
went quickly up to her room. There,
in the cold, she threw herself on her
bed and sObbed bitterly for half an
hour. She was not heroic, you see
simply an everyday girl, crying over
| ,f l,a 1a n
| Nothing more was said that day about
the events of the afternoon but Simon
Powers sat that evening and the fol-
lowing days feebly turning over old
papers and transferring the contents of
one pigeon-hOle to another.
81 shall have to let Sophie take
hold" he said, at last. ~ don't seem
to make much of any headway."
"Yes," said Mrs. Powers, "the week
will he up in two days. Tomorrow
we must empty it out and rub it up
and get it ready. 1t goes hard, Simon,
but it's worth it to get you back from
the brink of the grave. You're feeling
better every day. Aren't yOuP The
| Lord hasn't given us up yet, Simon
! Powers"
81 believe you, Sally, believe you
| but don't you see it seems as if he had
taken me to punish you with, and that
amt what | like to he used for. I've
| thought about it, sitting here, and the
more | think the more | don't see
| through things. Poor mother! Have
y0u told her about the-?"
.No. not yet" said his wife, with a
troubled, tender look at the little
grandmother, who sat placidly in the
retirement of her deafness.
"Sophie," said her mother the next
day, '.your father wants you to begin
tonight to clear out the old desk.
We've got to let it go, Sophie"
Sophie set her teeth together, and,
after supper, she and her father sat
down to their task.
"Where shall begin, father p
Il don't know as it makes much of
any difference" he said.
"Herc are bundles of letters. They
are old-eighteen hundred and fifty
something"
Give 'em to me-" said her father
''Thev're your mothers letters before
we were married. "Here, Sally, take
'em. You've got mine somewhere. Put
'em together. That was IA long time
ago"
"Here are some tax-bills, father
Did You hear somebody knock, Rob
Go to the door
"It's that Barriers feller," grinned
Rob. '.Oh, Sophie O-o-o-h, Sophie y
"Mother, stop that boy. He could
he heard across the street." cried
sophie. flushed and distressed. She
went on hurriedly with her work, and
had succeeded in producing consider
able confusion by the time young Bar
rows had deposited his hat and over
coat in the little entry. The young
man greeted the family politely, but al
il first glance you would have said il
was the grandmother whom he haC
come especially to see. The little ole
lady was tluttered and pleased anC
warmed into talkativeness.
Il member your gran'father well il
my young days, sir. You're gooC
deal his build; remind me of him il
the back. He was pretty fond o. th'
gals, too"
Sophie's heart nearly stopped beat
| ing.
81 WONDER" the old lady continued
in her high quaver-''I wonder now
if you're the young man Sutfy wa
a-tellin' me about, the other day
l Suffy, what are you doing there t.
= your grant theirs desk ~
"She's helping her father straightel
out his papers," said Mrs. Powers
, coming to poor Sophie's rescue. 90
hope Mr.. Barrows will excuse her
she goes on. Mr.. Powers is in some
thing of IA hurry"
, 'That was my husbands desk" sal
Grandma, proudly ; land when h
died he left it to Simon. Pm for hav
e ing Suffy have it next but they wan
to give it to Robbie. Not till he's
good deal better boy N he is now
| though, | tell 'em. But Suffy's mic
= gal and she'll be getting married on
: of these days, and that desk will loo
well in her house. How well | mem
e. Der the pep'mints | used to keep i
p. that little cupboard. You see | coul
+ keep 'em under lock and key, ava
+ from the children. Many's the tim
t Granf'ther wOuld come home and sa
e not Il word, for he never was any gres
talker but go straight to that littl
= cupboard and tuck away good pile {
+ gold. He never was much of a han
Y for banks. He was always buying an
X selling, without saying much to me.
member when he sold the three-co
r nered wOOd-lot to your Grant 'ther.
= had to sign the deed, but not IA cent I
n the money did ever see. don't sa
'. your Gran'f'ther didn't pay him bu
it was always sort of curious"
II Young Barrows felt that this W;
:, not precisely what he had come 70
Is He all at once manifested a keen IL
terest III the drawers and pigeOn-hOl'
W of the old desk and Cant | help yO
Ie Miss Sophie ?" seemed the most natl
1, raj thing he could say.
..Nas III l. ,-n,, tia m II.