The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-11-21

"Shes a pretty-lookin' gal. Her
checks air as red as roses, an she had on
a handsome bunnit."
eyes,
cts quite long time since he's been
to see you.n
Yes"
well, l wouldn't mind, anyhow. eli
I was YOU" said Mrs. Muzzy," looking
at the girls weary face, and changing
her tone a little. "Let him go, eff he
wants to. Jest show him you don't
kerr"
The girl woke up little at that.
Show him | don't carcl" she cried,
passionately. He knows l care. 1t
would be disgrace to me if didn't
care, after I've been going with him for
three years, and he leaving me for new
face. It's no use pretending l don't.
don't see why folks tell me to. My
heart ought to be broken, and it is"
"Td hev more sperrit."
"Would youl Well, I'm made diff
fcrent, suppose" said the girl; and her
face took on its lstless expression again.
Her aunt finished her second cup of
tea, and began to clear away the table.
Are you coming over to our house
Thanksgiving, or Uncle Andrew's:'
asked Lizzie, after little, with some
faint appearance of interest
:" | amt a-goin' nowhercs; I'm a-goin'
to stay to hum, an do my pig work.
Pig-work?"
Yes; I'm a-goin' to hev' EN- killed
Tuesday,
Her surprise made Lizzie for a minute
look like another girl. But, Aunt
Jane, why2 | never heard of such a
thing! Pig-work on Thanksgiving
Day.
Mrs. Muzzy braccd herself up dedantly.
Look a-here, Lizzie Munroe," quoth
she ''you think you're down as fur as
anybody kin be, because you've lost your
beau. We'll, I've lost my husband that
I'd lived with forty year, an that was,
more than any beau, an I've lost my
daughter, both of 'em this year, an two
year ago this fall my son John, an
don't see as I've gotanything to be thank
full for. | amt a-goin to keep Thanks
givin' day, an cat turkey an plum-pud
din. | feel enough sight more like dom
plgwork, an I'm agoin' to-"
The girls dull eyes seemed to catch
she looked strangely like her. Mrs.
Muzzy's passionate, defiant nature fired
her niece's mere unresisting, hopeless
one.
"Well, Aunt Jane, " she said, in a tone
like an echo of her aunt's, IL don't won
der you feel so. And don't care about
eating turkey and plum pudding either
I'll come over and help YOU"
Mrs. Muzzy looked startled for a min
ute. Perhaps her own spirit reflected in
another looked differently to her.
"Wcll, Lizzie, jest as you like" she
said then. "I'll be glad of your help; it's
considerable to do pig work all alone, an
I've never been use to it'-with a sigh
"Well I'll come, Aunt Jane"
There was a long silence; then the
girl took her sad face out the door,
and her aunt, having set away the
last of her tea things, went back
into her warm sitting room; the kitchen
fire was going out, and it was growing
cold
Thanksgiving morning, week later,
was gray and cloudy, and the air felt like
snow. Mrs Muzzy's kitchen was full of
streaming, glowing heat. She had two
immense iron kettles on her stove, and
was busily cutting pork into small square
bits to try out.
Lizzie was there helping too. She had
come over early. Her sad young face
looked saddcr this morning. The cold
gray light brought out all the pitiful
dropping lines more plainly. She had
probably been weeping instead of sleep
1,,,r 4 l,a f,rl,t hot Il, 4 Il
hair was put back plainly and neatly;
grief did not with her manifest itself in
untidiness, though she never crimped her
hair no Y. Lizzie looked like another girl
with her hair crimped. Her dark print
fitted over her slender shoulders trinity,
and she wore little white rullle in the
neck. She was cutting pork, too her
wrists, though small, were muscular, and
she worked steadily and effectively,
though witha pathetic Indifference. Mrs.
Muz1y's firmly set face betrayed little Of
it, but she really eyed her niece from
time to time with furtivc uneaslness.
She had an inner consciousness, ever
present to herself, that her state OF mind
was highly culpable but she undertook
the responsibility for herself with sullen
defiance. 1t was another thing, however,
to be responsible for a similar state in
another Lizzie, standing there. with her
dull, hopeless face, indeiatigably cutting
pork, seemed to her like the visible fruit
of her own rebcllious nature.
''llev you seen Jenny Bostwick late
ly?" asked she, with a desperate deter
mination to alter her niece expression.
"No,' replied Lizzie, slowly. "Joe
hasn't left her. They're always together.
| can't bear to go there"
II know" said Mrs. Muzzy, with
quick, sympathetic recognition of the
feeling. 81 felt that way after John
died. | couldn't bear to go into Mis-
Mann's because there was her Edward -
she'd had HIM spared, an my boyd
been taken"
About ten o'clock the front door bell
rang. "You go to the door, Lizzie" said
Mrs. Muzzy; you look better'n |.
Lizzy took off her apron, and went
obedently. Time was when the tinkle
of a doorbell could make her tremble
all over, but she was calm enough now.