Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1884-11-20

4
cisty now, do you see any Of these
that you like?" and he threw open
beth valises completely filed with
copies of the Bible, from the cheap
est up to the nicely bound ones that
are usually kept on centre tables.
What the woman said we don't
know; we liz out for another car:
we didn't want to be snatched bald
headed, but we had kind of sweet
feeling that we had shown those vim
egar-faced females "that you can't
most always tell. Evansville argus
xrzes Tale Of Q Knapsack.
If there ever lived a woman who
eraanated peace and calmless from
every act, it was Hulda Brown. Ma
ture had not been bountiful with her
gifts OF beauty; and to the world,
Hulda was as plain and unintmesf-
ing as q gentle, quiet, unassuming
spinster could well be.
Spinster does not mean grabbed,
sour, morose woman WAC hates the
name man-because no mans name
has ever been associated with hers
in matrimonial alliance. Is the baby
sick? Hulda gets up in the middle
OF the night and crawls up the. dark,
marrow, garret stairs for catnip.
Hulda starts fire, brews the herb
and .quiets the little one. Baby's
mother sleeps out there in the Or
chard under the snow. When spring
comes and the snow melts, baby's
mother will be laid up in the ceme-
terry by the side of her husband who
was carried home from the war.
And Hulda, plain, gentle, fearful
Hulda, will clasp the little one close
to her and dry its tears when it
grows up and hears the story of
father and mother.
If one of the big, strapping boys
cuts cash in his foot with the sharp
axe Hulda does not fai1.t while her
light fingers bind the wound
| Bless her heart! She is the sweet
angel of the household. Old maid |
Yes. and saee sae CT CT the the nobiest women
God ever sent upon this earth to
drive the shadows away and make
the sunshine brighter for her living
in i'll
Hulda has a secret. Once, long
ago, it weighed heavy upon her heart
and she thought that she was the
most wretched Of human beings.
The handsome young farmer used
to come and sit by her side in the
soft light of the dying sunset; and
he used to tell her that she was the
prettiest woman in all the world.
Did he mean it? She would look in
the glass and smile sadly and muir
muir: ''William's love blinds his
eyes" How sweet and happy the
future appeared to her as she saw in
it's fair vista herself with the man she
loved. t es
Then, her pet sister, sweet little
creature with eyes like sapphires
and hair like fine spun gold, came
home from boarding school Ah,.
the blow fell upon poor Hulda's
heart then, and she felt as though
life was not worth living Out there
under the shadow Of the rose vines,
when the sun was painting roseate
pictures along the western horizon
and dashing streaks of gold and
crimson against the sky, she saw her
lover, her afianced, press the school
girl to his heart. Poor Hulda's pill
low was wet with tears that night.
When she arose in the morning there
was that look of resignation in her
sad eyes as only a Christian spirit
can promote.
And SO, without asking for an ex-
planation of the guilty lovers, Hulda
kept on IN her quiet path, more soft
voiced, more gentle, more tender
than ever. IF she had a pang of
sorest poignancy in her heart when
the two stood up before the old par
son to be joined in holy matrimony,
no one knew it but herself. But
when the gay, young husband
marched away with the soldiers,
Hulda crept off to her room and wept
such tears OF woe as only come from
a heart pierced by deepest sorrow.
They brought the young hero home
---deadi t 81 IL
Then Hulda's arm supported the
pretty little widow as she took her
last look at the face SO dear, and her
tears fell upon the marble brow; but
Hulda's eyes were hot and dry. No
tears would come; there was no out
ward show to prove to the friends
near by that her heart was broken.
Upstairs in the old dust -draped
and cobweb-festooned garret, hangs
the brave soldier boys knapsack.
Often have Hulda's eyes fallen upon
the worn and battered affair. Yet
no one has ever opened it since it
came back from the war with its dead
owner. a
{ Hulda takes the old knapsack
down. The spiders have spun a
festoon about it and it is grim with
dust. ~
'She's dead now. He loved her.
She will not care if I open it now" !"
The catch is slipped, the flap is
raised and she puts her hand in.