The Portland daily press., 1884-02-16
The Outward Seeming.
BY FLORENCE B. HALLowELL.


D
BY FLORENCE B. HALLowELL.
No, not single cent do they get from
me, sad Miss Sarah Jenkins, with pecu-
Iar expression OF her thin lips, as she took
ner spectacles from her nose, and SLOWLY
replaced in its envelope the letter she had
been reading to her friend, Miss Hepzibah
Lackey. II think l know my duty as we'll
as most folks, an givin' help to Susan Bav-
ard an her children don't come under that
head"
''But bein' as they're your own KIM said
Miss Hepzibah, deprecatingly, ''its only nat
ural for 'em to look to your
''Let 'em look They'll take it out in
lookin. told Tom when he married Susan
Bayard that the day'd come when he'd rue
1t. She was alters spindlin' and 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 fore he could
start his crops''
SIT was unfortunit his dyin' so soon.''
said Miss Hepzibab, who was a kindly old
soul. EFF he'd lived a couple o. years
more he'd paid for the place an left Susan
comfortable. shouldn't wonder but she's
had hard pull these two years to get along
with those three children
''Most likely she has. But ] don't see as
III Cdlicu Ou W suUulu0F u6T burdens Win
her. Goodness knows Pve enough already
without lookin' out for any more.o
"Yes, your hands are pretty full-that's a
fact" said Miss Hebzibah. 81 hear folks
sayin' every day that they don't know what
the minister would do without YOU"
81 reckon Pve labored pretty faithful in
the Masters vineyard said Miss Sarah,
''it | do say it, as shouldn't"
And you'll get your reward, Miss Jen-
~ aaid shal, ahn
go. "You can alters take comfort in think
in that. But do wish you could see your
way to help Susan a Bit
''She don't deserve help" and Miss Sa-
rah's tone was decidedly acid. ''She'd
oughter have taken my advice in the first
place. told 'em how it would be, an it
comes out pretty much as / said. l told
Tom she was too everlastin' delicate, an
would break down in lessen five years But
he would have his own way am marry her,
an now she is laid up-lust as l said she'd
be-"
'sPity they didn't listen to you," said Miss
Hepzlbah, as she went out. "But you know
young folks is gener'ly mortal headstrong."
Miss jenkins often boosted that she never
spent au idle 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 her hands in her lap, think
ing over the contents of the letter she had
just received.
Toms marriage to Susan Bayard, the Or
phan daughter OF man who, to use the ex-
pressions of his neighbors, had never been
'forehanded," had not pleased his sister,
who thought Susan far too delicate and dain-
ty to prove of much help as the wife of a
farmer of slender means.
Tom, however, had been very happy in
his welded life, and had never regretted his
choice, as he took pains to say TO his sister
whenever he wrote 10 her.
Add Miss Sarah, who wasn't as good a
Christian as she thought herself, and did
not fancy being called a false prophet, re-
sented mis- happiness, ana allowed feeling
of enmity to grow up in her heart against
Susan.
Toms death, seven years after his mar
riage, was terrible blow to his wife and
children, who were left almost penniess.
But Susan, knowing the way in which she
was regarded by her sister-in-law, did not
dream of calling upon Miss Sarah for help.
Through the influence of friend the
young widow secured the position of teach
er in a district school, and for two years, on
very slender salary, had managed to keep
the wolf from The door.
Then the mortgage on her home was fore
closed, and a long illness which followed
her removal from the farm to a small room
in the village of Milford made it necessary
for the trustees of the school to provide
another teacher in her place.
The sale of the furniture of the farm
house provided Susan with money to defray
her expenses during her Illness; but she
found herself when convalescent utterly
penniiess, and with three small children
looking to her for support.
1t was then that, with heavy heart, she
wrote to her sister-in-law, and it was letter
which ought to have called forth only SYM
fhxa rd nit tie, nj. I,,fr dab
gave Miss Sarah only strange sort of
pleasure in being able at last to say, II told
you So"
As she sat in her kitchen that warm July
afternoon, the quiet broken only by the tick
ing Of the large eight-day clock and the
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 declaration that "neither he nor his
should ever ask for favor or cent at his
sisters hands,"
The clock struck four with loud, whir-
ring noise, which reused Miss jenkins with
a start from her reverie, and she sprang up,
surprised and shocked to find how long she
had been idle.
'Fl let her wait awhile for nay answer"
she thought eth do her good to be in sus
pense bit. Aud / reckoe iE amt too late
to go after the blackberries in the medder-m
lot. First thing L know them pesky town
boys will be after 'em, am 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
it was very likely Susan had calculated on
being asked to take up her abode there.
1t was large, old-fashioned house, with
roomy chambers, wide fireplaces and plenty
of windows. The grounds surrounding it
were well shaded, and an abundance of
flowers bloomed in the front garden. 1t
would have been a grand place for children
to play, but none had even played there
since Tom had been grown. The place had
been left to Miss Sarah by an aunt, and Tom
had had no share in it. Miss Sarah, how
ever, had cared for and supported her br 9TH
er who was very much her junior, until he
was able to strike out for himself; and she
had made him present of $500 when he
attained his majority. She thought she had
done more than her duty by him, and
she desired that he should pay her some
consideration in the matter of his marriage.
She had never felt the same toward him
since, though she tried to heed the old
motto, "De mortatiS nil mist b0nunl,'' when
ever she spoke of him.
The blackberres in the meadow were very
ripe and large, and so plenteous that Miss
Sarah had no difficulty in filing her pail in
very short time.
II occurred to her as she walked home
ward that perhaps the minister's wife
might want to make jam, too, and would
appreciate the gift of few quarts of berries
such as these. So, on reaching home, Miss
Sarah filled smaller pail with the fruit, and
starting out again, turned her steps toward
the village.
81 look such d sight in this sunbonnet,
reckon I'd best go in the back way,' she
tbOpubf she aDnF0achnd the neat frouoa
dwelling in which her pastor lived. Like
as not they've got company come to tea.''
The heat, combined with the long walk to
the village, had caused Miss Sarah to feel
very tired, and as her eyes fell on very de-
iig6tfully shaded arbor, she concluded to
rest few minutes until she was cooler
"My face must be as red as beet,' she
Of ha