Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-18

1
You've done q s svs, thing than ketchin'
bout this any longer 'Tain't jest becomin
after the meetin' we've Jest had to git to dis
Going home along the green.bordered road
and across the fowery field, Rebecca Wheat
fretted and fidgeted. In the middle of the field
| she stopped short, and almost danced up and
down With feeble, childish wrath;
| "Why, what is the matter, mother"
tbsr Pesky arsmSinr hands ner IKE
| to poison their honey for EN-"
LET me go on ahead, mother; then they wont
away ~ - ~
"Well, you may, eff you're a mind ter. Say,
| Becca-speakin of butterflies brings ~ 10 mind
| You never thought was ter blame bout sepa-
ratin' you an Adonram Dill, did your"
| The old daughter looked pleasantly into her
mother. didn't think you used to like Adoni-
ram very well; but it's all over now"
! :, "fou didn't take it to heart much, did you,
Becea?"
Not enough to hurt me any, guess. Do yon
MIND the butterflies SO much with me ahead?"
| in ont over lately, an eff was kinder sharp
bout that butterfly business, an hindered you
I above sayin might hev been a leetle more
keerful. Adonirams turned out pretty we'll.
MiS, Higgins told me YESTERDAY thai M he,d Jest
guess he mHst hev been layfn up money Well,
| Rebccca, / dessay you air better off than you
would be eff you'd been married. It's pretty
Rebecca plodding before her mother, looked
ahead at the familiar landscape, with that ex-
preston of strong, pleasant patience which the
her face, like the chasing on silver. It made
her more attractive than she had been In her
She and her mother reached the comfortable
house, with three great elms in front OF 1t,
where they lived, two hours before sunset
About an hour later Adoniram Dill went
nome, TOO from his labor across the fields. He
was tall, muscular old man, with a strong
featured beardless face. He was straight and
agile that he looked like young man the width
OF u field away. When he came nearer, one
saw his iron gray hair, the deep seams and the
old brown tint of his face with a start of sur
prise.
Supper was not quite ready so after he had
washed his face and hands at the kitchen sink,
he went into the sitting room, and sat down in
per- His mother looked in presently, and saw
him there.
solemniy. Come into the parlor minute"
she whispered; 1--WE got soInethin' want to
tell you, an the children will be racin' in
Adoniram rose and followed her in obcdi.
She shut the parlor door and looked round at
him. "Adonir;snl' what do you think? Mis-
Wheat was over to the meetin' this AFTERNOON,
and she an me he'd a little talk after the Others
you an Becca agin."
There amt any use bringin' it up, mother"
u
talked to you SO about that butterfly business.
She Jest thought you hadn't orter be wastin'
your time doin' sech cruel things as ketchin'
butterflies an she wanted Becca to come in an
do some SEWN. That's what she said. l let
her know didn't believe word ont. told
her right to her face that she thought you
WANT good enough for Becca, an she wanted
her TO hev that rich Arms Teller"
"Seems to me I'd have let 1t all gone,
mother
II want goin' to let it all 60, Adoniram. Pm
slow-spoken, an don't often speak, but once
vatin'-I don't know what you would hev done
", WITH her ei You he'd merried becca; You'd he'd
nsy rer Mr. Mhsst DIED She n
Inc to-day, cause she d got an axe to grind but
she'd got SO much spite In her she coufdn help
into the prayer-meetin', she did, Adoniram.
Sue prayed for me, cause was SO old an
3r1 bss11 down. an she's three year older'n me.
prayer-meetiu'."
"p'rhaps she didn't mean anything"
"Yes she did. / knew jest what she meant
by the hull ont, Adoniram Dill. She's got
kinder sick Twin thar alone with Becca with
out any man. to split up kndlin,wood am
agin. She jest the same as said she hedn't no
objections to it.. guess she thinks you've been
mighty nice thing now to liev you step in thar
with your money an wait on 'em. see through
"P'rhaps it amt so, mother"
"1es, tbs. Adoniram Dill, you don't mean to
say you'd hev any idee of marryin' Becca
You amt heard Inc say any such thing,
II thought you looked kinder queer. You
wouldn't: would you, Adonram?'
Not if it didn't seem for-the best. don't
All of a sudden Adoniram Dill sat down be-
side the little parlor table and leaned his head
on a II IS ne i had forty years ago.
scared start, looking at him with awed ewes.
IL was almost like a coming back of the dead,
this rising OF her sons youth from its snowy and
OH
poor boy, you amt felt Jest the same way about
he her all these years. It's awful. 1 hadn't any
"Never mind, mother James CALM us to
snp nn,s you go right along, an III come in
Thar amt any need of your havin any more
frettin about it, any how, Adoniram. Her mo-
Tiers wiiiin, an ANITA doubt but Becca is.
times; for all she's SO good an uncom plainip', I
guess she's been worried as well as some other
l%1ks You jest slick up arter supper, an go
all why you shouldn't. You amt nuther OF you
SO very ;y, old not more'n sixty. An don't know
with dessay she's meant all right"
Adoniram said nothing. He rose with an
e ha t and went out to supper with his mother
"Ain't you goin''" she whispered when they
were In the sitting.room again.
81 guess not tonight, mother"
s eMst well to wait tn to-
was In too much of a rush"
After his mother had gone to bed and the
summer night was complete with all its stars
Out-Of-dOOrs, he sat down on the front doOr-stan
alone, and thought. He felt like wanderer
returned to some beautiful dear country the
true home of his heart, which he had never
thought to see again. Tonight the golden gates
OF youth swung open with sweet music for ADO
hiram Dill, with his gray locks and his hard
scanned face, and he entered In, never knowing
he was any different
The steadiness with which he had kept to his
ideas Of duty for the last forty years gave his
happiness, now that the long strain was over
truly the reward OF virtue. The faithful old
man who had taken what he considered to be
the right course for himself and the woman he
loved, without question or appeal to that man
date OF obedience which he read SO literally.
was capable at sixty of being as freely happy as
q child. -
The sordid motives which had possibly actu-
ated Becca's mother to withdraw her OPPOSE
ton at last did not fret him at all. He was far
above 1t. That hard, shril voice which had
rung out OF that sitting-roOm window for him for
the last forty years was still. The voice had
truly said cruel things, more cruel than its
young man had gone away that day with the
full and settled understanding that his sweet.
hearts mother was bitterly opposed to him.
and that must be the end of 1t all. He never
dreamed OF such o thing urging her to marry
him without her mothers consent.
So he had never been In that front yard full
OF roses and pinks and butterflies, since.
He and Rebecca had met in the village
society like kindly acquaintance for all these
years.
Adoniram. looking across the little country
4 do