Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-07-31

bath, an thinkin how dretfully he was al
tered hope he'll be spared TO you az long
az you live, Mis- Dill It's considerable bet.
ter on your account that be hain't never got
married, amt II"
Mrs. bin Redeemed, aud slidened her chin
a little. "Thar's a good many folks don't
git married, Miss Wheat. men, an women
too, sometimes"
"Becca could a got married dozens OF
times II she'd wanted 10, Mis- Dill"
II spose 80"
'See here, Mis- Dill, s'pose we come 10 the
pint You're alters kinder Aingin' at me, an
know we'll enough what Il means. You've
alters blamed me cause you thought l come
between my Becca an your AdOniram, an
didn't as / knows on"
"Oh no course you didn't"
81 s'pose you don't believe it, Mis- Dill2'
mo 'aint forgot how Adoniram come
home from your house, Jest about this time
o. year, a matter o. forty year ago"
II don't know what you mean"
Mrs, Dill sat up straight in her chair, and
talked with slow emphasis Her eyes never
winked
Jest about this time in the afternoon an
this time o. year, bout forty year ago, Adon.
IRAN came home from your house. They'd
got the hay in the day before, 30 he had
leetle restin' spell, an he went right over
I
though he made up an arrant after rake TO
Deacon White. knowed he'd stop to Bee
cas- before he got home. She'd been of Wis
itin', an he hadn't seen her for q week. Shed
Jest got home that mornin Well, Adoniram
vent, an he come home. l was n goin'
through the front entry when he come in
through the settin'.room. He was jest as
pale AZ death. asked him what the matter
was, an he wouldn't say nothin The door
aNsx .v,L 4.
ped into q cheer by the table, an put bis
head down on II. coaxed an coaxed, an
finally got it out Of him. He'd been over
| to Becca's, au' you'd treated him 10 he could
| mt ever go agin. He said you didn't like
him, an that was the end ont. Beooa could
MT 10 agin her mothers wishes an he wasn't
ever goin' TO ask her to. Adoniram had jest
| Joined the church that spring, an he'd jest as
soon cut his hand of ~ to lead Becca TO dis
obey her parents. He's alters had a strong
| feeling that marriages made that way want
blessed. I've heerd him say so a good many
| times. So"
I'D like to know what l did to mi istreat
Adoniram, Mis- Dill"
"He never told me the hull perticklars.
Thar was somethn' bout butterfly"
'Lor, remember. 'Twant nothin'-noth-
in at ALL Young folks air so silly re-
member jest as well as ef twas yesterday.
| front of the house. BeccA had ii all laid out
in flower beds Jest as il ia now, an thar was
swarms Of butterflies round 'em. They was
out thar in the yard, an l was in the settin'-
room Winder. They was kinder foOliD', an
all Of a sudden Adoniram he begun chasin' q
butterfly. 1t was one of them great blue
spotted ones. He caught it mighty spry, an
was a-givin 1t to Becca, when said some
thin out o. the windeT. l don't know jest
what twas. thought twas dretful silly for
him to waste his time ketchin' butterflies, an
Becca had some sewin' wanted her TO do.
s'pose twas somethin' bout that"
"You didn't think Adoniram was good
enough for Becca that was the hull ont"
That want it, Mis- Dill. don't see
how you come to think sech thing"
You'd jest set your heart ON hAvin her
git that rich Arms felier you know you had.
But she didn't she didn't git nybOdy."
Mrs Dilrs thin voice quavered and shook,
and her little bony form tremblsd all over,
but the spirit within her manifested itself
bravely through shakes and quavers.
''You air msjudgin' of me, Mis- Dill, an
you Amt shown a Christian spirit. You'll
be sorry for it when you come to think it
over You'll see twas all just the way said
twas, an didn't mean nothin'. Let alone
ything else, it's awful cruel to ketch but
terfiies you know that, Mis- Dill"
you've done crueler thing than ketchin'
butterflies, Martha Wheat"
"Well, MIS- Dill, guess we'd better not
talk bout this any longer. 'Tain't Jest be-
comm after the meetin' we've jest had to
get TO disputn'. Thars Becca."
Going home along the green bordered road
and across the 1owery field, Rebecca Wheat
noticed that something seemed to have dis
turbed her mother. The nervous old woman
fretted and idgeted. 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 2"
Them pesky butterflies !" ejaculated her
mother, waving her trembling hands "I'd
like TO poison their honey for en-"
Let me go on ahead, mother then they
won't bother you 30 much. l kin kinder
brush them away"
"Well, you may, il you're a mind ter. Say
Becca-speakin' of butterflies brings it to
mind. You never thought that 1 was ter
blame bout separatin' you an Adoniram Dill
did you 2"
The old daughter looked pleasantly into
her old mothers face. "T didn't blame any
body, mother. l didn't think you used to
like Adoniram very we'll but it's all over
now"
"You didn't take it to heart, did you, Bee
car"
mot enough to hurt me any, guess Do
you mind the butterflies 80 much with me
aheadi"
mo l guess don't I've kinder been
thinkin' ont over lately, an ef l was kinder
sharp bout that butterfly business, an hind
cred you an Adoniram's maxim match ont
! amt above sayin' might hev been leetle
more keerful Adoniram's turned out pretty
we'll Mis- Higgins told me yesterday that
he'd just bought that ten-acre lot of Deacon
Whites. guess he must hev been layin'
up money. Well, Becca, l dessay you air
better of than you would be of you'd been
married. It's pretty resky."
Rebecca plodding before her mother, look
ed ahead at the familiar landscape, with that
expression Of strong, pleasant patience which
the years seemed to have brought out in re-
lief on her face, like the chasing silver. II
made her more attractive than she had been
in her youth, for she had never been very
pretty.
She and her mother reached the oOmforta-
bic house, with three great elms in front Of
1t, whore they lived, two hours before sun
set.
About an hour later Adoniram Dill went
home too from his labor across the fields
He was a tall, muscular old man, with q
strong featured, beardless face. He was so
straight and agile that he looked like young
man tha width OF 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 surprise.
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 q calico covered rocking chair with
Newspaper. His mother looked in presently,
and saw him there.
She stood in the entry door and beckoned
him solemnly. Come into the parlor a
minute" she whispered "TVe got some
thin want TO tell you, an the children will
be racin in here"
AdonirAm rose and followed her in obedi-
emily.
She shut the parlor door and looked round
at him. "AdOniram, what do you think ?