Daily Republican., 1885-09-04
A LONG WAITING.
BY BERTHA BERTON.

BY BERTHA BERTos.
Tall poplars aud elms, spreading
heir sturdy, branching arms over
ow-roofed cottage. A lsrge yard en-
closed with . lattlced fence and full Of
lilacs and syringas, roses and peonies,
with fanciful beds Of many hued All
nuals spranRling the emerald sward-
a onrving walk that led to the cottageI
door and contrasted Its soft, rich, brown
hlliDG Of tan bark with the bright
June grass, while about the airy porch
IF the gray cottage profusion of grace
fully s~aying climbers nodded cen.
TO tho passing ssphyrs.
1t was the home of Patience Aldrich |
and her sister Hope g.; home left to the |
two girls by the death of their father, |
and here they had lived ali their
lives.
Patience Aidrich was twenty EIGHT.
Hope, IN years younger, had been left
as a legacy to her sister, by their
mother, who had died when she was a
wee, toddling child, and ever since that
time Patience had been to her more
like a mother than q sister and Hope
Aldrich had grown through . happy,
careless childhood shielded by her
thoughtful sister from all the minor
roUghnesses Of life.
ThoS, when she was ten yesru old,
their father died, and the girls were
left alone. Though not rich, Mr.. Al
drich had left sufficiency for their
orchard supplied them with vegetables
and fruit.
The place was managed by a trusty
m an, who. with his wife, occupied the
email house at the foot of the hill, and
thus the cares of home rsxted light,
upon THE shoulders of Patience Al
drioh.
The clover field and the meadow lot
supplied ample provision for q horse
and two COWS, and Mrs. Dale took
charge of the little dairy.
Patience had acquired only . plain,
practical education, bit in common
English she was thorough, and Of such
branches she Impaired knowledge to
her young sister. But Hope must not
|geop there (; she WAS ambitions. and they
had resources sufficient to defray the
necessary expenses, so she was sent &c
the village academy and proved an apt
pupil.
A light hearted girl was Hope Aid
rich, brown eyed, browB-haired, rosy.
| checked. full of gleeful impulses, thai
IN ade her favorte with young and
old. Her bright face gave promise Vi
great beauty with the coming Of matur
er years, but time would tell. Patienct
was fair, sweet girl, with thoughtful
face and earnest, violet eyes, true ard
| loving in their expression, aud Percy
Vernon, q young artist of the village
was her acknowledged lover. A wor-
SHIPPER ct the shrine of beauty, h,
thought Patience Aldrich fair beyonC
all other women.
He had a studio, and to the dweller
In the small country town his wurl
ieemed faultless but Percy Vernon hat
higher aspirations, and he iopged TO
fame.
He wished togo to Italy, to stud.
under the old masters ami when tn
death OF an uncle In India placed hin
in possession ofa fortune he prepare,
to carry out his long-cherished project
Marriage must be deferred until hi
return, and Patience with nature tru
to her name, must wait.
By and by they would be 10 happ,
when he shou Id have returned with tn
laurel wreath Of fame upon bis brow
30 he went to Italy and there was tear
full partin'.
Two years was the time he had set 70
his absence. Long years they woul
be, Patience a tdrich thought with
sigh, as she watched her lover out @
sight and turned back to the cottap
door.
Life and its duties seemed very prosJ
and 1t would be q weary waiting. Sh
was twenty two, Hope was twelv,
: There was some one beside herself I
live for she had little time for selfis
grief.
Little Hope. standing just ON Ii
threshold betwixt childhood and W.
manhood, the boundary between III
tried and the un.ried, when heart an
mind, like fair unwritten pages, wer
susceptible to impressions and fror
the pure imp. lses Of her own hear
Patience Aldrich strove to record on th
unsullied leaves elements that woul
aid in forming noble life.
One year after another lapsed away
Hope Aldrich finished the academ
cou rse, then she ent to V assar Colleg,
and spent two years in thorough, earl
eet drilling for a life OF usefulness. ST
had chosen teaching for profession
and she had high anticipations of su
cess.
A lonely life Patience Aldrich !,
!. with lover and sister both gone. but 81
was looking forward hefuture was
bring her reward
A regular correspondence betwe,
. herself and her artist lover had be,
; kept up. Her letters, brimful of chez
81 ~ hAna
mostly filled with descriptions OF b
work, OF idealistic conceptions, of e
thusiastic praise OF beauty Ia its vari,
forms he was still q worshiper at th
shrine, and he WAS growing famous;
the two years OF absence, insult ient
meet the demands of his am bition, hi
Enlightened into st1 years, and Patien
Aldrich, at twenty eight, still watt
in the little gray cottage for the retul
jof Percy Vernon.
Hope. her pstted sister, was sightee
tEighIeen, and the promise of b
lmaidenhood was fu u lied.
She was beautiful, with rare al
dazzling loveliness that made one loo
sud look again, at the perfectness
feature and form. Her culture had b
slowed the se.f-possession and COZ
fidence that rendered every mott,
graceful, and there still remained
lipge of tae gleeful piGuancy
" childhood that seemed to give an a
ded charm.
PStience had still q fair face, but
outline it was less rounded, and abol
the sweet mouth lurked the wisLful q
, preston of hope deferred
Perhaps n stray silver thread mig
have been found In the mesbes OF h
gold -bsG VIZ hair, hat the violet ey
were Just rs deep in hue, jUst as U
and winsome. In their gaze as In the o