The Osceola times., 1885-10-17

anu looked around her as il there were
somebody to see. There was; the blind
had been opened, aud pressed against
the pane was face. =
With cry of terror she sprang to her
feet, dropping the letter on the floor.
! Az the same instant there came loud
knock at the back door, on the other
side. 1t was the deacons double knock;
and with feeling of relief Mrs. Kit.
tredge hurried, as fast as her trembling
limbs would carry her, into the little
back entry.
She called feebly. and the deacon's
voice answered. but still she had to lean
against the wall for moment before
she could find strength to unbolt the
door; the face was so startling, and Il
was so terrible to think that somebody
mad seen her tampering with the letter!
Her fingers trembled so that the bolt
resisted her efforts.
Good land. Laviny, what is the mat.
ter?" her husband called, impatiently.
| When at length the door was opened
she fell into his arms, gasping, 'Oh,
| Nehemiah, there's a man looking IN at
the window! 1t was Providence that
sent you home"
deacon Stebbins was there to lead
and heard something that wanted SC
much to tell you that l couldn't stay
Never mind about the man--let him
lookw The deacon was in sstonish.
ingly good spirits. 'At thai window.
was itP" Why, the blinds are shut
You've been dreaming, Laviny"
The blind was open, and there was Q
mans face pressed against the window
and oh, Nehemiah, The letter 1 gons!"
"What letter."
"a brought Tidy Slocomb's letter out
here, just TO see II I could make oui
where it came from, and tore it = little
mite, and he saw me, and he's been 10
and carried 1t off! No, haven't put it
in my pocket. nor mislaid it anywhere
Ws gone!"
The deacon fastened to the wood.shed
door; it was open.
And turned that button the very
first thing after Huldy went out! How
could he have got imp said Mrs. Kilt
redge.
The deacon bowed his head upon biz
hands and groaned.
at couldn't be Of any great conse
quence, Nehemiah, letter Of Til ly Slo.
combs" faltered his wife. "You don't
think it's goin' to make great trouble?"
The letter was in our keeping; We
must account for it, If nothing wa.
ever said about it, it would be our duty
to tell just how il was lost" sad he.
81 s'pose you're right" said his wife
(as she had said thousand times since
their wedding day.; "but it's hard; Il
will look so much as il l meant to open
it! Nehemiah, you don't suppose they'll
turn us outp"
The deacon walked the floor with
great strides. 1--WE shall have lost
peoples trust, II am not turned out,
shall give up the office" He kept bach
the reproaches that rose to his lips, bat
he walked into the sitting-room and
closed the door behind him. He opened
it soon. however, and said, in q gentle
tone. 'Laviny, l was going to tell you
something that ! heard about Saul"
The little woman hurried to him, hel
anxious blue eyes overflowing at the
mention of her sons name.
"The minister says this musical com.
pany that Saul belongs to is nothing like
minstrel troupe; he says it's respect.
able. He seemed to think we needn't
feel SO bad about it.
Il can't think of anything but how
Saul will feel if we're turned out of the
post-office.
That's it, Laviny; we've brought dis.
grace on him more'n he's ever brought
on us. I've talked good deal about
the Lords. judgments, but never real.
lied what they were till now. I've been
thinking before tonight don't know
how it first came into my mind-that
maybe we'd been little too hard op
Saul, because. you see, Laviny"-how
should he say it so that 1t might not
wound her too muchp-"he must hau
had somephere 10 geta FROM"
I've thought of that, Nehemiah,
time and again. I've thought of it,"
said his wife eagerly, though l didn't
like to say anything. There was your
sister Mrandy. What trouble youl
father an mother had with her likin'
low company! and at last she ran away
with miserable tin peddler. And she
was musical, too, and she and the tin
peddler kept singin' schools finally, and
did pretty well. 'Mirandy againr say.
to myself when You told me about
Saul's bein' in singin' company"
Deacon Kittredge wiped his forehead
In confusing rush of thoughts the only
one was that he would not buy that work
on heredity.
Mrs. Kittredge suddenly broke down
completely. If I'd never touched tha,
letter and could have things as they
were, would be willing to swallow ever
such bitter pill as Tidy Slocomb,"
she sobbed. Then she crept of to bed,
and forgot in a few hours troubled sleep
the dismal morrow when all the world
would see their fall.
All night long the deacon paced the
sitting-room floor His wife found him
there when she came down in the cheer.
less morning. and they looked in each
others faces in dumb misery, each with
the same thought-by this time every.
body in West Eden might have heard
the story and seen the torn letter.
Huldah came bustling in. ''Such
doin's!" she exclaimed; ''trampin's in
the house all night, and tracks all round
the house, and nobody come in! And
dreamed of maxim eurrant jelly thai
wouldn't jell. and that never failed yet
to be sign of trouble. And why folks
should want TO stick letter under the
W ood. shed door, when we've got
whole post-oflice to the front one, is
more n l knoww
Mrs. Kittredge's trembling hand
snatched the letter which Huldah pro.
duced. 1t might be-no. it was not
Tidy Slocomb's letter. 1t was address.