Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-01-22

town OF Huckleberry. The day, which
had been warm and genial, with more
than suggestion Of summer, had glided
into the early twilight leaving the peace
ful hamlet brooded meath the soft wings
of twilight. Stretching far down the
valley, the sinuous curves of the clear,
rapid river showed, here and there among
the bare trees Guarding all, the noun
tain peaks rose grandly, peak after
peak, embracing the valley below with a
protecting clasp. The winter twilight
seemed loath to give way to the coming
night, and fingered longer than usual
over the little valley Here and there,
through the deepening gloom, might be
seen farm house or cluster of build
ings indistinctly defined. One long,
low structure, especially, was more pic
turesque than its neighbors. A rambling
old farmhouse it was, which had once
been painted red, but now shone silvery
In its faded grays backed by the attend
ant woodshed and its clump Of weather
beaten barns, all in the same delightful
tone. The dwellers in this, humble home
Inhabited an enchanted spot without
knowing it-all but Hittie.
To this simple country girl no place
on earth was for a moment comparable
with her childhood's home. To be sure
she had never been outside of New
Hampshire in her life. With the excep-
ton of a weeks visit to certain yery
staid old people in Concord, Hittie's
travels in her own State had been mar
rowed down to rather small circle at
the base of the White Mountains; SO per
haps she was not cultivated and world
wearied judge. But she had warm ap-
probation ofnature and could feel her
various moods.
That s-usually.
For on this loveliest of all winter even
lngs, Hittie Parsons felt nothing of the
calm and peaceful influences around her.
On the contrary, the bitter, rebellious
tide that had surged in her heart all day,
had eliminated in passionate resent
ment and poor Hittie was fairly desper-
ate with the storm of baffied grief and
disappointment and love that had taken
possession of her.
And all because Of Miss vashti Poole's
neighborly call at the farm house that
morning. Or rather, because in her at
tempts at being entertaining she had
impaired the following bit of news:
My nephew, Tom Abbott, is married |!
never was SO took back in nv life,
neverl An he never told any Of US
not even his ma word about 1t. La, I
allus thought it 'ud be you, Hittie.o
Hittie, wko had heard the news in
silence, held her tongue behind her
firmly set teeth.
''But I s'pose it's because she's rich. .
pursued Miss Vashti.
"Mebbe there's some mistake, = feebly
murmured Mrs. Parsons-who, although
she was stepmother and far from kind
to Hittie, felt, somehow, that the girl
had received blow.
"Oh, no." responded Miss vashti.
promptly. II see it in the paper. Here.
where's my bagas
Yes. There it was in black and white
printed only too plainly.
Thomas G, Abbott to Geneyieye A.
only daughter of Hon. J. L. Armand,
ESQ.,"
+ Since that newspaper had dropped
from Hittie's neryeless grasp, and she had
suddenly left the sunny old kitchen, her
head had been in whirl and heart full
of indefnable agony. All day she had
remained in her little white -draped cham
Der under the roof, thinking alternately
OF the years and years she had loved Tom
Abbott and waited patiently for him to
go out into the world to 'smake a start
in life, " and of the way it had all ended.
For this was the miserable end Of
her life's dream. Eight years ago she
had promised to be his wife and five
years had passed since she had hidden
him goodbye when he went to New
York to take very subordinate position
in great wholesale house. To be sure.
during his one weeks vacation every
summer, Tom had been as devoted as
the most exacting mortal could expect.
and his somewhat labored epistolary
productions had teemed with assurances
of his unaltered afection-until two
months ago.
Then they had ceased coming alto
gether. And now Tom was married
And to a girl named Genevieve. OF
course girl named Genevieve was beau
tiful and rich and in every way infinitely
above poor unsophisticated Hittie Par
sons.
No, she would not blame Tom. Men
were always ambitious. and, she had al
ways heard, they could not love as faith
fully as women Now she had proved it.
| But her own life9 The long, blank
future the future without Tom9
Hittie could not bear the waves Of des-
olation that engulied her at that thought.
| She roaa from fha 1;4+la had 4rh1renr, 80