Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-11-19

you mustn't say nothin' about il, Eide
liza had said "but amt goin' TO put on
them good dresses an tag 'em right out.
Mebbe the timell come when I'll want 'em
more
"Mr Lennox1l think that black silk is
beautiful, said Lily, ian that white mus
lin
II had that Jest after he went away, an
| amt never put it on. thought wouldn't
muslin don't look half 50 nice after the new
look gifts off it"
So Lily waited all through her childhood.
She watched her aunt start forth on her
daily pilgrimages to the post office, with the
confident expectation that one of these days
she would return with letter from Mr.
Lennox She regarded that sacred loaf Of
plum cake which was always kept on hand,
and believed that he might appear to dis
pose Of it at any moment She had the sin
cerest faith that the time was coming when
the herb medicine would quiet poor Fidela' 4
tremuous head, when the sage tea would
turn all the gray hairs gold, and the dew
would make her yellow, seamy cheeks
smooth and rosy, when she would put on
that magnificent black silk or that dainty
girlish muslin, and sit in the parlor with Mr.
Lennox, and have the covers off the chairs,
and the mantel-piece blooming with flowers.
So the child and the woman lived happily
with their beautiful chimera, until gradually
he vanished into thin air for one Of them.
Lily could not have told when the CON
viction first siezed her that Mr.. Lennox
would never write. would never come that
Aunt Fidelias gray hair would never turn
gold, nor her faded cheek be rosy that her
nodding head would nod until she was dead.
1t was hardly until she was a woman her
self, and had lover of her own 1t is pos
sible that he gave the final overthrow to her
faith, that it had not entirely vanished be-
fore. She told him all about Mr.. Lennox
She scarcely looked upon it as a secret to be
kept now. She had ascertained that many
people were acquainted with Fidelia Almy's
poor romance, except III its minor details
SO Lily told her lover. Good Lord ~
he said. How long is it since he went p
Forty years now, said Lily. They were
walking home from meeting one Sunday
night.
Forty years Why, there amt any
more chance of hearing anything from him
Did he have any folks here =
mo. He was a clerk in store here
He fell in love with Aunt Fidelia, and went
off to California to get some more money
before he got married"
Didn't anybody ever hear anything from
him =
AUNT Fidela always said not but Aunt
Sally told me once that she knew well
enough that he got married out there right
after he went away she said she heard it
pretty straight. She never had any pa
thence with Aunt Fidelia. If she'd known
half the things-Poor Aunt Fidelia Shes
getting worse lately. She goes to the post
office Sundays. ! cant stop her Every
single Sunday, before meeting, down she
goes.
'Why, she can't get in
81 know it. She just tries the door and
comes back again"
why, dear, she's crazy, amt she p
mo, she amt crazy she's rational
enough about everything else. All the way
can put it is, she's just been pointed one
way all her life, and going one way, and
now she's getting nearer the end of the
road, she pointed sharper and she's going
faster. She's had a hard time I'm going
to do all l can for her, anyhow. I'll help
her get ready for Mr.. Lennox as long as she
lives"
Fidelia took great delight in Lily's love af-
fair. All that seemed to trouble her was
the suspicion that the young man might
leave town, and the pair be brought to let
ter writing.
You mind Lily" she would say don t
you let Valentine settle anywhere else be-
fore you're married If you do you'll have
to come to writin' letters, an letters amt to
be depended on. There's slips. You'd git
sick of waitin' the way l have. amt
minded it much but you're young, an it
would be different"
When Valentine Rowe did find employ
meut in a tnun fftN- r,ilas a,.-ax moor IT;Jo
liza seemed to have taken ON herself double
burden of suspense.
In those days she was much too early for
the mails and waited, GREATNESS in the of
fee for hours. When she got letter for
Lily she went home radiant; she seemed to
forget her own disappointment.
Lily's letters came regularly for a long
time. Valentine came to see her occasion
ally too. Then, one day, when Lilyexpect-
ed a letter it did not come. Her aunt
dragged herself home feebly.
1T amt come, Lily" said she. "The
troubles begun. You poor child, how air
you goin' to 90 through with it I"
Lily laughed why, Aunt Fidelia -
said she, what are you worrying for
haven't missed letter before Something
happened so Valentine couldn't write Sun
day, that's ALL 1t don't trouble me mite. +"
However, even Lily was troubled at
length Weeks went by, and no letter came
from Valentine Rowe Fidelia tottered
home respondent day after day The girl
had "A brave heart, but she began to shud-
der, watching her She felt as if she were
looking into her own destiny.
"Tm going to write TO Valentine, =" she
said, suddenly, one day, after Fidelia had
returned from her bootless journey.
Fidelia looked at her fercely. Lilly
Amy" said she, whatever else you do,
don't you do that. Don't you force your
self on any feller," when there's a chance
you amt wanted. Don't you do anything
that amt modest. You'd better live the
way I've done"
'He may be sick, " said Lily pitifully.
''The folks he's with would write Don't
you write word, l didn't write. An
mebbe you'll hear tomorrow. guess we'd
better sweep the parlor to-day"
This new anxiety seemed to wear on FL
della more than her own had done. She
now talked more about Valentine Rowe than
Mr.. Lennox. Her Mith in Lily's case did
not seem as active as in her own
Il wouldn't go down to the post office,
seems to me" Lily said one morning-Fi-
della tottered going out the door ''you
don't look fit TO. I'll go by-an- by"
Il can go well enough, " said Fidelia, in
her feeble, shrill voice. 'You amt goin' to
begin as long as l can help it," And she
crawled slowly out of the yard between the
rows of dahlias, and down the road, her
head nodding, her fiabby black bag hanging
at her side.
That was the last time she went to the
post Office That day she returned with her
patient, disappointed heart for the last time.
When poor Fidelia Almy left her little
house again she went riding, lying quietly,
her nodding head still forever. She had
passed out of that strong wind of Providence
which had tossed her so hard, into the eter-
nal calm. She rode past the post Office ON
her way TO the little green graveyard, and
never knew nor cared whether there was a
letter for her or not. But the bell tolled,
and the summer air was soft and sweet, and
the little funeral train passed by; and may
be there was one among the fair, wide pos
sibilities of heaven.
The first day ON which Fidelia gave up
going TO the post office, Lily begun going in
her stead. In the morning Fidelia looked
up at her pitifully from her pillow, when
she found that she could not rise.
You'll have to go to the Office, Lily"
she whispered an you'd better hurry or
you'll be late for the mail"
That was the constant cry to which the
poor girl had to listen. 1t was always
Hurry, hurry, or you'll be late for the
mail.
Lily was sweet, healthy young thing,
but the contagion of this strained faith and
expectation seemed TO seize upon her in her
daily tramps TO the post office. Sometimes,
going along the road, she could hardly be-
lieve herself not TO be the veritable Fidelia
Amy, living life over again, beginning a
new watch for her lost lovers letter. She
put her hand to her head TO see if it nodded.
She kept whispering to herself, Hurry,
hurry, or you'll be late for the mail. "