The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1886-07-30
Some Strange Hands.

Hands reveal habits, occupations, trades.
A crop Of them rises at the thought, like the
show thrust up from crowd in honor Of a
candidate after sn election speech. There is
the carpenters, with the broad thumb, and
those OF the fraternity of flour, irgrained,
mealy and white; the musicians with the
powerful wrist and the fingers delicate, agile
| to the last degree; the hand of the seamstress,
with an honorable little bit Of nutmeg crater on
the forefnger that works SO hard of the sci, n.
tifc man, who lectures to explain mysteries to
lower mortals, and whose exactitude of touch
is the image of his mental precision, while the
nervous stretch of his fingers corresponds with
his tension of mind. The sleight-o hand pro-
lessor is man Of long fingers. A conjuror
with slow and chubby hand would be tray the
awful secrets of the plum-rudding that is taken
from 1.-THE depths Of your best hat. But besides
character and trade, The hands tell age. Soft
and round, the baby's pair OF puff balls, with
their fat wrists deeply ringed, appearing as if
they neverscan do anything in this world. Yet
the girls hand will become a treasure, and the
boys hand will battle with life and with his
fsow-men for the mastery. 1t is appalling to
think of what those helpless little puff.balls
have before them.
"Oh, little hands, that, weak or strong,
Have still to serve or rule SO long,
Have still so long to give or ask
l. who so much with book and pen
Have toiled among my fellow men,
Am weary. thinking of your task %
After the first dimples, they become the inky |
hands of school; then the awkward bands, |
that don't know what to do with themselves.
Years pass, the boys hand ceases to grumble
at gloves-yea, be wears them in extravagant
freshness, in comparison as his collars grow up
ward, and bis shoes tighten within an inch Of
his life. The result of these phenomena is that
a ring begins to shine with charming strange
ness on another hand, that seemed child's but
yesterday. The young wife tells by her hands
that it is not long since the wedding, because
she cannot let that new ring alone, but twists |
it around for its novelty, and admires it,with an
knack of caressing it in idle
moments. Her dimples disappear, as the child
rem gather to make home circle; lis the hand
of a woman now, with its very framework
lraceable. Dimples, bones and wrinkles mark
he three stages of lfe's progress. With the ,
wrnkled stage the steadiness of youth often
remains in resolute characters. When the
Duke of Wellington was a very old man he
could still fill glass of water to the last pos
'ible drop and hold it up steadily brmful.
The helpful hands keep their youthful activity,
90, far into the whitening age. And in nobly- !
owing natures there is sort of immortality of !
,outh the warmth of affection has given more /
han royal prerogative; the hand is beautiful 4
lways to the hands that know it familiarity. @
The latter years only stamp it with the impress a
# longer past of tenderness, faithfulness and {
county. Ii is not the sold hand, but the | :
dear" hand, and it never grows older, bu;
My more DEAR He who doubts the truth of h
bis last mystery has not yet found out that C
ands, as well as hearts, have a peculiar place n
D our knowledge and love OF one another
= [Cassells Family Magazine.