Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-17
THE SHORTEST DAY.


scores years and ten, while others outlast
the pre-Adamic day of the geolosist, and
cover all eternity. But mine was just the
ordinary daylight one, the shortest in the
year, too, for it was the twenty-first of De
cember.
And even short as it was l had already
wasted some hours of it. Had l thought
it would have set so soon I might have
been up at its dawning, though usually /
hold, with Lever, that the sun looks best
as every one does-when he's up and
dressed for the day, and that it's piece oil
impertinent curiosity to peep at him when
he's rising and at his toilet; he has not
rubbed the clouds out of his eyes, or you
dared not look at him. But when ones
sun shines such little while as mine
might not one be pardoned for rushing to
the leVee at an questionable hour?
ct it was noon before ! was out in the
bright glow, trudging down the lane with
yesterday fall of snow crisping under my
feet, and last nights sleet clashing over
head, as the wind caught at the struggling.
overgrown hedge-row boughs. and sent
them ringing together, with such an lev
ieweled flash and splendor of green and
gold and red and blue as summer. with ali
her wealth of leaves and blossoms, could
not rival The very Splendor promised
the glittering mockery but a short life the
sun is a traitor with his kisses, and the
warmth Of them would soon wither away
the snow wreaths, making their delicate
mimicry of the white May and the haw-
thorn in the hedge. But meantime they
were very fair and the snow Law light and
white under the great peach orchards that
had their icy sparkle too as they swept
away, in gentle undulatiOns, right and left
OF the still lane. And the blue sky had the
merest snowflake of cloud drifting along
and the sun was shining full upon me, and
somehow CLINT of it had got into my
heart, though there was nothing in partic-
ul2r to bring it there. Christmas was so
near, the first | had spent out of my old
home, so empty now; and Father Christ
mas, when he comes TO us with a changed
face, has the saddest of all looks Yet |
did not intend to NOPE. Aunt Margaret
and the girls were friendly and kind, and
the least could do would be TO put aside the
SHADOW OF my Grape, and show them q con-
tented face -. ~. So
Perhaps something more than content
flashed into it just then, when that thought
OF mine was broken short off by q sharper
clatter of those he1ge-row boughs. and
some one sprang down through the gap,
bringing with him little clatter of falling
icicles into the road before me. For, as we
shook hands, there was pleased look in
his eyes, and he said, with some abrupt
ness;
You are little glad to see me? You
won't mind my finishing your walk with
you2"
| tried to answer carelessly. though it
was not so easy, under that gaze Of his
On, If you are of q geological turn this
morning, | am going in search of foxiail
and crow-foot. / marked quite splendid
bed down by the brook in the woods in a
sheltered spot where dare say this light
snow has not covered it. The girls tell me
they are not in the habit of putting Christ
mas evergreens about the house, but / al
ways did it at home, and
lie understood me at once. He said, with
bis rare gentieness: And you are irving
hard to keep some of the old Christmas
feeling about you. You must forgive me
If | can not help seeing something of your
brave struggle, and yedrning to help you
in it,
Yearning, 1t was strong word, but his
eyes made u stronger as ] could not help
glanclng up to c. And before, in my
confusion, ! could drop mine again,
somehow my luutf was on the snow al our
feet, and both my hands were in his
" Miss Dcane-Annie-I can help you
with NY whole life Annie r.
And, after that, is il any wonder il the
sun shone straight into my heart?
don't think our researches would have
added much 10 the cause of either zoology
or botany that day On the latter espe-
cially my lover would have made strange
confusion, insisting that we were passing
under quite number of mistletoe bOughs.
if my superior knowledge of the science
hal not set him right. We did find the
crow-foot, however. and Jas had expected.
not too deep in the snow. But when he had
torn up long spray of it and flung it trail
ing over my shoulder, | stayed his hand.
Madge and could come some other DAY for
some-there was plenty of time before
Christmas - but t0-day's in-gathering |
meant to keep all TO myself.
At least for this one day, l told him. when
We had reached the house and paused to-
gether in the pOrch-for this one day we
would not call in any one. however friendly.
TO see what it had brought me: but to-
night, when he was gone, then ] would tell
Aunt Margaret that was 10 be his wife. |
said the word in a little flutter us we stood
there together, for already he had been ask
ing me how long ! meant to keep his own
from him. AS | said it, glanced up shyly
at him, and il would have discomlitted me
TO see how his face changed, paling at that
word, ii his hand had not closed on mine
with tightening grasp which made me
ashamed of a dawning doubt that be
wanted it.
Annie"
The voice, full of strange pain, startled
me Could this day have any pain in it?
Perhaps he read that thought-he was
always so quick to understand-fo he said:
- have 4 story 10 tell you, Annie. a story
that may take some of the brightness out
of this hour for you, as il has taken all the
brightness out of the last seven years OF my
life until now. Shall | tell it YOU now
Or can you trust me that it IS nothing
which ought to part Us ? and would you
rather wait to hear it until tomorrow ~
could trust him; ay, rather, l could not
distrust him; and / told him so. Let us
live this day without Z shadow afterward,
If shadows must come, he should lead me
safely through them.
There is no danger in the shadow. An
ME; there is only something for US both t.
forget"
Let us forget it now, then. See, there
is Aunt Margaret at the window signing to
me: she is afraid shall let her neighbor 81
offend against her good old-fashioned hos
pitality as 10 90 away TO his bachelors
hall, when it is 8 o'clock and our dinner
hour.
The shortest day of all the year. We
were watching its setting from the library
window. we two left alone, for Madge and
Fanny had driven into the village for the
mail, and Aunt Margaret was summoned
to one of those kitchen-cabinet councils
which in view of Christmas cheer grew
more and more frequent under old Lethe's
able administration. So We two were
standing together in the bay window,
watching the crimson glow fade off from
the wide snow stretch of lawn that sloped
down to the lane, dotted here and there
with black-green pyramid of fir, between
the naked oaks, when presently l caught
sight of something moving across Their
shadows flung stiff and dark against the
white
Some one is coming" / said, breaking
the happy silence. " A lady, | thought
sl.r..lxh Il ruorndar rf.n Ii con Il ha alI--