The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-10-16

|
She was only sixteen, but the skirt touched
the ground, and hid her little, coSrsely shod
| feet. The waist was long and straight, and
| kept back all her pretty curves. She stood
watching Silas as he got the parsnips
When he had filed her basket, and rose and
turned to speak to her, the delicate color
| flashed up deeper in her cheeks, and heI
eyes changed like blue flowers when the
| wind strikes them.
| There" said he, i've filled the basket
full; and tell your mother she can have
| some more any time she wants 'em."
''Thank you" said Althea. She did not
| offer to pay him. Silas never would take
any pay; he took pride in supplying the
neighbors gratuitously with vegetables, and
| seemed hurt if any remuneration was of
fered.
Althea reached out her hand for the bask.
ct, but Silas kept it. I'm going up to the
house." said he, " and I'll carry it as fairs
| the gate; it's kinder heavy"
Passing along by the clumps and littl G
beds of early flowers, thought struck him
| ''See here, Althea," said he don't you
want bunch of flowersf"
She gave him such bashful smile that ii
ran into silly giggle. 'I-don't know"
| 'pll pick you a bunch in minute.
won't keep you waiting, for | suppose your
mother wants to cook them parsnips fol
| dinner. Pm going to have some for mine
| got 'em all dug in the house"
Then he cut layishly sprays of dioletra
or lady's ear-drop, snowballs, daffodils
| Towering almond, and the other spring
| flowers. He stopped a MISUNDERSTANDING
at a lilac bush. "See heren said he, Il
| don't know as you like lilacs."
Yes like 'em.r
| ''Well, here's bunch, then. 1 didn't
| know but what you mightn't like 'em; some
| folks don't. reckon it's most too strong
| a drink of spring, if l can put it that wav,
| to some. l can stan it.n
When he handed her the enormous noso-
gay he had cut for her, he looked at her
uncovered head, "Ain't you afraid of get
| TIM burnt without your bonnet!n asked he.
She gave her sun-bonnet a spiteful little
| fling. 81 hate it! cried she, with sudden
nerve. Mother makes me wear it. but
| pull it off the minute | get out of sight. |
want hat like the other girls. Sop
Il thought the bonnet was real pretty, -
said Silas, sympathlzingly. I'D wear it,
| if was you. You're so light-skinned you'll
| burn real easy. You're something the color
of them apple blows over there now; it
would be pity if you got brown"
II don't care if do Thank YOU for the
| flowers she added, little more softly, as
| she went out the gate.
Silas stared after her. "She changes
| round so quick" said he, "as if she was in
a gust Of wind. First her head a-dropping
down, an then she goes to dancing. She's
| got the prettiest face l ever saw. She's
! prettier than mother was | declare |
might count her with them flowers l was
| countin' over when she came. She might
come in after the daffodils."
When he went into the house and busted
| himself about cooking his dinner, he did
| say the string of flowers over several times
| and named Althea after the daifodils. The
| fancy seemed to please him He lived alone
| now; he had always had his mother with
him up to the last two years. Now she was
| dead. His father had died years before,
| when Sllas wasa young boy. be had been
| a Woodworking penuriouS man, and had
| amasSed in his lifetime what the townsfolll
! considered quite property. He owned his
house and land clear, and had, besides, a
| little sum in the bank.
| In his lifetime Silas and his mother, who
was meek, sickly woman, had been pitt
| fully pinched. After his death, when the
| restrictive clause had ceased, they found it
difficult to rid themselves of the habit of
being so. Many time Mrs Vinton would
look scared when some extra expenditure
| came in question, and say: 20, Silas,
what would your father say!" The old
mans iron, grinding will still lived on in
| his house after he was dead.
Still they made some innovations Silas
took the larger part of the garden for
| flowers and cramped the vegetables into a
| smaller space. Silas and his mother had
| W
bed before. After his mothers death Silas
went further. He would not sell his vege-
| tables, but gave them away TO any one of
the neighbors who wanted them. He took
the greatest delight in it. The sale of vege-
tables had always been quite an item to
them, but he never thought of missing the
money. He was naturally generous, and
giving was what singing would have been
to him had he been musical. In apple and
cherry time, too, the children Swarmed
about his place. They were very fond of
Silas and visited him a great deal at all
! seasons. He seldom had any other visitors.
Silas had never seemed like other young
men, whether it was owing to his having
been with his mother SO much or his own
natural disposition. He never had any
associates of his own age, of either sex !;
nobody ever dreamed of his getting mar
ried. People called him little simple.
They were simple country folk themselves.
he was probably no simpler than they
only his simplicity took such a different
direction that they recognized it as such.
Silas had always loved flowers As he grew
older, and especially after his mothers
death, when all direct human interest was
gone, the love of them turned his whole
self He was natural enough to grasp after
some absorbing interest, and MS gentle
taste seemed to point that way the easiest:
and he might have turned "a worse way,
though it might have been a nobler one,
than into beds of lilies ana thickets of
roses. He was so fond of his dainty pur-
suit that it was only very dimiy that he felt
the need Of any thing else. He ruminated
so heartily and long over his flowers that it
might have been with him as with Marvel's
farm. "Lillies without, roses within,' His
very thoughts might have been tinctured !;
he thought principally of his flowers and
his brain was full of true images of roses
and lilies and apple blossoms.
But now he began to think of Althea.
After she came for the parsnips she slid in
to his mind along with the flowers contin-
ually. He hoped every day her mother
would send her again on some errand, but
she did not. Silas, without knowing that
he did so, watched and waited every day
for her Finally, after week or so, it oc-
CURED to him that Althea's mother might
like more parsnips So he carried her great
basketful. Afterhe had gone he would not
come into the house, butlingered moment
in the yard looking wishfully at Althea who
stood i'll the door behind her mother. Mrs.
Rose eyed her daughter knowingly and
sharply.
"Silas Vinton didn't come to bring me
parsnips,n said she.
Althea looked up at her, frightened. She
still stood few PAGES behind her mother
it was her way. If they were out on the
street together, Althea followed after her
always. When her mother attempted to
face her, Althea always stirred softly
round behind her.
He came to see YOU" said her neither,
turning round again, Althea turned too.
and looked more scared than before, and
made some unintelligible dissent.
Eyes he did - said her mother: "don't