The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-01-26

thNli aAe %l #halt iatht
And ths, Was the epd OF il.
The old orchard with ils fragrani ounce
bushes. rs enarled apple trees, It's four
lcaved clovers Was a thing Of the past;
cotton mill roared add ihsudered there all
day, where The birds built their nesls aud
the trees blossomed thirty odd years ago.
Ii no logger blossomed ereep, 10 Miss
Beckys memory. She had turned ber
thoughts TO raising plants when she was
left 10 her own resources. but one cruel
winters night killed all Der slips, and the
capital was lacking by which she might
renew her stock Since then she had
gone ont Tor daily sewing, had watched
With the sick. had been Ia demand for q
temporary housekceper whenever tired
mairon wished an outing; but latterly her
eyes DO longer served her for Hne work.
sod sewing machines hsd been introduc
ed; she was not 30 alert in the sick. room
as Of yore; she moved 60 slowly. Apd
her housekeeping talent was no longer IN
request, added to this, the hank where
ber little earnings had been growing, one
day failed and left her high and dry.
Some Of her irieuds bad travelled TO pas
tures new, some had married away. some
had ignored or forgotten her As for
Larry Rogers he had been away from Ply
mouth this many year Somebody had
sent him abroad the year after Lucy
Amory's marriage to develop his musical
genius. He bad grown into famous
violinist, playing all over the country to
crowded houses, before the finest people
in the land. 1t was q beautiful romance
to Miss Becky to read in the Plymouth
Record abont our gifted townsman;" she
did not blame him because she sat in the
shadow, because her lie had been color
less. She sang again the old tunes he had
taught her, and made little sunshine in
her heart. All of happiness she had ever
known he had brought her. Why should
she complain. And now she was going to
the Old Ladies Home.
ut isn't exactly what | expected in my
youth" she said TO the old doctors
widow
"No; but you'll have nice room and
bright fire, and the neighbors will drop
in to see you and make it home like. Now,
there's old Mrs Gum. Nothing can per-
suade her to go to the home. She says
it's only genteel almshouse after all; and
so she rubs along with what little she can
and what the neighbors have mind to
send in. and they have to do it mighty
gingerly too, just as though they we're
asking favor OF her Lor. she doesn't
earn her salt"
Il dare say" returned Miss Becky
"Now, il it hadn't been for the rbeuma-
tism | could earn my living for years yet.
and maybe get something ahead again,
but it seems as il the rheumatism laid in
wait for the poor and friendless
"You ought to have married when you
we're young, Becky" said the doctors
widow, who had forgotten all abeat Beck
VS. love affair and labored under the i'm
pre- ssion that she never had a chance-an
i'm preston which matrons are apt TO en-
tertain concerning their single friends.
Miss Becky had been spending some
weeks with Mrs DIR. Dwight, who had
moved away from Plymouth after her
husbands death. She was there chiefly
to put some stitches into the widows
wardrobe. which nobody else would do
reasonably" that lady's grief having In
capaciated her from holding needle or
giving her mind to material details OF
seam and gusset and band" But during
the visit Miss Becky had been seized with
one OF her sharpest attacks OF rheumatism,
which had kept her IN bed for weeks, till
her wages were exhausted by drugs and
doctors fees. 1t was at this time that she
made up her mind to 90 into the Home
on HtT IetuTu w Ely nOutu.
Mrs. Dwight saw her off at the station.
II hope you'll find the Home oozy," she
said, outside the car window. Its lucky
Parson Amory left you that 500, after all.
He might have doubled it. "
Yes, suppose 80" Miss Becky an
swered meekly. Perhaps she was think
lug that if she were Mrs Dwight, no old
friend of hers should go begging for
refuge at an aims honse Perhaps she
was thinking Of the pretty. comfortable
home waiting for her friend, aud wonder
ing why their fortunes were so unlike.
"Write when you reach Plymouth, and
let me know how you are suited, said
Mrs, Dwight, and just then the cars gave
lurch aud left her behind, aud Miss
Becky turned her glance inwards. Some
body had taken seat beside her.
Your friend was speaking Of Parson
Amory aud Plymouth be said. Il
conldnt help hearing. was born 10
Plymouth. myself. but | hsyen't met q
soul from there these twenty years. am
on my way to look mp my old friends" /"
Twenty years is a long time, answered
Becky Il am afraid you won't fad many
OF your old friends left You'll hardly
know Plymouth
II suppose not-1 suppose not. Have
you lived there loug n
~ have lived there all my days"
Good Im hungry for news of the
people Tell me everything you can
think Of Did Psrson Amory leave for
tune He was called close. Where's
Miss Nsll, married or dead ? / can see
the old place IN my minds eye. and the
parsonage under the elms, aud the orchard
babiud il where Lucy Amory planted q
youag tree on her weddiog dss, and the
a.