News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-08-29

brightness then, from the tears she shed
but by and by she had settled down t.
the inevitable, and after the death of he
father and mother, had opened her mil
linery shop and been on the whole no
unhappy. But week or two before
this Squire Adds had died, and rdmo
was floating around that Jack was com
ing home to settle up his fathers estate
and Annie's heart had been stirred by
old memories, and the quiet routine o
her life shaken up bit. So this morn
ing as she sat down to trim Mrs. Grubb'.
straw bonnet with darker ribbon for fall
her mind was full of thoughts of her one
time lover. At last, with little shake
of the head, she sat up very straight and
thus harangued herself, punctuating
her lecture with emphatic stabs of heI
needle
''Annie Diamond, you are an old
goose, What ON earth is the use OF raj d.
ing up by gones2 Will it make you I.
grain hapEier or better or usefuller
Here you've got good paying business,
nice home, a cat for company, and a
neighbor next door to chop your wood
and pass the time of day with you, and
yet, yOtt, yoW, with your gray hairs pull
ed out and more coming, and an old
maid down to your fingers and toes
ends, amt you 'shamed to be setting
here raking up old by cones? Suppose
Jack Adds does come home, is 1t going
to make q mite of difference to you! Not
a grain. Now I'll tell you what, you
write to Jane this afternoon and tell her
you will come over to Griggsville to
spend Thanksgiving with her. You're
getting morbid, and if her six children
don't holler the nonsense out of you in
side of an hour, saltpetre won't save
YOU" So she wrote the letter that day,
and when it had glown too dusky for
customers to come in, she put on her
gray shawl and second best bonnet,
tying the strings in a severe bow under
her chin, and went out to post 1t.
She had sharp wrestle with tempta-
tion when she was getting ready, to put
on her best bonnet with two becoming
knots of red on it, and her crimson
shawl, because the stage had Just come
in, and there was no telling what might
happen; but this was weakness and
consci 1nce frowned it down.
In very few minutes poor little Miss
Annie came running back with a white,
frightened face as though she had seen
ghost, as indeed she had-the ghost of
her old time love, Jack Adds. She had
fairly blown up against him as he was
coming out of the post Office, for the
wind was blowing in great gusts; she
had known him at once, and after her
little startled Cry, he had recognized
her and had said, "Anuie, is it you"
and then as she turned and fairly ran
away, he had let her go and had never
come after her.
No one knocked at the door that even
ing, and Annie sat long before her fire, |
with idle hands folded in her lap, while |
Maltese Tom worried himself into fever 1
trEing to find out what allied his rosy,
bustling little mistress, who paid no at
tention to his Establishments, but always
looked straight before her into the fire.
The next morning Mr.. Wilkins's soul
was troubled within him Mt the sight of
his neighbor's white face and quiet re-
sponse to his chcery greeting. "Whst
can have happened '' he wondered "If
it only one of her sister James young
'uns that's ailin' don't think she'd look
SO srn item like as the flowers do after the
first frost. Sides, continued the kind
hearted shoemaker thoughtfully, "If it
had been one of James young 'uns she'G
likely told me.
"Well, wish't could help her, for VI
there's anybody sets store by its Miss
Annie Diamond, town of Maryville.
State of Illinoy" This had such a legal
sound that there was something comfort
ing in it, so several times that day the
good man repeated, "Miss Annie Dia-
mond, town of Maryville, state of Hi
noy," each time with unbounded salts
faction.
Meantime his little neighbor was in a
fortifying herself against the
flood of gossip and questions she was
sure she would hear that day.
Directly after breakfast came Mrs.
Grubbs for her bonnet, and when it was
she found little fault with
the trimming, and then followed Miss
Annie behind the curtain to wait until
it was altered. As she sat down heavily
in Miss Annie's rocking-chair, she rock
ed on Toms tail, causing an instantane-
Gus enlargement of the feature, and
howl of rage, whereat his mis-.
tress put him out. Poor Tom felt iniur-
ed beyond expression, and hating Mrs.
Grubbs with all his might, started off on
q mad career of dissipation.
Meanwhile Mrs. Grubbs was comfort
ably putting Miss Annie on the rack.
did you know Jack Adds was to
hum!" she opened the ball with, rs her
knitting needles flew back and forth in
the construction of IL stocking for a
young Grubbs.
"Yes, | know it" answered the vic
tim, quietly.
"Du tell DE come mp to see ye?"
asked the tOrmentOr, eagerly.
'No, met him down street was all.
Do you like the way these loops are put
on, Mrs. Grubbs:" said Annie, holding
up the bonnet.
"Yes, make 'em high Mis- Cecil had {
one on Sunday, week ago, that came q.
from the city, and it's regular sky scra- !
per; but talkiu' bout Jack Adds, he
was down to our house las night, an
him and Grubbs set up mos the whole
night through, cause he's anxious to git )
lis paws business fixed, SO he could cit
Dff this mornin'! He made Grubb sort
1f agent like. s'pose he told you bout &
lis wife and babies didn't he?" peering 1
at Annie.
'No, didn't talk to him at ALL she !
answered, growing pa'e, and with a
queer tension around her heart, which {
she felt might give way almost any mo-
nent.
There, this is about done; 1 think
It's real stylish, don't youl" she contin- ]
Ied, in vain effort to stem the tide. ]
''Yes, it's right peart now; but about
Jack Adds, seems so he told us that he
writ an writ back here, right smart o.
times, an never hearn word from here,
SO bime by he got kind of wild | reckon,
md he fell ok where he was boordin'
md his landlady was a widow, so when
ne got well | reckon he thought twas
)nly polite to marry her, bein' he !
ladn any money nor nOthin' else to re- !
ward her with. She had some children.
They We made a right smart of money,
le lowed TO the old man. But lowsey
ne / mus be a goin'; [ lef' all my
work, an reckon the baby's tumbIed !
IL the we'll by this time. -
SO saying, and having emptied her
gossip bag, she took her bonnet and her
departure. But another and another
lropped in, some with an excuse and
ome without any, but one and all to |
zee how she took it. I
Poor Annie barred her door against
Ter tormentors that night, with a grim !
ceiling of delight, that now they could {
lot get iu When she had seated her
elf in her little rocker with her crochet
ng in her hands, she looked down at !
Tom s vacant corner and shook her head
adIy: go, Tom, Tom" she thought,
how could you run off just now when |
eed company Well, Annie Diamond,
do believe you're getting in your dot
ge. / know you're not fool enough to
'ine after another wOman's husband, U