Connecticut western news., 1889-08-21
CANAAN, CONN.,, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1S89

sorrowful happiness, or happy sorrow fulness, with which my romantic im- aginings filled my solitary hours, if Aunt Becky was to share my privacy.
 But she did not seem to dream that she might be intrudiug. She chatted on in her cheerful, quaint strain until I found myself laughing in spite of me. She kept it up, too far into the night until dropped asleep-too utterly ex- hausted to answer her frequent ques- ton: "Gone to sleep, Rue?'
 It was five o'clock when was awak- ened next morning.
 "Rue! Ruel it's time to get up. Here is dress and pair of shoes l want you to put on and come right out with me-"
 She would not let me lie minute longer, and I had to obey; so 1 slipped on the gingham dress, which was sur prisingly good fit, and the thick-soled shoes, and followed her out into the garden.
 s.Now Ruth, there is any amount of work to be done 'mong the flower-beds, and Eve got to take mornings to do it in mostly, and must have your help. got these yesterday just for you to work with. They ain't heavy, and we'd better set right to work for a pan sy bed first thing. Eve got seed enough for a big one and they are beauties too. You dote on pansies, you know"
 She had opened a neat box of light garden tools as she talked and now handed me a rake. did dote on pan sies, and urged on by her example and cheery talk raked away in the mellow earth until breakfast time and went in absolutely hungry.
 Day after day she kept up this course. She gave me hardly minute alone and she had me read aloud to her when wanted book.
 ''I havn't time and you mustn't read much the Doctor says; so we'll have to carry it out together" and she produced "Huckleberry Finn" which she alter mated with ''Rudder Grange;" so that, between the remarkable humorous adventures in the former and Pomona's performance in the latter, 1 had no time to think of love or sentiment except in the most ludicrous light. Then the flower beds needing so much hoeing and scratching and wedding, and the old pansy opened up in such marvel lous beauty that began to be quite worried for fear the new one would not rival it; so renewed hoeing and wedding had to be kept up. l had to keep on my thick shoes for it was sup posed that the dog had carried off one one of my slippers, and my hammock came to grief and uselessness by the calf's chewing big hole in it; so that really was obliged to do nothing but work out in the garden day after day. and how my flowers grew!
 My pansies out-rivalled the old ones, and forgot everything, even my afin- ity, in the delight of watching for the new faces which peered up at me from the velvety blossoms and I was too tired when night came to moon over myself, much less any Arabella or Ethelinda, so sound sleep visited me quickly.
 About the time had reached this state and could out-rival any Aunt Becky in dressing and reaching the flower garden in the morning, she found time to fix her own bedstead and leave me to my privacy again.
 It was late in the fall when she said to me one day:
 "Wen Rue, do you think you'll last through the winter?"
 'I4ast! Why, Aunt Becky, wouldn't do anything else for the world!" was my convincing answer, for it actually struck pang to my heart to think o1 dying.
 "Wen, guess your folks want t< see you home by this time;;" and home
 I went, Aunt Becky. with me.
 They were all ready to receive me with pillows in the carriage and tender, sorrowing faces. She had done al the corresponding, as did not like tt write letters, and had done it as sh.
 pleased. So when I rushed in upol the family with my red cheeks ant face as brown as gypsy's, they coult 3 not have been more astonished if I hat
 risen from the dead.
 :sI said you could cure her if any : body could?' father exclaimed in de light that night. .5e1 "But what did you give her, Becky?' 7 my mother anxiously asked.
 "Tools!" was her sententious an l sWer. # 9 "Whatl"
 "Tools-rake and hoe and spad e and trowel!-gingham dress and thick
 soled shoes ;-took away the clove 0 and pencils she was eating till sh g looked like tallow candle;-hid he u love-sick stories and death- -wishing-fo s poetry and gave her something t n laugh at instead-let the calves eat u
 her lazy hammock and broke down m a old bedstead so's she couldn't be alon