Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-11

rowfully. "There's times when it seems
like we'd starve ourselves, en- / don't
know how we're goin' to fill another
mouth. Even with the Christmas bari
comm every year from that eAurch in the
East, we hev a tuTibS squeeze gettin'
along with the 1owance from the Super
annuated Ministers Fund Ell 'twarn't
fer Cindy's garden we'd die in our
tracks"
'tBut we couldn't refuse to take the
child in-our own flesh an blood, said
her father, pleadingly.
They could not indeed refuse, poor
though they were, the women agreed and
four weeks later Hetty Packard knocked
at her grandfather's door, after the long
journey which the novelty of travelling
had made very enjoyable.
Her welcome from the old man was
touchingly tender, but the aunts were
too greatly appalled, to be decently cordial
at first. They had half expected child,
but here was tall, beautiful young
woman, whose cheap but stylish dress
and hat seemed to their unframed eyes
like royal apparel, in contrast with the
indigo prints, coarse faded blanket
shawls, and dreary slat sunbonnets that
composed their own open-air costumes.
1t was truly rough home for Hetty,
used as she had been to the comfortable
civilization of New England country life,
but she took her lot heroically, and after
a day or two of very natural depression,
which she managed to keep to herself,
she fitted herself into her place as if sht
had always lived there. She had the
charming faculty of drawing out the best
of every one, and soon the shy aunts were
won to a worshipful admiration of her,
that formed the excitement of their color
less lives. The old grandfather awoke
to a new interest in life, and the two
were soon as devoted friends as if gull
of three-score years had not stretched be-
tween them.
The enchantment of her presence ex
tended even to the bleak old house
Wild vines were planted at its door, ant
homemade brackets and shelves, shade
for the hideous lamp, and other simple
devices for tempering its dreariness crep
in and softened the asperities of the big
barren "living-room." In Hetty's yea
for improvement she had broached tn
question of papering the unplasteret
walls, but her proposal was met by
statement of their meagre resources from
her aunts, which filled her with dismay.
s.You never should have let me come,
she cried, "to add to your burdens; bu
now am here, must work for you, AM
not let it cost you anything to keep me
1 can sew nicely, and l am sure I can ear
a good deal at that. Perhaps can eve
earn enough to make you more com
Portable than before came"
It was hard to make her realize tha
their far-apart neighbors were either to
poor or too indifferent to appearance
hire sewing done.
"But, at any rate, somebody shall Civ
me work." said the pretty, determine
creature, not cast down by this di'
couraging statement of facts. 'If cal
not get it here, l will write to tt
Women's Exchange in some great cit.
and ask them to send me some embroidel
to do. If no express comes so far int
the wilderness, Uncle Sam will bring n
the things in his mail bags"
She carried out her plan successful.
and many small comforts found their wa
| into the straitened household as a resu
of her earnings.
But with all the brightness and CHEF
she brought into other lives, Hetty ha
her own secret sorrow, and one day Aul
Gin surprised her hiding away in Il
l loft, with her lovely little face all dow
} cast and tear-stained. The woe and syn
r pathy in the good woman's troubled ey
r won her a confidence, and with her tlushe
face turned resolutely away, she told h
Y story. There had been fair and law
l party at their church in Vermont la
September, where she was one Of II
attendants at the flower temple. A par
/ of summer boarder had driven over fro
+ the Springs, twenty miles away, and Oh
= of them had devoted himself to Hetty
S assiduously that Mrs. Bliss, the doctor
z wife, and first directress of the sewiI
s society and the possessor of certain pr
, iudices against city young men, was We
: angry. But it was not the devotion of
e day only, for Allen Dunscombe took dai
rides over to Hetty's home as long as
his vacation lasted.
It was only to ''break a country hes
/, for pastime ere he went to town." Nj
h Bliss said, still unbelieving in his go
I intentions, and the injustice to her loy
!, wounded Hetty so deeply that when
: Aliens last day he won her promise
t be his wife, she proudly kept their c
:, gagement secret.
; No word or sign had come from h
during the long sad winter that follow
d that bright, glad autumn, ana poor He
e lived through the bitter miseries of
mothers sickness and death, and
e loneliness and poverty which follow'
e with the heavy underlying burden at
|. heart that Aliens silence gave.
is "Now," she said, her eyes dry, q
bright as stars, ''you must stop cryil
|, Aunt Gin. I can't keep up if you dc
g STOP"
sBut how could any man be false t
r. dear, trusting baby like you?" sobl
Aunt Gin.
2, "Allen has not been false, =" said Het
5 impressively. II think he must be de
and some day shall hear all about it.
ly should die if / could not believe in b