Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-12-20

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/ for Luke, and ever since he was a lad he
| has taken kindly to our place. You see
father is hearty, and so Is Molly; they like
to offer the bit and sup to those as need it,
though it is only bit of bread and cheese,
or a drop Of porridge. Father hates a
| near man. and he hates old Armstrong
! ike poison"
us Luke your sister Molly's sweet
| hearth" / hazarded, after this. Hannah
! covered her face and began to laugh.
please excuse me-" she said at last
when her amusement had little subsid-
| ed, "but it does sound so droll, Molly
! having a sweetheart / am sure she
would never think of such a thing. What
! would father and the boys do without
! herr"
! Bless me, Hannahr' returned, little
impatiently you have five other sisters,
! You tell me; surely one OF them could help
! Molly. if she needed it; why, you might go
| home yourselfl'
"Oh, but none of US understand the
cows and the poultry and the bees like
| Molly, unless it is Lydia, and she is dairy
maid up at the Red Farm. They do say
Martin Armstrong wants Lydia; but |
hope, in spite of his fathers guineas, she
| will have nothing 10 say to ScrOggin's
Mil or to Martin. You see, miss" went
on Hannah, waxing more confidential as
my interest became apparent, Mheeler's
| Farm is not big place, and lot OF chill
| dren soon crowded it ont. Mother was a
fine manager, and taught Molly all her
| WAYS, but they could not make the attics
! bigger, and there was not air enough to
be healthy for four girls, with sloping
roof and a window not much bigger than
your two hands And then the crecper
| grew right to the chimneys; aud though
| folk, and especially the squire, Lyddy's
| master, said how pretty it was, and called
! Wheeler's Farm an ornament to the whole
| parish it chOked up the air somehow; and
| when Annie took a low fever. Doctor
| Price lectured mother dreadfully about it.
| But father would not have the creeper
[ taken down, SO mother said there were
| too many Of us at home. and some Of us
| girls ought to 20 to service. Squire Haw-
! try always wanted Lydia, and Mrs. Nor
| rison, the wears wife, took Emma into
| the nursery; and Dorcas, she went us maid
| of all work to old Miss Powell; and Jen-
| ME aud Lizzie found places down Dorl-
| cote way, but Mrs. Garnett, who knew
| my father, coaXed him to let me come to
| London
And you are happy hcrep' / haZarded;
| but as looked up from the cambria frill
| | was hemmng noticed the girls head
| dropped u little.
ooh yes, I am happy and comfortable
| here, s." she returned. after a mo-
ment's hesitation, "for am fond of chill
| dren, and it is a pleasant thought that !
am saving father my keep, and putting
| aside bit of money for rainy day; but
| there's no denying that | miss the farm,
and Molly, and all the dunn creatures.
| Jess, the brindied COW, would follow me
| all down the field, and thrust her wet
mouth into my hand if | called her. and
as to Rover. Luke's dog" But here l
! interrupted her.
"Ah to be sure. How about your old
! playfelow, Luket | suppose you miss
! him. too2"
Hannah colored but somehow managed
| to evade my question; but after week or
| two her reserve thawed. and soon learn
| ed how matters stood between her and
| Luke Armstrong.
| They were not engagcd-she would not
| allow that for moment. Why, what
would father and Molly say il she were to
""""'is" harself to vOung fellow whG
| only earned enough for his own keep
| For Miller Armstrong was that close that
| he only allowed his YoungesJ son enough
| to buy his Clothes and took all his hard
| work in exchange for food and shelter;
| while Martin could help himself to as
! much money as he chose, only he was
| pretty nearly rs misery as his father.
| Molly was always going on Mt Luke to
| leave SCroggn's Mill and better himself
| among strangers, and there was some talk
| Of his coming nearer London, only he was
! so loath to leave the place where he was
| born. Well. il sho must own it, Luke and
she had broken a siXpence between them,
and she had promised Luke that she
! would no. listen TO any other young man,
and she had kept her word, aud she was
| saving her money, because, if Luke ever
| made a little home for her, she would not
! like to go to it empty-handed. All the
| girls were saving money. Lydia had quite
! a tidy little sum in the savings bank, and
| that is what made Martin want her for a
| wife; for though Lydia had saving quail
IT, :, she was even palmer than Molly,
| aud no one expected her to have sweet
| heart.
am not ashamed to confess that Han
| nah's nrtless talk interested me greatly
! True, she was only IA servant, but the sim
| plicity and reality of her narrative APP
| pealed to my sympathy; the very home i
ness OF her speech seemed to stamp it more
forcibly on my mind. seemed to picture
! 1t all; the low-ceiled attic DIVIDED with
| girls. the honest farmer aud his strapping
! sons; ard-f"atured Molly milking her
| cows and feeding her poultry; young Luke
| Armstrong and his dog Rover strollng
| down to Wheeler's Farm for Il peep at his
rosy-faced sweetheart. Many an evening
I =
! inconsistencies by talking to Hannah of her
| home. and there were times when / al
most envied the girl her wealth Of home
affection.
1t seems to me that we lose a great deal
in life Ivy closing our ears and heats to
other peoples interests; the more we
widen our sympathies, and live in folks
lives, the deeper will be our growth.
Some girls simply exist; they never ap-
pear to be otherwise than poor sickly
plants, and fail to thrust out new feelers
in the sunshine
In those quiet evening hours when l
had work to do for my children, and dare
not indulge myself in writing to Aunt
Agatha, or reading some deeply interest
ing book that lravers had procured for
me that morning, EIannah's innocent rus
tic talk seemed to open new door to my
inner consciousness to admit me into a
fresh phaSs of existence. A sentence ]
had read ID Aunt Agatha that Sunday af
tcruoOn often haunted me as | listened:
Behold, how green this valley is, also
how beautiful with lilies. / have known
| many laboring men that have got good
estates in this Valley of Humiuation;"
and almost held my breath rs l remem-
bored that our Lord had been a laboring
| Man.
Hannah never encroached in any way:
! she always tactly acknowledged the diff.
| ference in our stations. and never pre-
! sumed on these conversations, but she
! let me see that she was fond of me by
| rendering me all sorts of little services:
! and GA my side | tried to be useful 10 her
She was very clever at work and
| taught her embroidery. Her handwriting
! and aiding were detectiYe-She had been
! rather Ounce ut school. she told me; aud
helped her to improve herself on both
| these points; further than this could not
| 60.
shall never forget my shame one even
! inC when she came into the nursery and
] found me writing letter to Aunt Agatha
! with = dictionary beside me, for there was
} no trouble TO which | would not put my
self il could only avoid paining those
! loving eyes.
! "Whv. miss" she exclaimed. In an as
! tonished voice, "thst is what | Sm Obliged