News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-09-18

JOllH! sic llllpulSlNGly called; ana
then she remembered that he had gone
over the mountains to survey tract
of land. She sank on the sofa and
tried to think. Her lips were drawn
and her teeth showed their tips as she
recalled the shadow that had been on
his brow growing blacker daily, and
the paper in her hand made clear the
cause of it, She lifted the legal notice
and read it carefully. 1t bore every
mark of genuineness, and advertised
for sale all the personal property of
John Patterson. To the bill was an
nexed a partial list of the articles
seized. Dragging herself to the hall
door, she called servant
Who put this paper on the door,
Margaret?'
THE sheriff, ma am and he wouldn't
mind me telIin' him not to-"
THAT is -ss.-l--.rM.a-s.-aret . -
The servant went back to the kitchen
and Mrs. Patterson hastened to her
room. Sitting down at her desk she
wrote a letter to John and inclosed in
it the handful Two or three days be-
rore the time appointed for the sale she
received note from John, who prom
ised to fix everything when he came
back. She showed the note to the
sheriff, and was surprised when he did
not heed it.
A mob invaded her parlors, surged
into her dining room and stormed
+bro,,rb bor baJ obombarc All tho
while the auctioneer clamored, talking
as if he had consulted a dictionary for
adjectives with which to describe the
articles under his hammer. The bid
| 1ers were eager and prices ran high.
Before her eyes her furniture was sold
and taken away from Mrs. Patterson,
whose only remark to each buyer was ::
''Be careful of that Mr.. Patterson
will come back soon and fix every
thing; then I shall want that back"
No one laughed at her, but when the
sale was over and all her household
goods, save the necessary things eX-
empted by law for the debtor, were
carried off by the purchasers she was
no longer Mrs. Patterson to the resi-
dents of Harburg. They spoke of her
then as Sally Patterson, but neither
enviously nor admiringly, as they had
once done of Sally Donnelly. She,
ignorant Of the loss of her position in
society, wrote full account of the sale
to her husband. Among other things
she said:
''I know just who bought every
thing, and | asked them all not to in
jure anything, so we could have our
furniture and china back when you re-
turned and settled the debt"
In a few weeks the sheriff came
again. and sold the house in which she
still lived. Then she was dispossessed
and her scanty furniture set out in the
street. She was an outcast. Her fa-
ther and her mother were dead, and
she had no relatives to whom to ap-
peal for aid. Going to a hotel she
asked for shelter until Mr.. Patterson
came back, but.it was refused her, and
as for those who had once courted her
they made excuse.
''She is crazy. 1t would not be safe
| to house her.
When night fell man, who was re
puted brutal and coarse, swore at the
! people of Harburg-cursed them fol
4 their inhumanity. Alone he went tC
4 the sidewalk where Sally's furniture
sat and carried it on his shoulder to {
little house located on some lots of his.
''Stay here, Mrs. Patterson, till you
husband comes back, :" he said, wher
he had put her things to rights.
She thanked him and took posses
sion of the low, two roomed house
Her landlord never called upon her fo
rent while the years passed as sh
waited for Johns return. The smok
from her fire curled up to the sky, ant
the SCOT seemed to settle on her face
for it grew darker until it was almos
black Her teeth shone more bright
ly than they did in the days of her SC
cial eminence, and her eyes lost non
of their brilliance.
A crook came in her back, yet he
heart was not bowed down, for it wa
held up by hope. Her abiding faith il
Johns promise to fix everything whel
he got back, and her treasuring of tn
note. which was evidence of it, le,
people to say she was crazy In n
other way did she manifest symptom
of insanity She was harmless an,
wandered about alone chattering t
herself. None, except perhaps nov
and then an impish child, annoyed hel
The community pitied her and in a
apologetic way provided for her, evel
allowed her to attend the church il
which she had once rented pew.
Although living alone she preserves
the purity of her English. Her word
were distinctly enunciated, but he
voice gradually became hoarse. He
once shapely hands became crooke
and soiled in gathering coal and wood
The coarse man who was her land
lord was offered fair price for all c
his lots one day, but he refused to Sc
the one on which Sally's little houS
stood.
''Sally believes I'll leave her ther
till her husband turns up, and | don
mean to drive her out"
The would-be buyer said rather scorr
fully:
II hope you're not looking for job
Patterson to returnY
''Pm not, but his wife is, and sh
can wait for him right where she is"
After awhile McDonough sold th
lots east of the one on which her hous
stood to the county authorities VIII
purchased them for the site of the me-
jail He did not think it necessary t
tell her of the sale, and the first know
, edge she had of it was from the breal
ing of ground for the foundations {
the Jail, She was frightened, and ye
could not believe that Bill would brea
his word to her.
''Never fear, Mrs. Patterson" b
said kindly, when she came to him fc
information. II said you could sta
in that house till John came back, an
by - you cann
'Oh, Mr.. McDonoughr she e,
claimed. II tempted you to swear!
was wrong of me to come. | am S
sorry"
= AS she stood before him she was a
most a caricature of a woman. HC
dress was torn, her face was dirty, bt
her gentle rebuke went to his heart an
made him uneasy. Lifting bon