The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-11-13

her husband followed. "Hss he got it
againi"
"No, Mrs, Paynter's afraid he'll
have ii, He's playing out in the
snow" He would gladly have withheld
the fact, had he known how to. He
grew red.
"Can't you make him come inf" Mr..
Bartholomew demanded, and gave a
snort and chuckle with masculine
ruthlessness. "If you amt the fun
| niest ~
'Well, there, SAMUEL" said his wife,
Marcus's tlorid face was aflame. Liza
was looking at him with quivering
smile. MIR, Bartholomew chuckled on.
'NIarcus," he said, "you want to git
married. That's what's the matter, Mar
Gus; that's what you need. Git mar
| ried."
Marcus turned do yn the steps, almost
gasping. Without having once looked
fairly at Liza Bartholomew, he knew
how her slender figure aud her serious
and sweetly moulded face had looked; he
knew what dress she had on, and that
she wore ribbon round her neck, and
the color of it. His heart thumped with
his shamefaced fright; his lips parted as
as If for air. He found, coming to him
self after minute or two, that he was
Struggling in the wrong direction.
Three weeks later, Marcus, going in
from the barn with a horse collar that
wanted tinkering, saw Liza Bartholomew
coming into the yard through the turbu-
lent snowstorm which was darkening the
upper air and whitening the earth. He
hurried in to meet her. The shawl pinned
under her chin was heavy with flakes,
and she took it off and tapped it over
the door step. Her cheeks were red from
their sharp buffetiug.
"Aunt Phg5e sent me up with this
apple sauce" she said; 'we've been max
ing some. We heard Mrs. Paynter had
gone" She was embarrassed and awk-
ward, but she seemed to have braced her.
self for the undertaking, and stood qui-
city.
"Sit down." said Marcus. "Why,
yes; she's been gone two weeks. Her
sons wife is sick, over to the Ridge, and
he sent for her. She thought she'd come
back, but got line from her yesterday,
and she don't know when she can. Take
a chair"
He put one forward. There was some
thing beseeching in his voice aud look,
and she sat down.
She cast startled glance around her.
The surface of chair rungs and centre
table and mantel-piece were lost in dust
the floor was dirty. All things were
heller. SHELTER, and there were many
articles foreign to sitting-room--a peck
basket, some tin dishes, a wooden bowl
of red onions, hand-saw. A fuchsia
on the window sill-whioh was lined
with apple cores-was dead from want of
water. There was no fire in the room,
and cold draught came from a wide
open back door; sizzling sound in the
kitchen was attended by smell of burn
ing grease, and the air was getting blue.
"So't things amt very comfortable
here just now," said Marcus. He put
down the horse-collar, and sat down with
his hands on his knees.
Seeing all, the girl dropped her eyes
in pretence of seeing nothing.
81 amt making things go very we'll,
l don't know nothing how. l hain't
ever done anything bu' work around
horses, and Pm making terrible work
keeping house"
He aimed to speak lightly, and put on
smile to that end. But it was sickly.
Marcus had strip of red flannel on his
neck, and his voice was hoarse. He had
lost much of his ruddy color, and Liza
could see that he was thinner.
care you sickan she said.
"Well, hain't been very WE'LL" Mar
Gus admitted. He held her with solemn
look. His hitherto abashment was sunk
in his misery. "I've got cold Well,
l don't know-and don't eat MUCK. I
don't know nothing about cooking, and
l hain't got anything to taste fit to eat
I've pretty near give it up, and took to
having what can buy ready-crackers
and dried beef and such things. I can
boil potatoes and eggs, and do. I'm
cooking some ham now"
They were coughing with the smudge
of it, and Marcus went out and set the
pan off. His visitor sat with her eyes on
her lap.
"Ira," Marcus went on, his weak grin
faltering, "don't stay to home much
now. 1t amt very comfortable here, and
he don't like it. He sleeps here, and
that's about all. l don't see him very
much. l don't know where he is now.
He don't like what I've had to eat, and
he don't eat here hardly ever. He goes
round among the neighbors, l s'pose;
don't know just where. went over to
the DORIS, and offered to pay for what
he's had there, but they wouldn't take
anything. Has he been to your house
much2" said Marcus.
"Yes; some," Liza answered. Sht
could not meet his eyes, because hood
of tremulous feeling filled her. If there
was aught that was ludicrous, it did moi
appeal to her; she was stirred with com
passion. She felt that she could no
safely speak, and she got up and pinned
her shawl on.
eff he's been getting meals there,
said Marcus, with grim patience, 81 wan
to pay for 'em. That's all l can do.
can't keep him to home, and I'd like t.
settle up around"
Liza gave quavering laugh, hurryins
to the snowy door "Why, we wouldn'
take anything" she said, in a voice mad
sharp by her tremors.
He watched her from door and
side window till her shape was lost il
! the thick storm. He had forgotten t.
say anything about the apple-sauce, ant
he suffered a dismayed pang. 1t wa
: warm in its bowl, and he took it into tn
, kitchen, and ate some and some crackers
1t composed his dinner-the ham bein
burnt but he could not eat much. II
was suffering from the chills and feve
attendant on a hard cold, and his sor
: throat ached. He made some attempt a
putting the kitchen in order, clumsll
travelling about: but his mind was dis