Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-12-31

picture; her hair was as yellow as spun
gold. and her eyes were as brown as a
ripe hazel nut Her step was so
springy that she hardly seemed to
touch the ground as she walked, and
Tom Shaw loved her better than any
thing in the world.
''He built the house up yonder; and
they do say that he sang and whistled
so many gay tunes as he nailed on the
clapboards that he ought to have had a
happy wife to put inside of it When
it was all finished and furnished. he
brought his bride home; and after that.
folks used to walk past the house many
and many time, to hear the two sing
ing together"
did they never quarrel, Aunt
Jane?" Abby asked. My sisters idea
of good time was to have a bit of
quarrel sometimes with somebody.
You wait, my darling, until 1 tell
you. 1t was just after the new year
had commenced that they came up on
the hill. All summer they seemed as
happy as birds, and of an evening they
worked in their garden, and for miles
around no one had prettier roses, big
ger hollyhoclss or yellower tansy than
Tom and Het Shaw.
| and the happy couple began to grow
solemn; they did not sing SO much, and
the lamps did not shine so brightly out
into the world at night. and. when one
| of the neighbors happened in, Het had
a very suspicious moisture about the
| eyes. But she never gave any reason
for it, and she was of that sort that no.
body dared to ask, much as they would
lie
grew pale, and there were no more
songs to be heard. And SO it came
along to the last day of the year. Tom
had been out to the woodhouse to get
some kindlings for the fire in the
morning, and when he had thrown
| them behind the stove, he went into
the sltting-rOom, and there was Het
upon her knees by the sofa, sobbing as
if her heart would break.
THAT sight was too much for Tom.
He went over to her, lifted her from the
floor, and sat her upon his knee. And
1 cannot stand this any longer; you
must tell me what the matter is
'And she threw both arms about his
neck, and between her sobs she whis-
pered into his ear all her troubles; and
quick as flash they were as loving as
they had been all summer; and the first
thing they did was to sing the long
metre doxology."
''What had been the matter, Aunt
Jane?" asked Abby, in an interested
voice.
And Aunt Jane said: s'That is the
very strangest part of it; from that
day to this not one of the neighbors
could find out. Of course, there had
been some sort of a quarrel, but we
know they had made it up. for Joe
Hines was going up the hill, and he
stopped minute to hear them sing,
and under the crack of the curtain he
saw them kneeling by the sofa. and
Tom had his arm around Het's waist
and he was praying out aloud. And
Het after told the neighbors that the
next day THAT was New Year day., was
the happiest day of her life
''How long ago was this, Aunt Jane?"
I inquired. And to my establishment
her reply was:
Lets see; ten-twenty-forty-
it must be nigh on to sixty years, and
there's been no happier home in all the
country than theirs. How time does
fly! It all turned out well in their
case, but don't quarrel, my darlings:
you mightn't come out as we'll Sixty
years! How time does fly, to be sure!"
But auntie,' 1 commenced, and
A bby gave my arm jerk as she said:
Hush, Lila; she's gone to sleep and
that's all she knows about it, any
way
We looked at her white hair that
shone like silver in the sunlight, and
thought what a wonderful thing it was
to know stories that happened sirty
years ago; and we wondered if our
faces would be all seams and FUCKERS
if we should live to be as old as Aunt
Jane. And as we crept softly out of the
room we heard her murmuring, as in a
dream: Sixty years; how time does f1y'"
Isabel Olcott, in Christian at Work.