The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1891-03-05


Mrs. Nichols. This wuld's wuld Of
Fiction, and you've always said twas.
and sort of lotted ON it, so to speak, and
now you don't bear up mite. whyl
Who's thisi Who be you, childl" sud-
denly Catching sight Of Hope.
The rosy face laughed all over.
swell. I'm Hope Ames. / guess
you're Aunt Mclindy, amt you7"
al expect be. Inever didl l didn't
think you'd come to-day. Come by the
Meddyhemp's stage, didn't YET Look
a-here Loriny Nichols, here's mate
for yel Stop clawin' of your mas
gownd an look at my gall"
Hope, with her happy instinct, held
out her hand to the forlorn child; Lorena
let go of her mother, looked up at the
newcomers sweet, sunshiny face and
family smiled. Hopes unconscious mis-
sion in Shutdown had begun.
1t was queer place; just on the edge
Of the great Maine forests; place al
most showed under in winter, and all
barren fields in summer, for the men
were lumberers and farmed their cold
clay land only enough TO raise hay and
corn to feed their cattle though the short
summer.
They had hard lives, these men; but
the womon's lives were harder; left all
the long winters to care for themselves
and the two or three old and infirm men
who were useless for numbering; forced
by poverty and climate to labor for
daily bread, and do the work of meu in
and about their houses; always lonely
and anxious through those long winters
about the husbands aud brothers who
were far away engaged in the dangerous
and severe toll of chopping and logging,
it was small wonder that the women
were sad and severe in manner and AS
p6ct.
"Lay of your things, child" said
Aunt Melinda, without word of wei
come or an attempt to embrace the new
conner But Hope, nothing daunted,
rushed at Melinda, threw her arms
about the spinster's neck, and gave her
a hearty kissing that brought a strange
new light into those faded eyes, and
tinge OF color to the deep-lined check.
"Mercy met cried Aunt Melinda, "if
you amt! well; take off your bonnet
and I'll help yo lug that trunk up
charmber. You set still Mrs. Nichols,
till come down.
Mrs. Nichols was looking hard at
Hope, instead Of staring sullenly into
space. That "wasn't Slabtown Manners"
as she afterward said; spark kindled
| in her hopeless eyes, she had vague
! feeling that il must be pleasant to be
hugged aud kissed like that, but Loreny
wouldn't do it! Miss Melinda stopped
as she set down Hopes trunk ir the bare
clean loft, beside cot spread with
homespun blankets and patchwork
quilt, to say, in lowered voice: "You
no need 20 mind Mis- Nichols; she's
heered from the woods that her Jim has
ben on dretful spree and come nigh to
break his neck. He'd jest as good have
did il, for he amt no use TO her, but she
seems to set by him quite little. Thank
the Lord, hain't never been no mans
! fool"
With which pious aspiration Melinda
| turned back and went down the stairs,
leaving Hope to arrange her possessions
as best she could. A call to supper soon
put an end TO her work, and she went
down smiling and hungry, finding Lorena
| and her mother had stayed TO tea. Hope
was so merry and the food so savory that
Mrs. Nichols really smiled once, and
when Hope insisted on clearing the table
and washing the dishes Loreua volun-
teered her help, and her shrill little
| laugh came back from the sink-room
now and then to her mothers great sur
prise.
"Wellw exclaimed Mrs. Nichols, "if
Loreny amt q laughin'! That girl o.
yourn is as clipper us robin, now amt
shel | wisht mine was that make up;
! but she amt, not u mite"
"Maybe she would be if you was
more cherk," ;" answered Melinda, dryly.
So Hope began her new life; she soon
made acquaintance with the village peo-
pie, and was like a ray of sunshine among
them. To be happy had not entered
into their scheme of life; 10 work, and
wait, and endure was all they tried to
do; that life could be easier and better
for merriment and kindliness had not oc-
CURED to them, but this happy, unselfsh
little creature was a real social gospel to
the dreary folks of Shutdown. She
taught the children games, she sang the
cheerful hymns her mother had loved
to the old and sick people; she gathered
the gay blossoms of the woods aud hills,
and showed her playmatcs how to
brighten up their dull houses with the
vivid or delicate colors of the flowers
they had always disregarded; and in the
school, that even Shutdown children were
blessed with IN summer, Hope was like a
perpetual June day. There was among
the scholars great stupid boy of eight
cen, a cousin of Loreua Nichols--Je esse
Brown; one of those boys whom other
children cannot assimilate with; a
grown-up boy with q childs sic W compre-
hension. All the girls shrank from
Jesse, and considered him fool; while
all the boys derided him, sure that his
strength would never be used in revenge
! Hnna pifinl hn ,,raot I,,u fallou, ,,.;ll,