Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14


of them must be the right one And he pro-
| ceeded TO tread down a circle in the snow, and
with the Ratchet to cut of tho tender henllock
Doughs with which first he heaped the sledge,
and then made dry spot for the horses, which
he fed and blanketed. And after they had di-
| vided the ample luncheon they had brought
| from Palterers, he had tho mother and daugh-
| ter lie down on the hemlock boughs, covering
them with the thick robes and took mp his
round as q sentinel about them.
"Oh mother" he heard Annie whispering,
''there are wolves in these woods! They viii
4 smell the horsesw
'Not down as far as this" said John. ''Peach-
blow says there isn't wolf south Of the camp.
You can sleep as safe as il you were down in
Port. shah keep watch all night" And he
did, pacing round and round his little bivouac,
watching the stars wheel slowly down, where
the roof of the forest boughs were thin, and
pausing now and then to gaze ut the young girl
in her innocent sleep, whore the long lashes
| to him to be half parted, as if they must be
| speaking to angels in her dream. He felt with
| . sinking heart, as he gazed, that II abe knew
who it was that watched her she probably
once the mother, waking from her own weary
| browse, saw him leaning there against the bole
of a big tree with folded arms his eyes upon
| the sleeper a. if upon saint in q shrine, and
then look Of anguish writhing over his face IS
he turned away that belonged not to strong
and happy youth, but such a. one might have
if shut out from heaven.
But in the first gray Of the morning the
horses were put in, and while the others still
lay on their hemlock boughs the team was max
ing its way out again.
II have found the lay of the land by the way
the stars were going" he said to the mother;
and before long they were in the open road
dawn flushing all the heavens above, the snow
below, and turning the whole forest into q
twinkle of rainbows-and ON the way to . safs
end of their iOurney.
Hes . man worth keeping" said Mrs
sibley to her husband II wouldn't lose sight
of him."
Hes brought home the horses all right, -
said Mr.. Sibley. And he took John home with
him that night and found plenty for him to do
next day in the great warehouse Of supplies,
and listened to various suggestions that
seemed to occur to the youth . new conner
there, kept him busy, and when spring came
sent him behind the Morgan colts with wallet
full of money to pay of the men in camp.
Hes q treasure, that lad said Mr.. Sibley,
when John returned with his vouchers all cor
rect ''Luckiest days work ever done when
l come across him. Saved me his keep already
In small leaks. He's too good to last. Some
out about him somewhere. Durnd ef can
find ii, though"
81 don't believe in crossing bridges fore you
come to them" said the fussy little mans wife.
Il don't believe you'll ever come to this one.
He's as good boy as treads sole leather"
"As good a boy hasn't been found out
Well, you spread your saving grace over him.
mother, and less see if he'll wnnt a better home
n this is
And in his few spare half hours John was in
vitsd into the sitting room, and presently if
anything was wanted BY the home people il was
husband and father. and it was taken for
granted that on Sundays he should have q seat
in the family pew. And thus one year passed
and another, and the third year found John
Dean keeping Mr.. Sibley's books and his
bank account, collecting his moneys, making
his payments. going and coming between the
lumber camps, engaging and paying of the
men-in short, the trusted and faithful init
mate of his business, always firm and strong
and ready. always bright and gentle and oblig
an open fire and mug Of cider to see Johns
face on gloomy evening, and there was many
a rosy young girl in the Port who thought no
less and looked shyly askance at his face, once
SO bleached and now with q healthy tan and
ruddy color beneath the white brow at his
wholesome mouth, whose bright laugh was not
hid by the tawny shadow of the recent mus
tache, at the sparkle of his happy eyes, at his
shapely shoulders and his easy bearing.
But of late this cheeriness Of Johns that
Mr.. Sibley liked was going under a cloud. Mr..
Sibley thought he must be tired and was for
giving him a vacation. Mrs. Sibley thought he
must be i'll and was for dosing him with herbs.
Annie Sibley. if she thought anything about it.
only showed her thought by a heightened color
on her cheek and brighter star in her eye
when his name was mentioned, or when she
saw him coming up the garden walk.
Certainly an unknown young fellow who had
found place almost without asking for il had
been taken into his masters confidence and
into his family and had every reason to think
his future secure and fortunate ought to have
worn gsyer face than John Dean was wearing
now. 1t is true his good nature was continually
the same requirement, but gradually all
jests and quips and drolling, as Mrs. Sibley
called ii, had ceased and he went about his
Sundays he strayed off over the fields instead of
listening to little Annie singing in the choir or
walking home with her, as he had been used to
do. Perhaps it did not occur to him that any
one might be troubled by this; perhaps he was
not aware of it himself: he certainly did not
see the paling Of the bloom on Annie's cheek.
But Mrs. Sibley did and it smote her heart to
see the girls eyes follow John and fall again she
taking shame to herself that they did, to see
the unconscious pretty ways in which she tried
to win him out Of his gloom. 'She might do
worse" said Mr.. Sibley, when his wife spoke to
him about ii, as a good wife should. ''He's a
likely fellow. I'm going to raise his salary the
first of the year. And he'll be q rich man
vet
ut-father-you--you wouldn't be willing
to let the first conner have her-and he, as you
may say. a sort of-of-hired man?'
Hired man bel mean" said Mr.. Sibley,
who didn't allow swearing, shes my conf
DENTAL man of business"
But we don't even know where he came
FROM
STEADY as a clock. faithful a. q dial. There's
some out about him somewhere. Of course but
l can't find it, Perhaps that's it. / guess we
can find out where he came from. I'll ask him.
/ don't never want ter know, though a mite
more'n know about him. Always under our
eye, an this the third year. What's she pale
about? Does she think wouldn't like it? You
tell her 1 say she might go further and fare
worser'
"Oh, father, couldn't speak to her about
itr'
''Well. then, you turn over an 20 ter sleep
an let the Lord take care of it. Wen l see two
young folks a-making love don't believe I can
improve on natur."
Perhaps the mother had some of the same
reverence for Annie in her sweet innocence
that John himself had. as she watched her 20 !.
ing about her simple duties and pleasures ike
something Just above the earth but not on il.
Every one in the Port had touch of this same
feeling about Annie Sibley-the old woman to
whom she gave an arm on the street, the little
child whose hurt she soothed, the sick girl with
whom she watched. Even the sailors in her
fathers lumber schooners counted 1t luck if
they saw her sweet face before sailing, as other
people do when they see the moon over their
right shoulder. She had the gentle word, the
gentle deed, for all people, the tender iudg-
ment the unfailing pity.
annie Sibley," said old Peachblow, voicinR
the sentiment Of all the community, ''she's as
nigh perfect as they make EN-
1t would have been no wonder, then, had
1 H.