The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-03-12
SHE sAvED THE FARM,


of rain, seem to braid themselves with |
the sunbeams, and every gust of south |
ward coming air seemed full of the vague /
scents of viOletS and daffOdils, and grass
growing green on sunny hillsides.
Harry Summers sat by his city window
where the sweet air lifted the sunny
hair upon his forehead. and thought long
ugly Of Il departed days when hedwelt
under his own vine and fig tree, and
watched the dancing sunbeams with
greedy eyes.
'Jessier' he said in his feeble, piping
voice; "Jessie, don't you think we might
have a little walk in the park this after
ternoon9 The air is so mild, and I'm
tired of these fonr walls"
Jessie Summers looked up from her
desk at the other end of the room.
She was a slender, pretty girl of seven
or eight and twenty, with large,
soft, hazel eyes, brown hair and pale
cheeks.
"By and by, dear father" she said,
gently: when the sun sinks little
lower"
Once more she eagerly resumed her
writing, the pen flying swiftly over the
smooth surface of the paper, as if it
were winged with magic speed.
Harry Summers turned to his wife,
who sat patiently sewing opposite to
him.
''Wife," said he apple trees will be in
blossom at the old farm house soon.
Don't you remember how the white
leaves used to shower down on the
ground like a snow storm? The old
farm-if | could have ended my days
tn re-" he added, with weary sigh;
Here, I'm poor, weak, old man, and
mr.
city Without there everywhere tree is
friend of mine, and the very wind
among the branches sounds familiar in
my ears" =,
times, DEAR said his wife, signing al
most inaudibly.
"If could only have been cOntented
to let those oil speculatiOns alone" re
sumed Harry. eagerly, ''or if l could
have bought them a mOnth-only a
month-earlier. But was mad-and we
we're ruined. The landlord was here
tlis morning, prosecuting us because the
rent of the room was not paid. never
thought | should come to this, Huldah."
His wife made no reply. Jessie
still wrote on, her brow slightly con
tracted.
"Still, we should done well enough"
went on poor old Summers, ''if Jessie
could have made up her mind to marry
young Deforest. He is well off; we old
folks could have had our home with
him, with our feet on the green grass,
and Gods clear sky above our heads.
It's not too late yet, my lass. Deforest
was here yesterday when you and mother
were gone down to those musty, old
newspaper offices. You'd better think
of it, my girl"
Jessie looked up, tossing back the
dropping hair from her brow.
Father" she said, pitifully, Il have
said do not love him."
'Love love" echoed the old man,
sneeringly. "Love won't boil kettle or
buy gown. l thought you had out
grown the age of schoolgirl sentiment"
81 hope l shall never outgrow it,
father"
"And while you are waiting for love
to grow up in your heart your poor old
father and mother may pine their lives
ont in this city-smelling dem"
81 hope not, father" said Jessie: 'my
writing has"
81 don't want to hear another word of
your writing" interrupted Mr.. Sum
mers. If it hadn't been for your ride
ulous idea that you were genius you'd
have settled down quietly to be John
Deforests wife five years ago"
Jessie pursued the argument no
further, but mothers gentle, encourag
ing glance, as she looked up, mutually
testified that she had at least one tender
sympathizer.
The blue-eyed April violets blossomed
and died, and hung her chaplets of
bloom on tree, glen and forest, and still
Jessie tOiled, early and late.
Her fathers words often occurred to
her at times of fatigue or desdondency.
"A genius" Was she indeed genus?
If she were-oh, bright impossible fl
burning on the altar of this book into
which she was interviewing the tenderest
fancies of soul or brain.
And Jessie grew paler and more alb
sorbed day by day; and her mother
watched her with wistful silent care,
and old Harry fretted with the inco
herent plants of old age, and the summer
ripened into golden fullness, under
beamy moonlight nights, and the glow
os trOpc days.
'Its getting warm weather." groaned
old Harry, land this CToton water ism
fit for dog to drink, let alone a Chris |
tan. Oh, if could only have drink of
water out of the old well under the gar
den well. 1t used to be as cold as ice
when the sun was at its hottest. l |
dreamed last night of standing over that
well with the old bucket trimming over
the curb, all IN a tangle, as they used to
grow
''Father," said Jessie, who had just
come, with sparkling cheeks unwontedly |
rosy and a light Sparkling deep down in
her eyes, "shall we all go, you, mother
and |, for nice, long drive in the
country this afternOong'
The old mans face lighted up an lin |
slant, but it fell again.
eve can't afford it," he said testify. |
'We are poor. Carriage drives cost
money"
But have earned little mony from
by book"
Book, ndeed'' laughed old Harry "a |
pretty book you'd write. But we'll go if |
you can afford to squander the money on
your old father. You've been very close
with yaur money of Late
Jessie's cheek glowed at the unde-
served taunt, but did not reply.
Father not well, ''she said to herself, |
'and he's old and irritable, and this hot
weather frets him. He will be better
which," and there Jessie's reverie |
stopped
The air was full of the sweet breath of
new-mown hay, when the carriage rolled |
along the green country road, under the |
rustling boughs of beech and elm and |
waving willow. Harry Summers eyes
frightened, the blood seemed to leap
with new impulse through his veins.
"Ah!" he cried, drawing deep
breath, "now l am beginning to live
again. Why, this is the old road with
the gnarled OAK hanging over the gate.
There are the fields that used to be
ours. Daughter, why did you take this
road?"
81 thought you'd like to see the old
place again, father"
st isn't ours any longer" he groaned.
See those clover fields-I always said it
was the best ground in the couutry-and
the tall corn growing so royalty! and the
house looks just as it used TO look. |
believe it's the very same robin singing
in the popular tree by the porch.
His eyes were trimming over with
tears; and his voice faltered strangely as
"Who lives here now?" he asked,
after pause. You said Burke had
sold it,"
Nobody just at present. Shall we
90 in and walk through some of the
ToOms?"
Harry Summers assented with silent
nod Of the head.
1t was all the same-the old furniture
undisturbed in its hooks and corners,
the worm familiar carpet, the same tint
ing of wall and woodwork. Harry Sum-
mers could almost believe that it was
but yesterday that he had quilted the
threshold He sat down in the old