Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-01-30


hall-stand; and there were some fine
ress' wardrobe. An old musket stood
against the wall beside these, stiff and
straight and taciturn, as thou sh il
were guarding them.
But the woman ceased to be mind
full of these things as she knitted on.
She was thinking Of her far away
Scotch home, that she had left when
her husband brought her away to
America It was only a little fishing
cottage perched on the crags, but she
longed now for breath of that salt
air, and glimpse of the wild free
waves, and she thought of the kindly
faces gathered about the fire place.
But it was not this picture that filled
her eyes with tears. It was the emp
tiness in her arms, where precious
burden had lain for SO short time
only for that short three months. just
| long enough it had been for them to
| grow accustomed to it's sweet depend
ence, so that ever after they would
feel the invisible presence and look
for the warm human touch. 1t was
the mothers heart Of the woman,
which no life of harshness or repres-
sion could subdue.
The foot falls in the street outside
the open door grew more numerous
as the scant daylight waned. They
were tired, heavy, often unsteady
footsteps. Now she heard them, and
now, busy with her thoughts, she did
not notice them. She was almost
startled when a young man, with
quick, sharp tread, turned in at the
door. His step upon the floor tore
the cobweb of memories from her
brain, and with an effort she brought
her mind back to the present. His
manner was nervous and excited as
he thrust his hand into his vest peck
ct, and she saw that he looked i'll. A
feeling Of pity came over her as she
noted, too, what handsome, boyish
face it was, not really bad, and not
weak either, as were SO many Of the
faces that came there, although one
restlessness and fever of the gambling
man, who almost always comes soon
er or later to haunt the pawn shop.
She had learned well in these few
years, the meaning and the sign of
this, among,the other moral diseases,
and she had seen other faces as young
as his with the same faint i'll them;
but her pity welled up fresh from her
heart at each new sight Of human
degradation, in way not common in
the pawn shop heart. The young
mans face was haggard, and his
clothes were unkempt. When in his
nervous haste his hat fell off almost
UNDECIDED, and she saw the dark curls
that might have been child's, her
mothers heart throbbed yet again
within her.
He had found what he sought in his
pocket, and with uncertain fingers
was unrolling something from bit of
tissue paper. An explanation broke
from the woman's lips as the cover
ing was torn away. 1t was a minia-
ture of Woman-a beautiful woman,
a face "full of sweet records, promises
as sweet" young face, face which
could not grow old. She did not notice |
the rich Jewels set about it, but stood,
"Weel, weel, sac bonny, sac win
It was as though a rare and lovely |
flower had been placed in her hand. |
But as she murmured and exclaimed, |
the face of the young man grew pale.
"Don't!" he cried, in a sharp, pain
full voice, and with q sudden gesture,
as though he would take it back.
"Don't! l can't bear it. What will
you give me for it?''
She took the miniature in her hand |
reverently, almost as she might have
touched the beautiful young face, had
it been there beside her. She gazed
at it earnestly-for loneliness of this
kind or of any kind rarely came near
her Gfe-and then she turned it over
once and again. AS she turned it the
second time, an inscription on the
back held her attentions: "For my
little son, from his loving mother"
She read it aloud and the date that
followed.
eyer mother?n she cried, Goods
lad! Yer mother-and We
bring it HEREOF
His hand had reached for it spas
when she began to read,
and now he cried again:
"Don't! Don't! Let me go!" and
MS face grew rigid with pain.