The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-31

IOrIaDle STATE ana narrowed clrcum-
stances.
81 will, I'm afraid. An l know 1
must remember your poor bruised heart;
but, Lyddy, all day long-I will be mod
crate. Don't look grieved, Lyddy; for |
must say it now before Stephen comes,
or l might speak in meetin' as they say.
"Tf you must, Sally"
"Wall, | must-I, that am so much
older than you, an alwus looked after
you. Yes, Lyddy, all day I've seen
you jest as you looked after you read
that letter, lynn so white and ll,-for,
you know you tainted dead away, an
we thought you'd never come to. All
day long Lyddy I've heard you sob, jest
as you did for so many days. that almost
broke our own hearts. An 1 see you as
you came down among us one day, so
beautiful and sWeeter than ever-but
you was alWus sweet LyddY. l fairly
billed to see you so pretty in your dispo-
sition and you only Is. I've had to do
the reVengeful for you, Lyddy, because
you know you'd never do it yourself.
Some say the Lord made Satan to bring
good to us out of him. rather do with
little less good, but l s'pose that is
why some dispositions are not so sweet
as others-their crankiness is going to
develop somebody. l used to think how
I'd pay Stephen Bowen if 1 ever had a
chance, and thank tho Lord may have
it yit."
"You will not do anything hastily,
will you dearP' said Lyddy, somewhat
startled.
mo, but if you don't want me to,
don't say it is to chasten us to see Steph-
en- struttin' up and down the street and
you mournin' all this time; and me, too.
If there was any call for that kind of
thing, it warn t you that needed it. 1t
was me, an you see didn't git it. The
Lord alwus does what he sets out to, so
it wasn't him him that did it, Lyddy.
You'll let me say that won't you?'
''If it helps you, and in the spirit you
ought"
'Wall, I've said it"
Then the two women silently stitched
on for some time. After while the tea
kettle began pleasant hum, and Sally
rose and set it back, but did not speak.
The small liVing-room was spotlessly
clean and quite inviting in spite of its
homely furnishings. Any place that
Lyddy lived in would have comfortable
home-like appearance; and Sally was
old-fashioned clock licked away in the
corner, unmindful that Its surroundings
were less 'well-to-do" than formerly.
The spinning wheel occupied another
corner; for in the retired little village of
Eastman Hollow people still spun and
knit and WoVe. Home made rugs nearly
covered the otherwise bare floor, and
the small wooden rockers were quite easy
with their calico cushions. The tin can
dle-sticks were neat, and the plain cur
tains whole and straight. The weekly
newspaper and Sunday-SchOol Advocate
lay ON stand. A monthly rose, pot of
bergamOnt, and a beef-steak geraniun
gave a touch of color to the room, and
repaid Lyddy's care of them with bios
SONS and perfume.
The clouds were drifting away and a
few sunbeams glanced in through the
small panes of glass, and lighted up
Lyddy's brown hair. 1t had not begun
to turn gray yet and the violet eyes
with their long lashes had not lost any
of their beauty. A little quaint, Lyddy
made very pretty picture that after
noon. Her face was strong one, but
beautifully serene; aud though Sally's
ontburst had Probed an unhealed wound
of memory, that sent the shadows across
it, the Peacefulness within shone through
them and glorified it. Bright and
sparkling in her girlhood, she had un-
consciously retained many of her charms
in disciplining herself for the life that so
suddenly opened before her.
She had loved Stephen Bowen They
were to have been married with the June
roses. But that cruel letter came; and
until this morning she had never even
heard of him; and that was - years ago.
Sally stitched away SO quietly that
Lyddy looked up several times in sur
prise, glad that the storm was over with
in as we'll as without. She stopped a
moment to look at the little heaps of
snow outside the wIndOw-sill, and to
watch neighbor WELD his snow shovel;
then she took mp new piece of work
and resolutely made her needle fly rapid
ly. She would not think anything about
the stage. She was glad she could not
see it from that room Suddenly CLEAN
of sunshine lighted up Sally's little
black eyes, and wound itself around her
mouth in the form of smile. She
stealthily glanced up TO see if Lyddy
noticed it; for she knew it must be there
in response to the thought that had
just come dancing into her mind, "Ill do
it."
I'm glad we KEEP it to ourselves"
Sally at length remarked. i'm glad no
body ever knew just what happened"
Receiving no answer she got up and
went into the bedroom to give her feel
ings an outlet, and see if there was any
signs Of the stage coming, though she
was we'll aware that it was not quite
time for it. Eastman Hollow had heard
of steam afar off, and thanked its stars
the dangerous stuff would never reach
them. The arrival of the stage was the
event of the day, duly made much of by
small boys and loungers, and to-day
there was quite an excitement over
Stephen Bowen's return. The crowd
had begun to collect.
''rll do it." Sally soliloquized. I'll do
it. I've pinched long enough, and I'll
try it. No tellin' what'll come ont"
Jane Meigs seys he's ben a widower
sometime"-Sally impaired this well
known information as she returned to the
kitchen and sat down to sew. But she
was too nervous to take the stitches
evenly, so she was up again in a few
minute. She astonished Tabby John by
giving him an early supper and an album
dance of it.
And he hasn't no--hasn't any chill
dren-buried one," came to Lyddy's ears
as Sally tightly closed the bedroom door
and sat down to watch. She had not
long to wait.
There it isl" she exclaimed as the
deep-toned bells, merrily jingled their
advent Her heart heat az ranidlv 40