Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-11-25

OF Delng rather pleased TO have struck
thus by chance upon a means of holding
her thriftless sister in check.
81 have the welfare of the family at
heart" she said. UNLESS I see some
change in you, Huldah, shall send you
next week to Ohio with Deacon Henry
when he returns to his village"
Huldah gave a strange little laugh.
Changer she cried out. kin them
critters as hes hoofs larn to fly? I'd quit
being lazy and triflin if I knowed how.
But came of easy goin stock. l got
shifless blood in me, reckon. But l
ruther die in Kentucky than live in
Ohio" She numbered heavily up the
steps, and the young elderess watched
her pass the house.
Lucia had n feeling of uncertainty.
She had come to this village from a well
ordered settlement in another region,
and she cherished praiseworthy design
of lifting the Kentucky community to a
level with more austerely conducted set
Elements. Her predecessor, Elderess
Jane, had tempered justice with more
mercy than Lucia believed well, and IN
der her rule West House had worn a
cheerful air of home and creature COM
forts.
There were red curtains in the sitting
room windows and crochet tides on the
sitting room chairs. These worldly deco
rations Lucia at once removed as abom-
nations conducive to low, heshly ideals.
She had rigorous conception of the
millennial idea, had Elderess Lucia, and
the mild old Shakers of West House
found themselves suddenly and violently
elevated to a higher and sadder life.
1--WE will proceed with our doctrinal
talk" said Lucia, entering the sitting
room after her rebuke to Huldah. isis
ter Huldah has gone to her room. We
will excuse her tonight"
The next morning, however, she re-
pented of this leniency, for when the
family filed in to breakfast at o'clock
Huldah was not in line, and the elderess
had vision of her lying comfortably
abed, forgetful of precepts and warn
ings. She prepared to be very stern
with the irresponsible old soul, but when
she went up stairs to pour incensed ad-
monition upon Huldah's head, she dis
covered the surprising fact that Huldah
was not in her little room. The place
looked tidy with its high bed, scrap of q
stove and dimity sash shade. But HUI
dab seemed to have gone, and when the
elderess looked she found that Huldah's
two print frocks and linsey petticoats
and long Shaker bonnet were also gone.
Lucia had a sensation of unpleasant
ness. 1t did not sit we'll with her con-
science to think that she had driven the
old sister away. She sought to convey
some assurance to Huldah, but no one
seemed able to suggest, as to her where
abouts, anything more definite than that
she had likely gone to cher kin down
yender in Lincoln" Lucia accepted
with sense of self reproof the theory
that Huldah had gone out into the world
in a mood of resentment. Others had
left the community in various moods of
revolt against the new elderess' high
handed methods. Commonly they came
back properly subdued by the GOODNESS
of the world. No doubt Huldah would
also return, and when she did SO, Lucia
determined upon treating her little less
sternly.
But though she fixed upon this consid-
crate usage she found no chance for
practicing it, for weeks passed on, and
no word came of old Huldah. Summer
DOTTED its green garments for coats of
russell. In West House yard the cherry
trees spread against the paling skies, and
up the Shaker roads and around the
stolid houses wintry winds swept cold
and snow came early that year, folding
in white the trim garden spaces. A cold
winter set in. The preserving kitchens
were shut and deserted, and the Shaker
women, gathering Of afternoons about
their little heart shaped stoves, sewed
carpet rags and wove mats and guileless-
ly stuffed emery bags with thistledown.
They sat at their tasks more quietly
than had been their wont under the
placid regime of Elderess Jane. Gossip
was frowned on by the new elderess,
who, by way of furnishing her house
hold light entertainment, read to them
while they worked from moldy records
Of the spiritual experiences of early fol-
DIVERS of Ann Lee.
One day in January, while they sat
and listened, a knock sounded at the sit
ting room door. A lank fellow, bundled
| in a wool scarf, stood on the threshold.
"Howdy," he said, amiably moulding at
Lucia, who looked up with calm, dark
eyes and smooth, soft lips which silently
| questioned the intruder.
You're the new elderess, reckon"
| promised the man. Il used to know
| O4StC4 CuA4S A4ShG well. L LII lO1ASdlC
man. / was Jest goin ON to Harrodsburg,
and l laid of to. stop in and tell You
some ones Twin in the old log house
down on the river. knowed it was
! Shaker property, and / lodged you'd
want to know. NJ wife she see smoke
comm from the chimney, and she he'd
me climb up the bank to see who was
| living there. l couldn't raise no one.
| g. IL II,
sneak thoo the bushes up there with a
passed. of fagots. didn't know but you'd
want TO hear if any one was Twin in one
of your houses and a-stealin your tim
| Der. Me and m wife we're always glad
to do the Shakers good turn"
One of the Shaker women uttered an
exclamation: Law me! who ever hes
to lie in that old crib must be poorly off!
1t amt fit for firewood and half a mile
| from Twin critter! l wonder who
Why, law me! it couldn't be old Huldah2''
Lucia started. ''She went to her peo-
pie" she said sharply. And then, sud
denly enough, she said to the tollgate
man: will you take me to the place:
Some one there may need help. Sister
Rose, tell Abram to hitch up"
The spring wagon, however, could go
only the less part of the way. At the
turn to the ferry the tollgste man tied
and blanketed the horse. Then he pro-
ceeded up a rocky break in the cliff side,
and Lucia toiled after him through muir
muring pines and between jagged stones,
which nibbled hungrily through their
slight covering of snow.
In the midst of leafless trees an old
house presently disclosed black and
tumbling roof. At one side Of the
bleached log walls massive chimney
rose in a broken, hoary heap. Family
from its mouth came a dying breath Of
smoke, but there was no other sign of