The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-10-18
SELECTED STORY.
A Second COurtship.

chapel door, and stream OF cold air
flowed in up to the corner where a
group of women were gathering about
the stove.
Nancy Bell amt out tonight, is
she?" asked one of them, stout, good
natured woman in mourning.
Her neighbor had a sallow, much
wrnkled, complaining face. She shook
her head Significantly, holding her
warmed woolen glove against her
cheek.
I've heard she was failing consid-
erable arely," continued the other
"Sshi don't speak so loud. She
hasn't ever got up from the grip lat
winter. | shouldn't be surprised if she
didn't last long. He don't realize it, it
amt likely-men amt apt to-"
An old man in faded brown over
coat, on the other side of the stove, stole
silently away to the door. 1t seemed
TO Dauiel Bell that it had grown colder
in the last hour. The keen air smote
him as the women's words bad done
just now. He made his way up to the
shed where his horse was tied, turning
out OF the path as he heard others COM
ing up behind him in the darkness.
He d Il not want to speak TO anybody.
He was 30 slow abe ut unhitchiI g that
jim, the old horse, looked around him
in surprise, and was dimly conscious
that something was wrong, as the two
started off on the lonely drive together.
What had those women meant by
speaking of Nancy like tbal?-as if it
had b, en- anybody? If they'd lived with
her mpre'n forty years, as he had, they
Won dn't have talked that way.
Marcy had bee IN pre- tty sick; he knew
thai well enough-hadn't he taken care
of bel?-and if there was anything
peskler than the grip, he didn't want to
see II, that's all. Anybody else might
have got die couraged and given up, but
it took more than that to get the better
of Nancy. Sue had weathered it as she
had weather everything that had
come alongside was smart, Nancy was.
S got lonesome, that was it. 1t
came h trd on her to have the boy get
married and settle out West. 1t had
been hard on him, too; but he had
Nancy. She was always fond of COM
pany around always had been New
er'd been what you'd call handsome,
but she was so lively and quick, and
had ways that would get around any
UldU OU cal Ill. ne udQ WOuutItu sOluG-
times how she came to take him. he
was so slow; but her mother used to
say" Well, Dan' may be slow, but
when he does get anywhere, why, the re
be is, right there, an lie amt goin' to
leave !"
They logged along the frozen road,
the old man mechanically pulling on
the reins. More than forty years. He
could hardly remember just how many;
what came before seemed of less &C.
count. Why, he couldn't get on with
out Nancy She was part of him;
there was nothing to BE- said about it,
it was right there: just Nancy. He
couldn't get along without her. 1t was
no use talking. He couldn't.
The horse lurpt d into the yard of his
own accord. Daniel Embarrassed him
with stiff fingers. The barn was warm,
and had clean, dry SMELL Daniel was
careful If his horses. Jim reached his
head up to the old mans shoulder, and
he stood there a minute, patling his
neck heavily.
/" / thought it was about time for you,
DAM, ;" said his wife, as he opened the
sitting room door. She was looking up
at him with her usual smile, but
through the dazzling lamp light, which
made the room swim before his eyes, it
was not her face that he saw, it was
Nancy, the wife of his youth. Mrs.
Bell was pretty little old woman, whose
cheeks still wore little of their old
time color. The sOftened look in her
black eyes had moi been there in earlier
days. She was knitting stocking, and
as Daniel drew his chair to the other
side OF the table, and opened his weekly
paper, she glanced at him, and stifled
sigh as she returned to her needles.
When Daniel got fairly to reading. it
was for all the lest of the evening. But
Daniel was not reading. He was using
the paper as a cover behind which to
watch his wife; the feeble back, still
held upright in her chair; the cough,
chUked back now and then; the busy
hands. Something in those rheumatic
hands. as they piled the yarn, presently
made him say, hesitatingly:
IL wouldn't do any more tonight,
Nancy"
"Wl at say, Dan'l?'
Z" wou dn't knit any longer tonight,
if was YOU"
"Why, | want to get these stock
luRo uuhc. Oul DC lOu5 lOIe YOU
need 'em." Her voice was still brisk
and decided.
g. guess / could make out to buy
some at the store, if worst come to
WORST suggested Daniel, with faint
hearted attempt at pleasantly.
Well, don't intend you shall have
to wear out any slazy boughten stock
ings, while ivel" she answered.
The newspaper rustled in Daniels
trembling hand. The letters on the
printed page stared at him in their
blackness. "While | livel" Every
thing struck the same chord tonight.
He br' athod hard. He was like deaf
mute who lacks the signs TO put him in
touch with life. Even to himself he
could not think in words. 1t was all
summed up in one inarticulate feeling:
to move heaven and earth to keep
Nancy with him few years longer.
He brought an extra hedquilt from the
pressroom and laid it on the foot of the