Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-04-21

W6ut AWAY c00t tuO b4unCt oCJCVsO0hys
"And It was she that reconciled him.
Eunice--if we could get Dora back
againt It's as my old father says-she
was the luck of the house.
Mrs. Sedgick burst into tears.
''It wasn't my fault, Jothaml" she
said. 'I always liked the child, though
she wasn't no moro like our folks than a
corn flower is Ike squash blossom.
But she and Ellen couldn't somehow
agree. Ellen always wanted Martin to
marry Miss Brownlee, aud she up one
day and accused Dora of settin' her cap
for Martin, aud Dora couldn't stand that
and when they appealed to me, I'm
afraid didn't take Dora's part quite sc
strong as might hev DONE"
81 knowed woman's tongue was al
the bottom Of it ALL" said the squire,
with some bitterness. ''Poor Doral"
That night the whole Sedgick fam.
lily were aroused by light blaze in the
dooryard-the old fashioned we'll sweep
burning up. Grandsir, in his flannel
dressing gown aud knotted stick, his
leonine head we'll outlined in the scarlet
glow, looking more Druid-lIke than
| ever.
"You done it O. purpose" said he,
feebly shaking the stick at the assembled
family, who were trembling in the door
way. "You know you did. First Dora,
and then the old we'll sweep. The only
things l keered for in this world-and
now they're both gone, an / may as
r,oll J;o doup ouxd 1;ap,
"I didn't mean any harmi" hysteri-
cally sobbed poor Ellen. ~ was light
ing a taper to seal a letter-Marian
Brownlee always uses the new fashioned
colored wax to seal her letters-and it
burned up too quick, and l flung it out
of the window, but never dreamed it
would fall among the dead leaves around
the old we'll curb aud set it on fire!
didn't mean any harmr'
"Don't fret, father" said the squire.
'sWe'll build it up ag'in-me and Mar
tin-jnst exactly like it was before"
The old man shook his head.
"It won't be the same," moaned he.
sit won't be the same! Nothin's the
same in this world!"
And he took to his bed from that
day.
Poor Ellen hung down her head like
dropping lily. In neither case had she
intended any actual harm, but in both
instances che felt acu ely responsible.
Martin was making preparations to go
out West. Grandsir seemed to have lost
all interest in the surrounding world.
Her mother went about with swollen
eyes and pale face, and Squire Sed-
gick sat by the hour on the front porch,
looking as if he had lost his last friend.
One violet-scented April afternoon,
however, Martin came home from the
city, whittier he had been to purchase
some absolute necessity for his travels,
with fiat parcel under his arm.
"Look, mother" |" he said. 'It's some.
thing for grandsir. 1 don't know but
what I've been extravagant, but declare
to goodness couldn't help it. The
minute set eyes on it, thought of the
dear old man lynn up Airs in his bed.
It's picture" he added, as Ellen came
hurrying to his side-"an oil painting
with fine gilt frame. Ex,ctly like our
old we'll sweep that was burned down,
with the red barn in the distance, and
the sun settin' behind the woods, just as
I've seen it go down times without end.
You don't know how queer | felt when
saw it in the store window, and went
in aud paid twenty dollars for it. I'd
do without them campin' blankets aud
the fur robe,- mother; but l wanted
grandsir to have that PICTURE"
They hung it up on the wall opposite
the head of his bead, and when the old
man walked from nap, just as the sun
set beans shone over the mute canvas, he
looked at it with a smile.
.sIt's our old we'll, said he, not evinc-
ing the least surprise. "Just like was
a-lookin' out of the window at it. I've
got the well sweep back ag'in now, and
p'raps Dora'll come next. Who knows2"
And for the first time in week, he
got up and dressed himself, and deigned
to give sort of conditional approval to
the repairs going on in the burned dis
trict.
SIT looks too new now," said he, ad-
justing his "far-away" spectacles. "But
p'raps in year or two it'll be more
weather. beaten an nat'ral-like. can
allays look at the picter, though, when l
want to see the old we'll sweep"
Ellen pulled her brothers sleeve as he
stood intently regarding the bright little
oil painting on graDdsir's wall.
'sMartin," said she, ''nobody ever
could have painted that picture by guess.
1t is our old well sweep, and there's the
very butternut tree and the broken
shingles on the barn roof. And don't
you remember, Martin, how fond she
used to be of paintinga"
He turned suddenly around with an ir-
radiated face.
why didn't think of it beforea" he
cried.
Mr.. Solomon Feldman, sitting behind
his desk rail in the darkest corner of the
dark little art store, was startled from an
abstruse financial calculation by the ques-
tioning CLEAN of a pair of dark eyes close
beside him.
lis it sold9" soft voice timidly asked
-''nly 'O.d Well Swept ! sec it is
gone from the window. Oh, Is it posi-
bic that can be so lucky as to have sold
that picture2"
Dora Sedgick was very plainly dressed.
Her shoes and gloves were unmistably
shabby; there was certain pallor in her
skin and sharpness in her features which