The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-12-27
Old Lucy.


long and straight, with a gradual slope
for mile. One standing at the heat
of the slope had an uninterrupted view o.
the street for long distance. This
morning of the day before Christmas
at nine O'Clock there was only one per
son to be seen upon it. At nine O'Clock
in the morning there were seldom many
to be seen on the read; the men had
gone to work, and the women were
rarely out-of-doors at any time. Most
of them did their own homework and
sewing, and an outdoor walk looked tc
them like an arduous undertaking
Not another woman in the whole vii
lage was on the street as much as old
Lucy Cragip, who was then going ur
the slope. She was short, and wide
shouldered. She planted her stubbed
feet far apart, and walked with a kind
of stiff hop like sparrow. She was
rolled 10 old shawls, and wore a white
hood with long ends which swung to
her knees. She carried brown cloth
knotted into bag.
Old Lucy's face was purpish red
with the cold; she kept shifting; her
coarse sh es catered on the frozen
ground. Once in a while woman's
face peered out at her over the gre en-
house plants in window, but Lucy
never noticed it-she kept on stffly.
Finally she strobe into driveway at
the side of large white farmhouse,
trudged up to the side door, and
knocked No one came, although she
could hear voices in the house. She
knocked again, and waited. Her face
grew more purple; the wind beat upon
her back; at last she opened the door
and walked into the kitchen. She set
tied down in the nearest chair and sat
still, looking across at the cooking
stove; waves of heat were swimming
over it. Now she was in the house,
the VOICES were quite audible; there
were two of them, woman's and a
mans, ard they came from the sitting
room.
The woman's voice was predominant;
it was shrill with grief and wrath. {" |
can't have it so, nohow," she said. 6"
can't have you going out Vest can't!
And don't want to pull up stakes, and
go out there in the spring, and amt
a-goin' to. l amt goin' to leave all my
folks, and the place where l was born
and brought up, at my time of life, and
81 NuJ Oub NOSts dlh gun ",
once for all, and you amt goin', Hiram
Lowering, neither, not if can help il!
l won't have you goin'!"
The mans voice opposed itself to
hers like the face of rock. 81 am
goin'," said he.
The woman's voice swelled into a
shrek. " Coin off, and leavin' your
wife and home, on account of wicked
quarrel with all the brother you've got
about nothin' at all You know he'd
be glad enough to make up, if you was !
Coin way out Westl"
Ono, he wouldn't make up, neither.
l know John Lowering as well as you
do. He looked ugly enough to kill me
when met him in the road this morn
in. Thinkin' I've been tryin' to cheat
him! Pm goin' to get out of it. I'm
sick of the whole business. l know
him. If tried to patch it up, he'd
turn round and laugh at me. l guess
amt goin' to STAN it. 1 amt goin' to
knuckle down to him!"
Al Coin out West in the dead of win
Iterl Oh, dear 1 never thought
should live to see this Oh, dear!''
The sitting-room door was swung
wide open, and an old man strobe VIC.
lently through the kitchen. He caught
hat Off nail, thrust it on his head
and went out. He did not notice Lucy.
In minute woman, catching her
- breath with sobs, entered. Her face
! was all red and convulsed. She saw
Lucy at once. Lucy's face had stolid
expression; it looked as if she had
heard nothing.
The other woman Strengthened her.
self. "Oh, you are here waitin'?" said
she, trying to make her voice steady.
Yes, marm."
Well, dunno as I've got much of
anything on hand this mornin'; l didn't
bake yesterday. Hiram is talkin' about
goin' out West, and it kind of upset
me. III see what can find"
She went into the pantry, and pres
emily emerged with plate. There
were three biscuits on it. "There,"
said she, in a very strained voice, that
mad an impatient tone in it" there's
everything I've got in the house for
you, and | s'pose they are dry. Every
doughnut is gone, and there amt a
piece left. | don't s'pose you'll think
1t much, but l can't help it,"
Lucy arose, took the biscuits and put
them into corner of her knotted bag
""lts all right" said she; "these will
do well enough"
They'll have to-"
"Tbey look real nice. It's pretty
cold mornin'."
" Yes, | s'pose tits. 1 amt thought
much about it."
Lucy pulled her shawls closer around
er, and frightened her hood. strings.
Goodbye" said she.
Goodbye"
Lucy dumped out in the road again !;
walked quarter of mile farther,
na1e came to handsome cottage
amental brackets under the
- When she knocked at the back