The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1894-12-06

Iary hsd 4asfrisi ia giiIbooj sBi u Q
taaNy declared their lhteuti8n uever Il
spest lo each other sgsio. ueltias sb,
IyinF ttgr tartaasers t. The sceompSst
uta' at a. soc.snt childish iloaDtstiou
ADD vblio tbsy lve3 on lbe patterns f. n
they -, iheit i5ollsl oath uilh Ibe siul
bofraess Of aslow country stock despit,
tie alter ate oas1ia sud cbsttIsgmeut @
,Atr rareats. taslftaa5.as lte perpc
usl ertfy Jay e1utsol of lbtlr lives
tAuagH every y.cissitu5e Of sess8l a1d
Westatr ofsouiug sud respIns Of sut
AID shade. of icy and eortow.
Death sud ul-fariuue d d tot reconcile
THEM, sad vbeu their father diej aud th'
eta itra ~ts sold up they travelled To Lot
don 30 the ssme silence, by the same trslu
ia s,rfeh ot similar situations Service
/ separafed item FOR years, though there
~ss oily stones throw between them
/ They often stared at esoh other ~ the
stret t.. Honor the elder, married Local
sretsst,2 years later Mercy, the younI
/ per usrried fellow workman Of Jaue' =
I husbsll. Toe tso bu.bau L. we're friends
aud oll,n visited each Others houses
Which were Cn opposite sides Of The sane
sofdIi street. aud the wives made them
elcome Neither Honor nor Mercy sufs
ltrrd au sliusi0n 10 the breach, 1t vas
uud,r,tood that their silence must he re
celvcd 10 silence
E,cL 4 the sisters had qnlyeriul Of
children who played and Quarfe' ed togeth
er l. the streets and In one suothers
hou.,f, hut not even The street atIrsfs and
mutual trl,ysuces Of the children could
prev. ke the mothers to words They
stood at their doors 10 impotent fury, al
most bar thug with the torture OF keeping
thor mouths sbut against tie tfleryts
cruor Of angry speech. When either lost
g. Ill., the Other watched the funeral
lrom Ct window, dumb a. the mntes
Iht yesf, rolled on, and stiIl the river
Of tiltlce flowed between their lives
ILtIr good looks faded. The burden Of
hir erd oi their chllbearing was heavy
upon them. Gray hairs streaked their
tttNu tetses, then brow hairs streaked
thelr ray trefses. The Fuckers Ct age
Icllac,d tie dImples Of youth. The years
lul "a On, aud Death grew busy among
the lsmIhes, Honor's husband died and
NJ, rcy lost a son, who died week alter
LIs wife. Cholera took several Of the
, ouuetr Children But the sisters them
s.iv.- lived 90, bent and shriveled by toll
sLd turow tven more than by the slow
frost + the years,
Tl,u ore day Mercy took took to her
death bed An Interusl disease, too long
uetl,clcd, ould carry her Of within q
week. So the doctor told jim, Mercy
husband
through him the news travelled to Honl
ors eldeet SOD, who sttll lived With her. |
By the evening 1t reached Honor
As Boncr eltered Mercy's sicktoom,
With Fursed lips, a light leaped into the
wasted, wflnkled countenance of the dy |
Ibg creature. She raised herself slightly |
~ bed, htr lips parted, then ST ut ghtIy,
ard h'r face darkened
Houor turned aDerly to Mercy's bus.
bsnd, wLo hung about impolently. Why |
did you let her rub down 20 low? she
said. didn't krow, the oli man STAN
mered, taken back by her presence even
m re tbnn by her question, She was al
ways a woman to say nothing.
Honor put him impstlently aside and
tXamlued the medicine bottle on the bed
side table.
lent 1t time she took her dose?
! dessay,
Honor tuorted wrsthfuly, What's the
use OF man? she inquired as she careful
y measured ont the fluid and ut it to her
is et'p lips, which opened to receive it
,Ld then closed tightly again.
How is you wife feein noWY Honor
=, kei after pause
Hos are you nov, Mercy asked the
)td man awkwsrily, The old woman
,hoos her head. I'm a gCIo fast, jim, she
,ramJIed weakly, and tear Of self pity
ucklsd down her psfchmelt check
what rubbidge she 9 0 talk, cried Hon
n -bprply, Why dye stand there Ike
suor's dummy? WY don't you tell her
o cher up?
Cheer up, M,re! lquayered the old man
loarrely.
But Mercy groaned Instead and turned
r,tlaay on her ota,r eide, with her face
o the wall,
| IN too old I'm too old. she moaned
,uls Is the end o M.
Dli You ever bear the like? Honor
-kct Jim apgfIly ss she smoothed his
ife's pillow. She vas slwsys coucelted /
! oath age, setiu herself up as the O
4aaIs Of ber eldets, aud here am |, bet e
I.ier sister, as carried lie in my arms
hen was 3 and she vas 2, sull hale and t
iroDR, snd with O nild for underground
OF many long day. Nigh three timcs
er sse ! was once, mind you, and nov
be has the iu,I etelce to talk Of dyin be,
1tc me v