Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1894-10-04

nau Deen one or the great treats OF ga
repta's childhood to go home from
school with Lucinda.
81 don't see, mother" said Emms
Merritt, as with a sigh of relief she
watched Sarepta's departing footsteps
chow you can like to have her come
here so much. It's just to see and hear
and then go and tell. And she doesn't
miss anything that's going on, for al
that she keeps her eyes Shut
''There isn't any harm in S'repty,
said Mrs. Merritt. "I've always known
her, and it kind o. interests her to come
here.n
"She takes too much interest in my
affairs" persisted Emma. "And every.
where she goes she tells about Isl, and
EN- and .Lucindy,' and so on, as il
we belonged to herr
"Never mind, Emma Jane" replied
ler mother, II guess there's room
enough in this world for you and S'rep-
ty, too"
ooh, mother, mother! you're too
good. You make excuses for every
body, and there's nobody you'd refuse
to speak to. ! do believe you would
visit with caterpillar, if you thought
it would be pleased"
verified. The next day, as Mrs. Mer-
rift sat in solitary state at her loom,
there came upon the window-sill a
great fiuted green caterpillar, moving
with dignity, as became creature
form into still more magnificent green
moth.
The shuttle lay idle as for some min
NJ Il
mired, and even talked softly to her
guest. All this would have seemed but
foolishness to Sarepta, had she been
constructed on a larger scale, after all
for she reserved her curiosity for the
human species.
spending her afternoon at Mrs. Mer-
ritt's, but she did not occupy her usual
seat, commanding view of the house.
She had crowded her chair into a
narrow space beside the loom. The
unobtrusively busy in darning a des-
perate rent in her brown alpaca dress.
She had caught it upon stake which
was driven beside the path one of sew
eral stakes which were visible from the
doorway. Though her place was hum
BILE and retired, Srepty was full of lofty
Indignation. Her own special griev-
ance of the torn gown only added to
her wrath at what she deemed great
public wrong.
For months there had been talk Of a
proposed new railroad. AT last the line
had been surveyed, and it crossed the
Merritt farm, running between the
/, Ip
S'repty had lost no time in going to
condole with her friend.
"Here | be a-settin, mendin' a dress
on me-" she remarked. "It's sign
somebody's goin' to tell a lie about me,
but l guess l can resk it if they can, IS
longs tain't the truth. Wish | could
make them railroad folks buy me a
new dress ! But you oughter git big
damages" she went on. at jist spiles
your posy garden. It's lucky the girls
is growed up big enough to keep of'n
the track"
Mrs. Merritt assented.
CAN to have 'em comm along
screechin' in the middle of the night,
shakin' the very PLIERS under your
Church's. But the wust was when
they was diggin' an blastin, an great
stones a-fyin, an Ketury's folks had
to live all cluttered up in the ell-part,
an all nerved up when blast went
off. An when they went to meetin'
the road was all blocked up in front Of
Eben Clay's house, am they had to
drive up over the bank, expectin' the
kerr d e would slip off'n the aige. An
her a-lookin' out o. the front winder,
crosser N time, because there was
wheelmarks on the terriss, as she called
it.n
"The road will be easier to build
here" said Mrs. Merritt. "And now
they've begun, they say they're going
to rush it through
"But the emigrants will have to
come, them Eyetalians," said S'repty.
can the shanties will be right under
your nose, an there they'll be cookin'
themselves, an livin' on black bread
Even this mixed statement, limiting
at cannibalistic tendencies on the part
of the workmen, did not seem to shake
the placid nerves of Mrs. Merritt.
"You're making a good, workman
like job of that tear" she said kindly.
"There's very few can beat you at
mending, S'repty."
S'repty drew her thread with stead
Ter hand. She was used to less disin-
terested compliments than this hints
pointing directly to great baskets full of
battered garments which had accumu-
lated ready for her needle.
"Mother," said Lois Merritt one
morning some days later, "here is
Bradford Toker. He says S'repty is
very sick and wants to see you"
"Yessum," put in small boy at the
door, "S'repty says, if you wanter see
her alive again, to come soon's you
CAM
Chow long has S'repty been COM
plaining?" inquired Mrs. Merritt.
ooh, most a week,-an' las night we
was KEEP up with her bout all the fore
part of the night" said the small boy
with a careworn air. "She was out OF
'er head, an took on pretty bad.o
"I'll go over to your house as soon
as l can," said Mrs. Merritt.
"She's been dretful tightly" said
Azariah's wife, before she led the way
to the sick-room. ''She's been goin' on
about bein' took up, an about YOU
bein' run over by the engine, an such
like. She begun with sort of influen.
tial cold a day or two after she was over
70 x-o,,r bnuSa Monday che ooulJp "A