Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-06-13

" >SS--s's 49,
pains, he might examine, rend up for, and
write about, so as to make an excellent
quarterly article sure of ut least a moder
ate audience. The first step on the lad
der, which, If taken cautiously and firm
ly, might lead him either by literature OF
politics, or both, to the very top.
"Fain would | climb, but that 1 fear K
fail.
Only she will never say to me
IF thy heart fail thee, do not climb a
all.
She would keep my heart up so that
could not full. Bless herl am sure OF
that"
SO thinking, he came to his own door
stepping lightly across the grassy lawn
half in boyish mischief to look in at thu
parlor window-she liked to keep her
light visible-and see what his wife was
doing now the household has all gone Ia
bed.
Sitting quitely and alone, beside her n
pretty box of sandalwood, which looked
like present, for it had a Christmas card
on the top, she was emptying it, layer
after layer, and spreading its contents on
her lap. Only little clothes-the little
clothes that women and mothers thinl;
the prettiest in all the world. One after
the other she unfolded them, putting her
fingers through the tiny empty sleeves,
looking at them admiringly, smilingly,
and yet again with strange sadness.
All at once Roderick called to mind what
Lady Symington had said to him, and
her tone of saying it; he had been full of
his own affairs just then, and had not
noticed much else, but now, as he slipped
quietly indoors, and kneeling down be-
side his wife, helped her to examine her
New Years gift-man as he vast
touched him deeply.
"And the little fellow only lived seven
years, yet his mother has remembered
him all this while! Poor Lady Syming-
tonw
He said it with curious awe, as with
his slightly awkward fingers he helped
his wife to refold the wonderful little gar
ments, and replace them, as they had lain,
untouched, for nearly forty years. Then
they put the box away and sat down by
the fire, hand in hand and he told her all
his new hopes, new ambitions-the lifo
that somehow seemed opening before
him, if only he had strength to carry it
out.
II shall do nothing rashly. Author
ship they say, is capital staff, but a
very bad crutch,' l shall stick to the
mill at present. But you were right TO
send me away tonight. 1t does me good
to have something beyond the mill, to mix
with men and feel myself one of them,
with life all before me; and power to DO
my work in it, with what poor old Tommy
Moore calls, conceitedly,
""The mind that burns within me,
And pure smiles from thee at home"
That quiet home smile, serene and pure,
1t beamed upon him now, and his whole
heart was satisfied.
"This is the first new year we ever
spent together, my wife. Shall we 20
outside and greet it in the open air, as is
our Scotch fashion? My father always
did SO, and my mother, too-my poor
mother!" he sighed. 81 wonder whether
Bella's being with us will do good or
harm? whether they will be thinking of
me just now? We always had grand
family gathering at Hogmanay--my two
elder sisters, their husbands and children.
They never cared for me much; 1 was
mere boy when they married. STILL to
have quite forsaken me! Well, well,
wish them all happy new year-my ain
folk as we say in Scotland"
Silence had no "ain folk"-only two
far-away graves-but she had her hus-
band. He and she walked up and down
in front Of the hall-door talking of this
and that, and especially of his work in
the future, which seemed already to have
taken q strong hold on his Imagination,
till in the dead stiffness the distant stable
clock at Symington was heard beginning
to strike twelve.
Until then there had not been a breath
stirring, the night was so wonderfully
calm and mild, and dusk rather than
dark; the half moon, slowly sloping west
ward behind the house, still showed faint
ly the belt of trees round the lawn, and
even the dim outline of the distant hills.
Above, the sky was parseme-no English
word expresses it-with myrinds of stars.
When the last stroke of the clock ceased,
there seemed to descend from it, right
down from these mysterious stars,
sough of wind equally mysterious. 1t
rustled through the tree-tops, wandered
round the house, and then passed away
into stiffness, almost like living thing.
"Listen, listen, Roderickw
ut is the sough Of the air-the old
years last breath. l have often noticed
it, and heard other people notice it, too.
And nOw-our new year is begun. May
it be a very happy one to you-to us-my
darlingp
He kissed her. and then seeing how
mute and passive she was, made little
innocent joke about not being able to add
the usual Scotch wish of "a happy New
Year, and afore the end ont" because
she had already got her man." and must
make the best of him, bad as he was, to
the end Of the chapter.
(which is such long way off, my love.
Quite alarming. Only to think that thirty,
forty, even fifty years hence, you and
may be standing-two old people, old and
gray-headed-under these very stars. 1
remember looking up at them this time