The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-28

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her rival
'RobertP she said suddenly It all
this was told to me, miss, by the woman
who was nursin poor Mary at tho time,
an who heard It all-'will you marry
Ellen? Oh, If you will only promise to
marry Ellen, 1 shall have no care left
could trust her to be good to my child.
"Robert hesitated, but it is hard to
refuse the request Of the dyin.
when she said again pleadingly,
will you marry EllenP' he said Yes
quietly, an Mary was at peace.
She did not live long after that.
Before she died she placed her child in
Ellen's arms, an believe Ellen took it
as a solemn trust
"There had certainly been very
strong an true friendship between the
two women an l don't think anybody
else would have bestowed the care ON
that peevish, tiresome child as Ellen did.
"When Mary had been dead short
time, Ellen married Robert, an a good
wife she made him. Ann Elizabeth
never opened her lips on the subject of
this second marriage any moro than she
had done ON that of the first. She went
ON in the old steady way until changes
began to come for her as well as for all
the rest of the world.
"The old ladies had been in failin
health for some time, an Ann Eliza
beth had tended them as gently an care
fully as anybody could have done. She
wasn't the sort to do it for the sake Of
pay or reward. She was honestly fond
of them, an 1 believe nobody was more
surprised than she when, after their
respective deaths-one outlived the 9TH
err for few weeks only--it was found
that she was the inheritor Of all they
had to leave
What had been Strengthened means
to ladies who in their earlier days had
been used to somethin so much better
was affluence to Ann Elizabeth. She
was sole mistress of the pretty house
where she had formerly been servant,
an she had enough to secure her COM
fort an Independence for the remainder
of her life
She had got too mach good sense to
put ON any airs or to pretend to be
what she was not. But she quietly al
tered her style Of dress, kept a servant
OF her Own an was respected by all the
folks in the village
Now, just as things had gone we'll
with Ann Elizabeth SO had they gone
badly with Robert Jones. Ellen had
now child of her own, an. strangely
enough, her health began to fail in just
the same way as Mary's had done
Another serious trouble seemed like
~ to overtake them Roberts eyesight
was beginnin to fail, so much so that
no was threatened with total blindness
''At last Ellen died This time Rob
ert was left with two children-deh-
cate, both of them-an an overwhelm-
ing disaster hangin over him. The
man seemed fairly broken down, an no
wonder.
Things grew worse instead of bet
ter, for Robert was obliged to resign his
appointment as rural postman. OWN
to his bein no longer able to properly
distinguish the addresses ON the letters
The postal authorities allowed him
small pension, an this was all the poor
follow had to reckon ON with any degree
job that came in his way, but it really
seemed as if luck was dead against him
an be would sink down under the
weight of his misfortunes.
We'll, miss, you Ii perhaps be hard
ly able to believe what l am now goin
to tell you, but 1t is nevertheless true,
that, although Robert an Ann Elizabeth
had for years lived not more than mile
apart, they had never set eyes ON one an
other since the evenful mornin which
should have been their weddin day. 1t
was certainly very strange, for if people
try to keep out of one another's way
accident usually brings them into con-
tact, but it had not done SO in this case.
Zone day-it was gettin ON for 10
months after Ellen 8 death. an, as l said
before, things had been gettin worse
an worse with Robert ever sinoe-Ann
Elizabeth left her own house to 70 out
for walk She was never one to 20
about much. but the fine weather tempt
ed her.
"She hadn't gone very far when she
caught sight of maa an a child walkin
toward her in the distance AS they got
nearer she couldn' t help thinkin what a
pitiful sight it WAS. for the man walk
ed slowly IN uncertainty, an the poor
little thin child. coughin at every step,
seemed to be takin care Of him an leadin
him. She'd got motherly heart, had
Ann Elizabeth, in spite of her odd ways
an old maidenhood, an she began to
feel yearnin over the little lad who
was dom his brave, childish best to
help his father.
She stood an watched them. an it
was not till they got quite near that she
saw the man was Robert. What she felt
in that minute I'm not goin to try to
tell you, but I've often fancied that the
old love must have come sweepin over
her like food. washin away every
harsh an bitter thought an leavin moth
In but love an sympathy almost divine
"She stepped forward an met him.
Robert ! said she 'Robertl'
He looked up His poor dim eyes
could hardly see her, but he knew the
once familiar loved voice, an he began