Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-04-23
A CHANGE OF HEART.
By SARAH ORNE JEwErr.

By SARAH ORNE JEwETT.
Sally Martin sat by her favori.e
Kitchen window sewing little and
looking off over the sunny spring fields.
All winter through the bare trees she
could see the next house farther down
the hill, but now the budding orchard
had suddenly made thick screen. After
many defeated glances neighborward
she was too conscious of being cut off
from companionship and social pleas
~ures, and folded up the blue bingham
apron which she had been hemmine,
and took her shawl from the nail be.
lind the door. There was a look OF
anticipation on her face; she had evil
IDENTIFY found herself dull company fo-
eonce. She brought deep wicker bas-
ket, brown with age, from a closet, and
going down cellar filed it with russell
apples, and then locked the door after
her and went her way.
The grass was green by the roadside
and she walked in the footpath at its
edge, feeling the ground under foot
with much pleasure and stopping once
to look at some bluebirds in a maple
tree. One always feels young again
with the spring, and this year the snow
and mud had fingered late and kept her
much indoors.
Sally Martin had not much to look
forward to except continued poverty
and anxiety, but she was one of the per
sons who have imagination, that en-
chanter's wand, which would have kept
her satisfied with life except for one
regret which could never be quite put
behind her or forgotten.
1t was the day for youth and pleas
ure, and when she was out in the open
air her face grew serene and childlike:
she stopped to listen to the bluebirds
and watched their pretty colors in the
gray branches, then she walked on
Gown the hill with her golden russets.
The widespread lower country and the
bills beyond it were blue with the soft
spring haze. Her neighbours house
stood not far away, at little distance
from the road, and the narrow lane
INTO which she soon turned was pretti-
<cr than ever that spring, with its shell
tering turf as soft as velvet, and an early
s,landelion or two shining against the
fence. The old apple trees leaned their
long boughs over it so that they almost
met, and in later summer they would
he hung thick with wisps of hay and
straw from the high-heaped loads that
went into the barn. This was huge
building like an unwieldy elephant in
the landscape, while the house was low
and small,with a tiny pointed porch
and a door that had three panes of glass
at top. When you stood in the entry
within you could scarcely get room to
shut the door behind you, and were
at close quarters with an old colored
.yood-cut of Gen. Washington, which
greeted strangers with an impartial air
OF dignity. On the right anorher door
opened into the Bascoms' iving-room,
which surprised one in so small a house
with its size and cheerfulness. The
windows looked both north and south,
and there were plenty of bright braid
ed rugs on the clean floor.
Il saw you comm up the lane, Sally.
and l don't know whenever l was more
pleased said Mrs. Bascom, who was a
lame woman and could not rise to greet
her friends except in spirit. Vow
bring that little rocking-chair right
over close to me, and let's have good
talk. It's so pretty looking out o my
window. I'm all alone, the folks have
gone to the village, shoppin'. David
found his old pillow wouldn't do him
this year, and Cynthi' she's always
ready and willin', so they started right
of after an early dinner. I'm braidin'
up my rags as usual; couldn't seem
to 90 anything else just because 1 felt
SO busy. There's everything to be
done this time of year. amt there?'
Il walked up feelin' all of hustle,
too. and soon came down to heminin'
ME a blue bingham apron that / don't
need one Bit" confessed Sally. Il eN-
pect it's the spring workin' in us,
though there amt no leaves to show
for it. / guess the trees themselves
must feel just the same"
The two good women smiled and
Sally reached over and took n handful
of dark WOODEN strips and began to
braid in company.
II brought YOU folks some O my APP
pies" she said presently. I'm on the
last barrel, but they never were nicer
this time of year. They wilt right
away quick as you bring 'em up from
the cellar, but you shall have more as
long as they last"
Il call 'em great treat; Our apples
have been gone some time and the last
Of 'em were very poor. There amt
such keepin' cellar in town as yours;
it seems to give everything good
taste"
Grandfather always used to say
that it cost him most as much to dig it
right out of the rock there as it did to
build the house above it." said Sally.
.s.You know twas that little glimpse of
the sea you only get right there, and
he couldn't bear to set his house any
where else Three sides O. the cellar is
sound rock; I don't knows you re-
member, it's so many years since you
was able to get down..
81 recall all those things used to be
in the habit o. seeing as if it were yes
tertiay," said Mrs. Bascom. Il find my
thoughts such good company that
don't miss goin' about as much as
everybody expects. Everybody knows
lust where to find me, and SO they come
to me; folks like to feel certainty
when they make some effort to come"