Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-09-30

THEY HELD Up MORTIFIED HANDS.
had been willful and up headed, run
ming off with "a strolling artist, who
had hardly coin to bless himself with,
when she might have had young George
Wayne and his fine big farm.
People We're hardly sorry for her
when she came back three years after,
widowed, scarce a ghost Of herself, with
Amelia in her arms, 1t was only when
she slipped ont of life, half year later.
that they felt SEINE contrite STRINGS Of
kindness toward her Even then they
did not wholly forgive her. She ought
to have grown rosy and happy again,
they thought, and ended by marrying
her constant George. That would have
been living romance right under their
eyes-romance ever SO much more salts
factory than this fading out Of life with
a smile and the dead husbands name
the last werd On her lips.
Yes, l suppose dear mother must
keep the child. hate TO think Of it
such a burden and care at her age-but,
you see, there is no one else. |, Of
course have Lmmy Belle to consider, -
Aunt Lena bad SAID TO her gossIps as
they came away from the funeral. One
of them who was Childless, offered 10
take the little one Mrs Joe was all for
letting her have il, hat when the plan
was named to acknowledgements
mother whose heart was so full Of self
reproach there was hardly room for
grief-there came a look in her eyes
which fairly frightened the other two.
Il was hard to my daughter, and she
is dead" she said at last. "All that is
left me is to try and make her child
happy l will do 1t at any cost. You
may take the heart out Of my bosom
easier than part me from my little one. -
Now, Of course, you understand how
the story Of spelling began, and you
must know but little of human nature
if you 90 not also understand upon what
slight things it throye and fed. Grand
mother Gray had her house and her fat
lands in fee When her husband died.
three years back, she had wisely divided
all he left, giving the ready money to
/ the younger sons, who had chosen a city
life, and the upper farm. larger than
the home place, to Joseph, the eldest Of
them. Amela's mother had been left
cut Indeed, she had been left out Of
everything since the night she went
away
Equitably II appeared that her child
would be entitled to receive the grand.
mothers part, hut 10 Aunt Lena and
Uncle Joe such an ending seemed the
sum Of inIqultv, defraudIng not only
Of themselves, but Of Emmy Belle,
which was infinitely worse. So they
held up Mortified hands when they saw
Amelia carcer!ug about On her pony or
rolliekIng with the lambs and calves in
the big pastures or getting happily sun
burned riding upon the hay wagons
I when she ought to have been learning
her lessons or stitching diligently at
her sampler.
Naturally the little girl made friends
| nj the dumb creatures. They alone
were young and full of tricksy merri-
ment to match her own; full of coax
ing ways too, that led sometimes INTO
mischief, as when the bleating of the
hungry calves made her turn them III
the pasture with their mothers long be-
fore milking time, or when she let the
lambs out Of the small fold where they
awaited shearing for no other reason
than that they looked at her with such
pitiful eyes Then, too, she would let
Gyp, her white pony, pillage the har-
vest apple tree, herself standing upon
the laden boughs to bend them till the
fruit was III reach. Oftenest Of all she
would fitch handfuls Of plump wheat
from the granary sacks and scatter it to
the doves, who were her especial play
mates.
There were 90 if one in the dovecot,
! bluerocks, chocolate ruffs, slate gray
fellows, gay splotched ones, ring necks,
few of the purest white. These
Amelia loved best of all Grandmother
had told her how the first pair of them