The Mena weekly star., 1897-07-28

 ry, no change of tone, no relenting.
 Sweet is the scent of pink clover by the path across a short wheat field, when the evening dew falls gently and damps the fuli-blown petals. Peaceful and kind is the twilight when faint breeze sways the slight gossamers, cool ing the sun-scorched verdure and re- viving a fainting land. Yet scent and light were as nothing to the senses of Peter Penruddock as he stood by the gate of his rick yard and gazed at the steep. winding field path up which Mar tha bad slowly gone an hour ago.
 It was so terrible, this great silencing grief which had shut him. her husband, from her heart and care. His sorrow surely his. if hers-coud have been eased by speech and softened by sym pathy; but the wife had taken it oth- erwise, had held her heart and lips tight shut against words of comfort, leaving him to mourn alone, outside. But it was not of this that Peter thought as he looked up across the steep wheat field; he was not given 10 the weighing of his rights and his wrongs; only to him the pain of her angnist was unbeara ble. a sorrow even greater than the other sorrow. inas- much as it was living and more in- tangible.
 With wistful eyes and weighted heart he left the rick yard and turned up- wards by the clover-edged path through the bare brown field at the back of the gray farm house. He knew where he should find her; he knew how she would receive him; this last was knowledge which had come to him within the past dark week. She had no need of him; she chose to suffer alone-silent, and Lard and uncontrolled.
 On the old wooden seat at the bend of the sloping field he found her; her shawl had fallen back from her shoul- Gers; her eyes, wide and expression less. fixed on that peaceful spot beyond the new-reaped cornfield in the val ley below She did not stir as he drew near nor move her eyes as he sat on the bench beside her and took one cold and unresistng hand in his.
 Patty" he said, gently. Patty, dear. Wife"
 But II was as if she did not hear. And the lines of her face were deep and rigid, as if she were cut from stone
 Ten minutes passed, and still he held her hand, and his firm clasp seemed to bring some life to it. And then he turned his eyes from The spot on which she gazed and brought them back to rest on the old gray house half way up the hill, And then he spoke again
 Patty he pleaded, "the spot down yonde. mus'n swallow all your love Dear heart. look back awhile and try to mind the days before he came Can ee mind" he went on. the first day you saw the old house, when we came-just you an mean made it home? An you drowned at it's poor old straight walls to vex me. an laughed at my long looks when you'd done it. An how we plannod, an arranged. an ran upstairs an down: an all the time counted it the best home in the world"
 The hand lying m his moved slightly, but she made him no other answer. Then silence fell on them again. and his eyes still rested on the old gray house; but hers were fixed on the val ley below. The day grew more dim and the land was all hushed and peace ful, except for beetles quick whirr IS 1t hurried along to it's home. and the call of a farm boy rising up from the rick yard as he finished his evenings work. Then at length he spoke agaln and his voice was still low and pleading as he spoke of that day long ago. the day she had come to his home He minded the song she had hummed. the words she had spoken And once a fiuttering sigh escaped her lips. but her lids did not quiver above her wide eyes
 An then" he went on. and his voice sank lower, and it was even as though he spoke to himself, "the sun went down. an the daytime was over; an we cllmbed-you an me-up the field path to this bench. An here we sat in the dimsy; an you was wearin' little white frocl. with bassomy roses upon it, an byme'bye, when the dew fell. the frcck grew all heavy with damp ness, an l-all laughing you sharply for bein' a careless wife. An then-how well l can mind it-you turned your dear face round to me-all sober an solemn-an' you said. just as II twas prayer you was sayin': Illus band, l was fearful of the new life be- fore me. being but young and over thoughtlesS; but l want ii 10 be better