The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-07

DICK Was wont to sit and rest there; it
called 1t his arm chair. I've seen him there
o. sunday after church wiping his white
race, 1t did so stream with the eKertion of
going up the rugged road. and all on two
sticks But he was patient and cheerful /
never heard him murmur at his lot; he was
contented, and said it was the Lords will.
Poor chap! poor chap!'' The stranger fell
amusing.
We were now ascending the steep way.
-. never knew Dick Westaway,f said L;
he died before my time. But you have not
yet told me your name"
Mine!" lie came out of his brown study.
wan eV pici ene K iegTbn Blight
Anthony Blight. repeated /. and shook
my head No, | nave not heard the name.
pssh hrf i % e eSafn 9frf the stranger Il
meant that every one did know me thirty
years ago. No; I'm forgotten now. There
Is no one left whom l know; all are Strang-
ers. Is Brook still at the imp"
No; it has changed hands"
Ha' he exclaimed, the ash tree is gone.
1t stood ere. 1t has been cut down, /
suppose. see no ash here anywhere. Poor
Dick gone, and his armchair gone too"
He drew long breath. And where is Sam
Il tell you about him. Poor fellow,
he died last week 1t was sad story. He
fell backward from a wagon and injured his
spine He lived a fortnight, but was half
paralyzed, and died"
Whom did he marry?"
A woman from up country; her name
was French"
Il did not know her Sam was curly
headed boy. Oh. he had such head of
curls! So he is gone too.
Yes. There is an old man here-Jonas
Duck"
"Old Quack, Quack! OF course, l remem-
Der him. Let US go there / shall love to
Poor fellow. he has lost his wits and has
become childish
Tony Blight heaved sigh.
1T seems as If no one remains. Yet love
the place. | love every hedge and every
Old tree don't care for the new planta-
tons and | love the hills and the smell O.
the furze, and the cawing of the rooks-all
that. But there does not seem to be any
one left know. All gone-all changed; all
flowed in. of which / know nothing. There
they are-old Quack. Quack gone silly; Sam
broke his back; the Misses Warne given up
their lollipops and gone to Kingdom come:
Brock no more at the public house; and
Patty kelland gone to the bad; and the
GoodmanS swept away"
Then / said, when L spoke of the Good
mans being swept away ! did not mean
that all were gone. was perhaps too in
elusive in what l said. There is still C1ssy,
the lame ONE
Suddenly flash as of fire came into the
strangers face. and a glitter in his. eye. L
had been looking him straight in the face
as 1 spoke, for we were standing on the
hill, about the spot where had been. put
no longer Dicks armchair. Blight
turned his head sharply aside, and said
nothing for moment Then in an altered
tone, he said. Yes Cissy Goodman, the
lame one Wnere is SDe.
Here, in the village, at a cottage near
the old slate quarry. She does needlework,
and employ her q good deal"
She is still Cissy Goodman
Il suppose her lameness stood in the way
of her getting married?
Il suppose So But it really is not very
Still. she is lame"
''Oh, yes, she is lame"
Did you ever hear her tell how she got
lameY's
No. 1 know 1t was through fall-noth-
ing further. Come along with me- she can
pie
No. said he, shortly. Il don't think I'll
go. She mightn't like to see me-.
'Of course she would. 1t will be pleas
ure to her"
You don't know ALL
81 cannot see any reason against your ex-
changing word with her.
'Is she grown very old?'
''She is a middle-aged woman She has
wonderfully clear white and rosy COM
plexion-'
"All the Goodmans had that"
And fair abundant hair.
''She always had that
$50 that even if there be gray in 1t, 1t
does not show-so light is her hair"
He pulled off bit of twig from branch
and bit it,
rs she very poor?''
'She has to work for her livelihood. She
can keep house over her head. OF course,
she cannot go about after work-not to the
farms-because of her lameness.
Il remember the cottage. said Blight: II
but III not go in, nor see her. / suppose
her lameness does stand in the way OF her
work.
have needlewoman at their houses. to put
all their things to rights, and do not care
to send them to a cottage.
And she is sometimes without work!
Il think so.
He walked on at my side in silence.
Presently we came within sight of the cot
-toraN hi fcxxnc l1nd and viii q
matched roof, of one story high. Blight
stood still.
a, viii SO no further" said he. she
mightnt like to me. l suppose you
wouldn't mind if / was to ask you to let
Cissy have a trifle every week-say five
shilings. regular paid. XII give you quar-
you wish it,
/ looked at him. and saw that his face
"But, Mr.. Blight" said l. "this is very
good of you. But why
1T is not good of me at all; it's my duty"
Are you q relative?"
NO" he answered. I'm no relative at
all, but-well, / dare say it sounds queer,
and | should explain. To tell you the plain
little girl is lame. 1t was my doing. didn't
mean to harm. l was mischievous You see,
was young creature of eleven or twelve or
so. / can't mind exactly. Somehow always
liked her. in a way; did admire her with
her wonderful clear complexion and hair
and blue eyes. But for all that, l was a
monkey for mischief, that l was And one
day | was driving some bullockS and tried
to make one go up the steps and in at the
door of the Goodmans cottage. That, you
know. was where you have took in a new
bit into the churchyard. Well. sir, Cissy
Goodman was sitting in the doorway sew
ing: and she saw what / was after, and
stopped the bullock, tapped it the nose,
and it didn't venture to come on, and she
neither got off her seat nor paused in her
sewing. | thought, like most girls, she'd
ha' screamed and run indoors, and L had a
mind to brighten her. But no-She wasn't
frightened bit. That put me out, and
was resolved to have my way for once.
There's a clam over the river, / suppose,
still?'
Yes, wooden plank with handrail"
1.-THE handrail is new, there was none in
my time. Now, knew that Cissy went for
milk to Friarslee every day, and over this
appointed about frightening her with the
bullock, | waited till she was returning with
the milk from the farm, and l hid behind
tree till she was on the plank. Well, sir, it
was mighty springy plank. and when ]
saw her we'll on to the middle out l jumped
and went on the clam, and began to make ii
swing. Then, promise you, she was fright
ened. she feared she would spill the milk
and then was frightened lest she should go
over. She cried out, and entreated, but |
took a delight in teasing of her. and | went
on making the plank sway, and then all at
once, over she went into the river, and the
water flowed away milky white. laughed
but it was no Laughing matter. l soon found
that she had been hurt, something wrong
in her ankle. The river was not deep, but