The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30

against any storm that blows"
Rh9dy looked at her .admirinely,, You're
scared to death and hide my head in the bian:
same, i don't. believe but what you DO a little
stirred up, an that's why ! come over to keep
s sSs.m nGErtG IosS,I liks into I IS, ssP SSs' y, S SSs w wsn s,S on
Brieris blue chengeablo ilk-hor a bit Of blue
BIT bfp' Of N green rcSn'i tiold G' an M f tSSre ' SIear Silver SP s1G blue Q
again. all sort o. ehangcable and aiming, an
S SS, tSo here q IL TT the s,, BIZ q S, gray Storm an Wits
,,o ~ should like s;,t 70 knew the good q sOSh no,
peeny .muslins VIII viii fetch home" '"'
III should think twas a plenty II he brought
creep, What was thati Did you hear the door
ratt!ef oh. Rhody, what IL thom old songs an.
the tfGii night, ! iF wake 1 up IN a cold II chill aRI the Rsp storio os
Of the dead and drowned sailor comm TO the
Yes, yes" sobbed Rhody; "I-oh, I remem.
He'd a sailors cap and a vIsage pale
As no died on board OF tho Nightingale.
And'they locked their arms about, each other.
that night. to keep Anp's tremors company with
her own, which, after all, was why she came
But when 1t was sunny and only a soft south.
west breeze signing through the old garden.
Rh9dy,s heart was as light as the wings. of the
W wiid. here ~ was and & fsBBs srs y Bss !; long n. s s,nSS run
and mint and balm and pennyroyal, for she
here at odd times she sat in the back porch at
her sewing. the breath Of the undyiing old roses
her soul as tranquil as the summer seas where
her fancy went, out and lowered. over viii
plonghing his ship along under full.iowing,
.Rhody's father, had been the lawyer of the
shore. but he had not been particularly obedi.
world as she could, with nothing but the old
disropair. but when il leaked too seriously in
one room Rh9dy moved to another. II was
ii il he s" found in nG her complete S%1p ea,o ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SH%rS piteDioM nr sa,
Of his wooi1g the negative OF his desires. But
the hS e e%on1rafy, R With hl, eonsi On afiee oirc OF ahss; @n
VII was at home. to help him. and with viii
Joe, Burns he had the old roof singled and the
back porch, rebuilt for Rhody: Poor Try, Of
For though she thanked him very p~rettily, IN
her heart OF hearts she was sure, that it was
IT into execution. And she was the happier
thinking, G Of the nobility and generosity Of his
pairs themselves. And as she sat in the porch
now, this poor, silly Miss RhSdy; she had an
and leaned. back and dreamed SO long that the
low-fiying birds regarded her no more than II
wild in one Of the old paths.
BY, some virtue Of her temperament there was
dreams. Now she was building a bark Of which
vii, was to go master. or now she was collect
newparlor, or, best OF all. she was having Wits
portrait painted and hung up in q big. gold
frame aInn in the e. same splendid al md sh room, !. for ,r, FL AIMS AIMS
VIII had, been invested. And dream as she
would, Rhody could do Ann no wrong, for in
the rude sailor that followed the sea and drank
his jorum of grog and sworc his round oath On
fers from a lump of soil; except for a bit of
flashing, color. n big stature, and a name, they
So when in good time Ann and Will Mather
were married and went off together on the next
iI RGod1 II there tSpeS We're e ii ainE SDi Of mel melancholy .nUd;
poetic melancholy which is almost q pleasure
In itself, And she WELCOMED them back joy
Try Hodge refused to come, and at which she
served her ounce preserves; that had candied
sum sufficient to let her have that portrait
World would Be poorer without. The artist. a
poor. wandering fellow of an uncertain talent.
%ork. and one and another came to assist It with
great frankness; both concerning the painter
R end tss sitter s 6 but on n the whole Gmi;. not SnS With un;
why Try Hodge alone looked with q cruel criti.
cism upon that painting. making unpleasant re.
that Weather did-did, as you may say-coarsen
the color of q mans skin" To her eyes the
less. and she had the thing sent to Ann at last.
feeling as if she had given her the worth o. a
And SO the years crept by Miss Rhody. 1t
did moi. take many. to fade her delicate tints. to
bbiGsrasschlt her fnr Pale 3hinh hair to to i sattso her Ss, the The S wrath i Of
ton rs the village nurse. But she would have
told you that she was happy. She enjoyed her
call from the elder, her little tea gatherings.
Sometimes, when she, was off duty, she had a
tea in as many OF her eggshell cups as remained,
with tiny ,Eos andwiches, with honey, after which
dren adoring Miss Rhody on these occasions,
although when they met her in the street going
they recognized the basket with a slight sensa.
ton of awe, as tho ono in which she had first
brought them to their mothers. and were per-
den where the. ounce bushes, grew, and that
was barred against them by a tangle Of briers,
tea parties Miss Rhody was as much a child
Polly Lavender who, after faiI,p was more a
sprite than a child, now whirling like a dervisih,;
she cried. also about nothing. now mounting
through the scuttlo and walking the ridge pole
s with G i%to G tres,o arm r1, sp6PiInEip x. from bGnnc the
and letting herself down hand over foot while
Miss Rhody shut her eyes and screamed, and
rcproof, would burst into passionate crying
and run and hide her face in Miss Rhody's
throat and kiss and kiss her. and Miss Rhody
would feel her heart overflow on Polly and on
all the rest on account of Polly's tears and
kisses. For all the children on the shore were
Miss Ithody's; ! don't know what she would
have done II there had been a Mather child. but
fortunately for The other children there never
was one.
1t was through the love of the children that
sometimes great spiritual renewal and joy
came to Miss Rhody: II she had her supersli.
tons. you must pardon her, for II she thought
she saw The soul OF little Mary Burns lowering
In a thin mist oyer tho body 1t had just left,
you need not believe i, but 1t comforted both
herself and Mary's mother. And as the breath
ing of old Mr.. Brier ceased to lift his weary
breast and only moved his n~erycless lips and
fiuttcred and f1uttcred there till il ceased. IL
Miss Rhody saw n great white butterfly poised
in flight above that faltcring, lip, SO far as sho
was concerned she really did see q white but.
had never let tho children chase the white butt
~terfics since she had heard Will Mather relate
ncse ghosts. the white butterflies" she said to