Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-29
ReCOnCiIed by a Child
By JEAN BLEWETT.


 IT white house on the hill on the way to the sugar bush, which was on his north fifty" T2e north fifty was fine piece of land lying full mile and half from the hom estead. It was to have been Archie's, but ah, these fam fly quarrels are the worst of quarrels.
 Hiram Matthews passed the house on the hill with his gray, head up in air. The reason was, no secret, the whole neighborhood knew@it, even the white house with it's gothics sticking inpu- dently up in air, seemed to know it, and to frown down haughtily on the elderly man. Jamie, who wals trotting along behind her father, thought so anyway, and shook her head reproMng ly at it. But as she looked it seemed to relax it's sternness. The door seemed actually smiling, the windows blinking in friendly fashion. The little gate at the foot of the hill stood open coaxingly, and oh, how Jamie wished she might speed up the: path for a glimpse of Archie and Archie pretty wife.
 Don't be poling along like a snail, ]" her father grumbled, with a backward glance. He was always cross on his way to the north fifty, cross and out of sorts with himself, for conscience kept telling him that he was not dealing fairly with the lad in not building him 8 house on the land promised long ago, ana in withholding the deed of the same, and that if Archie was hot~tem- pered and stub bborn being chip of the k G<>r~ had happened. Quarreling with his only son, the boy whose mother helped earn the land, and then slipped away to rest in the churchyard. 2. Then temper rose up and went over every angry word Archie had said that spring day of two years ago, called to mind how he had gone over to the enemy, the married daughter of the one man in the neighborhood Hiram Matthews despised, and settled down on one of that mans farms, just across the way from the fifty acres promised him. It was too much! The frost was gone from the air, the sunbeams were beginning to be glori- ously warm. The two crossed the road, climbed a raiEfence and entered 1helr own property
 ssThis will be the last boiling down l for the year, Janie,' said the farmer, as he lifted her over wet place 'sNo 1 more sugaring off and carrying on, eh?"
 "Oh, I like it out here in the woods, cried the child, "isn'tit lovely. daddy ??'' ?? ] "A little later, when the trees are in l Tcx, 1&< I swered, carelessly, "but now there's nothing to see.
 Nothing to see! Why, the pussy willows were making great show of l their smartness in thus coming out in l spring dress before their neighbors, l the creek beneath them was leaping l over the stones with much splashing and foaming instead of slipping along sIyly as was its wont, the stump of a beech tree pink with sap was here and there, and there was great stirring in 1 the hearts of the trees, she knew it by the swinging and the singing of the l branches overhead.
 The first touch of the spring time was on the earth. Later the beauty would be fuller, the fragrance more satisfy ing, yet Jamie found this first touch wondrous sweet.
 The grayness of winter was gone. By the yellow green of the clinging moss. the deep green of the cress in the brook, the mottled green of daring I adder-tongue, the bronze green of the slender parasol which Madam Man l drake was putting up in many sunny places, she knew it was gone. Up I through the dead leaves came the blades of grass, wonder in the shelter I of fallen tree was a knoll which, by I and-by, would be blue as the sky above l it with hardy wild violets, or Johnnie l Jumpups."
 Janie's heart was light. When a l coxcomb of robin stopped his primp- I ing to nod down knowingly at her, l then began his song, she smiled. She I knew he was telling her of his plans. of the nest he meant to build, and the l wee wife that would keep his house saw all that he sang about.
 l When a squirrel stopped his fnsk- ing to shake an angry tail and chatter away she waved her mittened hand to | him. His pantry-his nearly depleted pantry-was something close by, and he feared a raid on it. "SiHy fellow 2 whispered Jamie, "as if I would take one nut he had gathered"
 Every thing was so full of life. The wood that had been so still all the long winter was alive with sounds. I There was scrimmaging among the l dead leaves, squeaking and rustling among the bushes, frightened scamper- ing, fun and frolic. Jamie knew that
 beady little eyes were peering at her on every side, and went on her way
 smiling softly to herself.
 sIt won't take us long today" said
 Hiram Matthews, as ne swung the big
 kettle in place, and kindled the fire | beneath it.
 I The smoke went curling up gleefully
 and Jamie, on her stool, sat and watched the sap in the kettle beginto steam. Her father was away part
 of the afternoon gathering the spiles and buckets to store in the log shanty I GOT another season, but she was
 neither lonely nor afraid. She had sI ard I,,, I,a