Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-07-17

Dir. David Kennedy's Magic Eye Salve for all
diseases or infammAtlOns Of the Eye. 25c.
Sanhedrin was mere blur against the
dusky sky: the entrance to the little ar
Dor, over which the wild hop vine rioted,
was fading into the general dimness.
For half an hour no word had been
spoken. At last Clawson, summoning up
courage. said: d" didn't think you'd let
him git so far, mother. as to be up stairs
there alone packin' his things
"I didn't know YOU ever did any
thinkin' on any subject. Hi Clawson."
she replied. a tear, of which she took
no notice, coursed its way down her thin
cheek.
Silence reigned for several minutes.
Then Mrs. Clawson said in sad mono
tone: Guess you'd better hitch up the
blackboard now; it always takes you so
long to do anything The stage starts
from Longs at eight o'clock; it's about
seven now
" Mother Clawson said, you amt
surely goin to let our boy go away with
out is supper"
She answered his impertinence with a
stony stare.
You jest hitch up now. Hi. I'll cook
you bite after-after he-some time to-
night"
To be misunderstood always made
Z
blow. He rose slowly. moving off the
porch with uncertain step.
Tears began to rain down Mrs. Claw
sons face.
Presently she heard her son coming
down the stairs. Her attention followed
his step as ne strobe into the parlor.
then crossed the hall to the spare ROOM
Her hearts pulse began to quicken as he
came hesitatingly. towards the door at
her elbow The door opened with a jerk,
scraping over the floor noisily.
Her son sprang past her TO the edge Of
the porch. where he crouched down
bracing his head against "A small. upright
post.
" Mother" he said. I'm going away
But I'm not going away angry. love
Hattie Long. | can't stay where there's
so much bitterness against my future
wife's folks"
Mrs. Clawson muttered, as If to her
self: "Of all the people in the world
An fer us, in state a thousand miles
long. to set ourselves right down next to
| EN-, on a piece o. mortgaged property
too! Never caring a thing about us I'M
I'll they needed our water-water-'
She shifted contemptuously. then fell
into brooding silence.
The sound of wheels presently reached
Mrs. Clawson's acute ears. She noted
the grating noise as the wheels scraped
along over the broken stone. and she re-
called how her son, only yesterday had
spent the morning filling in the ruts
near the broken-lmbed pear tree.
Mrs. Clawson's hands We're icy; ner
body shivered as with cold
Her son scrambled to his feet. He
came and laid a strong hand on her
shoulder
" Remember, mother, l don't bear any
i'll will"
She caught hold of his hand. She cried
out in broken tones: " Don't go on to-
nights stage, Bobbie. Oh. Bobbie, mebbe
your mother kin learn to swallow her
hard feelins''
Mrs. Clawson set the lighted lantern
under the tall pines, where the irrigating
ditch made its abrupt turn.
With a long-handled hoe she quickly
scraped a shallow channel through the
weedy ground dividing the water and
her neighbor's empty trench.
Then she bent stifily over the stones
her husband had patched into the wall
in the morning. one of the stones stood
up large and angular above the others
Mrs. Clawson tugged at it with awkward
outstretched arms. At last she succeeded
in loosening it and pushed it forward
into the ditch
The water gurgled and seeped through
the opening to form itself into a slender
little stream.
Mrs. Clawson, now Selling the lantern
held it at arms length for a careful sur
vey of the top of the wall. a larger
heavier stone hung near the newly made
opening. This she succeeded in dislodg-
ing also. And when the water flowed
over the bank in a darker, thicker
stream at last trickling down into Mary
Longs trench, Mrs. Clawson chuckled
grimly.
Certainly it would surprise no one that
through IA loose wall water should find
for Itself an opening, nor that afterward
the refreshing stream should be allowed
to pursue its own beneficent way.
Mrs. Clawson continued to laugh as
she slung the lantern over her arm and
picked her way TO- the tool shed, where
she had found the hoe half an hour
earlier.
1t had grown very dark When she
started down the hill she could hardly
see three feet before her.
" come after yeh, Sue," her husbands
voice out of the shadow of an apple
tree " Is there anything the matter
with yeh?"
Nothin' that I'm aware Of" she re-
piled in non-committal tone.
feh amt sick, are yeh Sue? Well
people don't wander around after dark"
People should mind their own affairs
father" she replied.
Would yeh mind my taking the Ian
tern, Sue?"
She thought she heard note of covert
triumph in his voice.
" Take it If yeh want" she spoke in
differently. I'm cold. l want % get
back TO the house"
He took the lantern from her arm
She watched him curiously as his dark
figure stumbled up the hill and stopped
over the broken wall.
When he returned to her side he said:
why didn't yeh tell me? I'd done it fer
yeh."
" Done what?" she asked.
He burst into laugh. 1t was the first
laugh of unalloyed satisfaction he had
enjoyed for years
She clutched his arm.
/ " expect yeh'll hold that over my
head like the sword o. Damocles all the
rest O. my life. That wall broke itself
Duncen
They hurried down the hill. He was in
the lead tonight, holding the lantern
down close to her feet.-[San Francisco
Argonaut.