The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-06-24

CHANGED to think tnat MS punishment
had lasted long enough, he thought |
now it was just beginning, when ne
found himself alone with those chill
dren. He wondered that his wife had
any tempre left at all. He grew more
bent. more vexed, and worried every
day, and one would hardly have rec
ognized, people said, the dark and
splendid Stephen Thornton OF his
youth, in the middle-aged, gray-haired
man; and yet, to our eyes, he was SILL 4
quite remarkable-loo person
perhaps more so from our associating
him with the poetry in Aunt Helen's
life. and making him an object OF won
der as to whether or not they would
ever come together again.
But there was little chance or that.
We had met Mr.. Thornton elsewhere,
but he had never come across our
threshold since the day he went out
with his brides ring. And Aunt Hell
ems regularity was that she never
forgot. Could she, then, forget the
words he spoke to her in his anger?
Could she ever forget his marrying an
other woman in less than week? 1t
had been in that week and few fol-
lowing that her hair lad turned white.
She had suffered inexpressibly; she
had not slept a night, but she kept
I'D a gay face Perhaps she would
have suffered if it had not been for
our growing up about her Her life
was thus filled, every minute OF It;
she had but very little time to be lone
w. to brood or mourn. She forgot her
self in us. 1t gave her quiet happl-
ness. and kept her comedy. And then
she was too proud; whenever the
thought thrust up it's head, she shut
the lid down, as one might say, and sat
on it.
But one day-after the time when the
doctor had said Harry was hopeless
cripple, and must lie on his back the
rest of his life-Aunt Helen brought
home a little basket from the county
fair, and took from the wool WITHIN
it two of the cunningest mites OF chick
ems you ever laid eyes on.
81 hate them" said she; they make
me crawl; but they will amuse the
dear child They're African"
And so they did amuse him and de
light him, as he lay on his lounge IL
the bay-window and watched them
growing up full of business. And thai
was the way, by the way, that we came
, TO have chickens round the front plaz
: "a One night, a year after, When tne
bantams were quite grown people
somebody dropped over the fence
2 pair of big black Cochins, that stalKe'
! about as if the earth was too good II
;, tread on, or as if they were afraid
+ crushing the bantam with the mex
i STEP OF course, we knew where IN
/ Cochins came from--fOr nobody els
+ in town had any-but no one SAID
Z word. Only it was sport the next ia
Il to peer round the corner and see Auli
l. Helen, with a piece Of bread IN ne
|, hand, in doubt whether to have any
It thing to do with those fowls or no
It twice extending her hand with uh
e crumbs and snatching it back agall
n and at last making one bold effort, an
It throwing the whole thing at them an
% hurrying into the house. But from ths
y moment the ever-hungry Cochli
at seemed to regard her as their patro
So saint She never appeared Dut lhe
10 came stalking gingerly along to me-
Iy her, and at last one made 50 bold
A. TO fv I'D and perch on the back OF n
n chair on the piazza. OF course
RS was shooed off with vigor-with II
i'll file more vigor perhaps because NJ
w. Thornton had at that moment hes
tn nassing. and had seen this woman WI
by would never keep hens presenting l.
OF tableau.
n, It was two or three days after Thu
IN, that Aunt Helen, coming home at w
OIL light from one of her rambles by I
III river bank, was observed to De We
OF nervous and flushed and to look mn
Ell as if she had been cryinS.
ITS all right" said our Ned, conf
Try in shortly after her Il know all abe
We It. I've been setting my eel traps; a
be what do YOU think-she met old tho
a ton
at Ned"
~. "she did. indeed. And what'll
, ply saw to that mans cheek? He up
1no smoke to her"
md .Oh. now, Ned! Before you.
oh Fact. Before me? No. indeed
the Law low, said Ned, with a chuc
rod put bless you, they wouldn't h
and seen me if / had stood high.
,rn. For shame, Ned! Oh, how &C
ion vou-and Aunt Helen!"
our Guess you'd have been no bette
IN r,a.r nlace /" said the unscrupulOus