Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-11-26

II u
edge of her cup.
She lived alone, and felt her loneliness
keenly She rather bright woman, and she tried
to be good one but she wasn't pretty, and she had
never had lover in her whole life
All the other Sparrcrs had gone to try the further
life of the unknown. Even the house had been changed
as half OF it had been sawed off and moved away;
and the scars were covered by huge grapevine
that grew as if it knew what was expected OF it, She
had covered part Of the inside wall by her beautiful
mahogany secretary with its beveled glass, its brass
inlay and exquisite metal mounts. She expended much
sine and labor on that brass and she always felt that
her dead and gone people doing something for her
she did so, since at such times she was unable to
think of her loneliness.
Miss Sparrcrs loneliness oppressed her. She
looked at other women with their husbands and chill
dren with silent envy If one OF those boys hers
But she checked the thought ndcl.cacy And
thcre If she had ten sons, what in the world could
she have done with them' She who could barely
keep herself! But it would be pleasant to see them
growing their minds and souls expanding to have only
one Of them storinng in in snowy weather, TO
have his love and comprehensive his arms clasped
round her neck his head lying her shoulder when at
twilight she told stories and sang songs and they ex-
changed the days condolences together. Oh how bit
terly lonely she was! She hadn't a cat, for she
rouldn't afford for one and there wasn't mouse
In the house And she didn't like cats either. She
have been glad of dog But there again-a dog liked
his bone. So one dull day like another; and al
though she was not unhappy she constantly felt how
much happier she might be, with one to love and
some one to love her.
Miss Sparrer held herself rather loftily Her father
had been the village neer wee INDUCED, beloved
pitied and pardoncd by every But his father had
been the Doctor and the father before that the Law
yer and Squire OF the place There some things
that long descent make obligatory, fine manners and
certain kindly condcscenson among them And In
those Miss Sparrer never failed. She maintained the
tradition of her great grandfahers hospitality by tea
party in Winter along towards March when her hens
were laying we'll, at which all the parish made well
come; the rejection of which, it understood
to be scrambled eggs, her famous cream otarar bis
cults with Of the honey Of her two hives, and
dish of peach preserves The little peachtree, the
Summer warm, gave her few jars, and they
treasured so long that they were candied.
In Summer she gave a garden party to the same
guests, who each brought her basket. And if with
any generous intention they brought than could
be used the day Miss Anna made round OF brief
visits, taking to Mrs Green some OF Mrs. Browns de-
lcious cakes, and to Mrs Brown Of Mrs. Whites
faky tarts and to Mrs. White some of Mrs Green's
delicate rusts, could be that none OF these
daincs were reserved by herself.
On the contrary, she often bestowed charity There
was Andrew Maclanc-how many time hid she
rallied him in and given him slice Of bread and butter
spread thicky with brown sugar? How many a time
had she given him penny? She had gone without her
dinner than once, in order to feed hungry tramp
1t gave her sweet sense Of the bounifu behavior Of
come fictitious lady Of the manor.
Andrew. at any rate had all idea that Miss Sparrer
was person OF vast riches and exalted rank; and he
always stopped pitching coppcrs and swearing at the
other boy when she passed by But Andrew knew
nothing Of her rnutitudinous economics. To him she
was the lovely lady richly dressed OF the ballad.
Even those who did know of those economies felt i'll
some mysterious way that she dcfrauded Of
her rights Some Of the splcndor OF the old squire
hung about her still and they took her her val
uaon as people will, and felt honcred by her rccogn-
ton and her calls They would have been that any
thing she chose to do propriety itself, and they
enjoyed their rather cereronous half hours IN the par
lor where the generations old carpet too thread
bare to discover the pattern, room Quaint with we'll
kept Chippendalc and Sheraton urniture,although no
there knew that it Chppendac or Sheraton,--
and illuminated with bits OF precious china. But they
smiled at the ancient spiudc-lcggcd English piano,
whose strings with their cracked tinklc had known 10
tuner in half century, but which nigh, have been
worth nearly its weight in gold for its maker, its age
its shape, its inlay OF ivory.
Poor poverty Miss Anna Sparrcr sat in the midst
OF wealth but knew not. This was Grandmanas
and that Grandpapa's; and in that arpbacked
chair Mama sitting when Papa proposed; and IN
the drawers OF that owboy she kept her marriage-cer
cate and her fam and her few ove-lcttcrs and at this
thousand legged brcakfast-table larger then by Leaf
or more they had all slipped their their port after
blessing had been asked. The things stood to her il
the place OF people and OF family; for they were
thronged with memories
And when the old clock in her little vcstibule pcalct
the hour she heard again her grandfahcrs voice h
drove into the yard snowy day. and the lingering
cadence after it had struck was like the sweetness IL
her fathers voice when he sat singing songs Of Robb
Burns and sippng something he called mountain dew
The gilt edged cut glass umblcr that held his todd,
the spoon with when he stirred it, with its crest OF
sparrowhawk we're things sacred as If he had beef
saint instead OF an immensely good nattred scamp
One day when Andrew brought her daily pint oil mil