The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-07-27

KEY in It's lock and carried the table
bodily, with sort of stern, triumphant
energy, into the barn and buried 1t be-
meath all the boxes, bales and barrels
he could lay his hands upon. 1t seemed
to yield him grim satisfaction to
serve it so. 1t was like retaliation.
The key was in his fingers now and, as
he gazed out into the vivid world, they
fumbled at it nervously. He had meant
to drop it in the well as he came back
from the barn, but somehow he had not
done so. His fine alert eyes moved rest
lessly from one object to another that
came within his field of vision; his
clearly chiseled lips twitched nervously
and a lock of his white hair fell forward
over his brow when, in his strenuous
thinking, he unconsciously shook his
head.
mo, l won't drop it in," he said,
within himself. 81 won't drop it in. But
I'll lose it somewhere about the house
SOS I'll never find it again. l never
want to see the drafted machine again!
l never want to hear it! I'll never
touch it to sew another stitch, not for
love or money, so help me"
A gentle hand was laid on his shout
der He started guilty.
"Oh, Fanny" he said, with sort of
nervous laugh, "that you, dear?
didn't hear you come in. Twas just sit
ting here resting for minute and
thinking about" his voice faltered.
II know it. Uncle Tom," interposed
the girl, softly, stroking his hair back
from his temples; "we'll both miss her.
But we must try to hear up, dear, and
not let ourselves give way. She-she
was very good to me-"
Fanny was a slender >rp IF a thing,
Just turned IS. Youth ~as in every
curve of her figure, in every line of her
face. She knew just enough of life to
think death its one SCATTERING force. 1t
seemed to her that as long as there was
life there must be hope, and Us long as
there was hope one must be happy. She
felt deeply sorry for Ter uncle-she
tried to comfort him.
The weeks slipped away, and the
months. The autumn came and the
winter followed. Then spring arrived
and the tulips in Amelia's garden began
to blossom. Thomas watched them ex-
ultantly. He seemed to see them for
the first time in his life growing calmly
and silently and not from over mist
of jigging machinery and amidst tit.
ter of winllipg wheels.
Fanny bowed the shutters of the liv-
ing-room as her aunt had been wont to
do, but Thomas no longer sat within
them bending laboricusly over his
loathsome task, byword and hiss
ing, as he thought, for all the world
The machine had never been brought
back from the barn, and no one but
Thomas knew where it was. Fanny
wished she dared ask 1t would have
been worth worlds to her to discover il
just now, for then she could have run
up" her graduation dress in twink.
ling, which now she was trying to sew
by hand. stitch for stitch. in the
meager hours after school and house.
hold tasks were done. 1t was all cut
out and basted. but the time few fast.
er than her needle could. and at length
the week fairly arrived and still the
frock was scarcely more than begun
In spite of herself the tears would rise
and fall as she sat trying to finish of
the last yard of dainty hem before the
twilight fell
Como, Fanny, child! You'll prick
your eyes out sewing there without q
hight. Pat away your work and sill
mere alongside of me. It's kind of lone.
some all alone these long evcnin's.''
She obeyed him silently ard Thomas
took the little hand in both his own and
began to pat it fondly But in second
ne had dropped it. and with hasty
glance at her had risen and wandered
away to the other side of the room.
$50 tc-morrow's your last day AZ
SCHOOL," he asked from ont Of the
shadow OF his retreat, in sharp, awak.
ening sort of voice.
Eyes, SIR" said Fanny.
Didn't | hear you and-and-your
Aunt Amelia talking last year, iust'be.
fore she had the stroke, of something
about graduation dress?"
"Yes, SIR"
Where is it?'
The stuff's up in my room The dress
am t more than cut out an basted ]
won't have time to finish it. I've
worked real hard. too--but there's been
examinations and-and-other things
ana L haven't got along very fast
Auntie had planned it all out for me. II
she'd been here"
Thomas wandered hocL o,o;r +o,,,o ~
her out OF the gloom. He placed his
hand on her head.
Good little Fanny!" he said, and his
voice trembled as he spoke.
Mother" cried Elizabeth Field. hur.
| rXing into the hnusa In n A.44a. ae -.