Norwich bulletin., 1921-09-28

Hope Warren was young, with 80 much ambition and energy that she fretted over the obstacles 1n her path. Even her dear father, with his broken leg, and broken spirit as well, was one of her greatest trials. Each day she resolved afresh that circumstances should never conquer her as they had conquered him.
 Today she had read to him until he had fallen asleep-his kindly face now revealing the worry and Encouragement that he sought so valiantly to hide while awake
 The cosy little place, just outside the village, was a typical New England hor6e. Faithful care had made it really attract i've. But now there was danger of their losing 1t, fer with her fathers accident had come the added shock to Hope that the property was mortgaged for more than half it's value. The holder of the mortgage Lucius Calious, was man who put no Value on Sam Warren's i'm provements, at least not in his talk with Sam
 Hope sat with her bare arms on the piazza rail. gazing appreciatively over the beautiful patchwork of plowed gar dens and green fields spread like coun- terpane across the valley.
 Lucius Calious had said there was no sense in wasting the front dooryard with flower beds, so her father had sadly consented to have 1t planted with beans and the hateful leaves were even now poiling their yellow-green crooks of stem up through the warm brown earth, But Hope had inherited some. of her mothers spirit-the brave little mother who had broken because she refused to bend before diversity. So, when the front-yard controversy had ended she had snatched hoe, a rake, and her tiny pansy plants, and had marched like a crusader of old, down the path and across the road to the triangular heather-piece where the valley road intersected the main highway. There she had loosened the earth, taken out all the stones and grass roots, raked the surface smooth and set out her sturdy seedlings in symmet- rical rows. She could see them now, nod ding to each other like little ladies, nc doubt dreaming of the fInery they soon would be wearing.
 A rattle of wheels attracted her at i tention, and a light buggy drawn by a 1 big sorrel horse came up the steep val l ley road. The driver was Calious, and Ruths heart hardened as she fearfully watched his shrewd, unsmiling face. She i hoped he would go on without waking 1 her father, but there was small chance of such thoughtfulness there. The other man in the wagon was one of the se- lectmen, and as they swung south al the brow of the hill, she heard Calious acid voice ask: That's road limits, ain't it" The other man hesitated, then seem ed to reply fin the affirmative.
 Calious at once backed his great horse in a wide arc, shot his hind wheels clear to the point of the little pansy bed, swung, with a yell Of greeting tc the sleeping man, and with a slash oi the whip went laundering down the country road
 Ruth sat as one watching a drama the muscles of her jaws working her face very white. But her big black eyes were ablaze as she whirIed toward 'her father.
 Did you see that. Dad Did you just see what that dirty, big brute did to my pansy bed? Oh, I could kill him !"
 Her father had seen, with the intens- ity which start from sound sleep al ways gives. He was angry and-help less What mere need be said?
 But Hope was already stepping care fully among the ruins. strengthening anG resetting all the plants which were no broken The horses hoofs had hardly left the road, but the wheels had de scribed a huge W deep in the newly