“I can have the Kelly farm next spring, 
Hugh said, as they walked home; “and then, 
dear, what a cosy home shall bo Ours, and some¬ 
body to carts for you always and all the time." 
And Hester answered, “ Yes, as soon as aunt 
Is well I will bo ready," white there drifted Into 
her memory the strangest, sweetest words lips 
ever apeak or hearts treasure up—"somebody 
to core for you evermore" They were there 
still when the maiden knelt at her chamber 
window and spoke the words of pay r that 
almost ended “ for Huon’s sake,' sof.iaml and 
pure dbl the new love mu ho all things while 
the blue above shining with gems and the 
hushed air around seemed to whisper of peace 
and rest. 
The summer flowers waned and autumn 
leaves drifted .-slowly down, and Ho.illy the aunt 
oamo out to her chair again. Her chair, but 
nevermore her place, for slowly the dread cer¬ 
tainty forced itself upon nil, and last on the 
husband, that, the Tall had weakened boih body 
and mind, and their household ulso must learn 
thegracs that comes from caring for the sick 
one in Its midst. How Hester’s heart pitied 
them both. The whir, -haired man would sit 
for hours following each motion of bhs stricken 
wife, smiling if she In her almost Imbecile way 
smiled, lifting the kitten t.o her lap when her 
shaking Unger tried to catch Its soft fur as it 
passed, or putting the knitting in the old 
place, watch the futile efforts to hold it. Hes¬ 
ter watched the “two children " with a sad 
pity that broke her heart almost. In the win¬ 
ter evenings, when IICGII came, she w;:s con¬ 
scious that thoughts of pity were those of pain 
also; why', she dared not suy. IlCGii left off 
speaking of the Kku.y place and began to talk 
of “ going West,” and.lust as the snows began to 
melt he came over to say it was all settled and 
he should go the tioxt week. 
“I suppose if I bided a little you could not 
go, Hester?" 
“ I shall never leave my undo and aunt whilo 
they live and need me," was the answer, and 
the blue eyes grew bright with strong emotion. 
“ But it may bo so long to wait,” urged Huon. 
“I do not ask you to wait, HUGH. You aro 
free now to find some other to make you hap¬ 
py. My duty is here.” 
“I don’t believe you ever cored for mo as 
much as I for you,” he replied, hotly. 
“Yes, Hugh— only I am a woman, and you 
are a man. There's a difference in thcEO 
things." 
Bo the troth of the summer was broken, and 
after one sharp agony the strong nature took 
up Its home life with tho uncoasing round of 
trifling cares, and the over increasing care of 
her “two children,” for such they wero at last 
until In the third winter, tho old man slipped 
avfuy under the snows and the two women wero 
left alone. 
Hester “let" the farm, took a littlo choro 
boy from the poor-homm and went on in her 
round. Hcon had come buck from the west 
the year before wi t ii tnore than lie carded away, 
having picked up tho ague in Borne swamp, and 
a wife in tho hotulgirl who nursed him through 
the chill fever. “Alice was a pleasant girl.', 
nESTER said, “eho was glad HcGll had done so 
well": and tho gossips concluded “she never 
cared much for him, after all"—not knowing of 
that evening's plighting in tho orchard, and 
that such an hour a true woman never forgets. 
As die years slipped by Hester grew Into tho 
r.otablo housekeeper of tlio neighborhood. No 
yeast so light or pillows so downy, or house so 
specklesa as hers, and the old lady in her chair 
by the stove looked always so fresh and tender¬ 
ly cared for, her caps and ruffs white as snow, 
and the knitting work, which hud never grown 
since that 11 rat day, lying La her lap, for she 
seemed uneasy without It, until at. last when 
the ten full years were ended there came a 
change. She liad bceu failing all winter, re¬ 
quiring much care and constant watching, and 
unwilling to accept it from any hand but the 
one that had so long given it; so It was a hard 
winter for Hester, but the end came. 
The sun hud just risen when a feeble voice 
called “Hester, Hester I" It was so long 
since she had spoken that name; then as the 
woman who had been a girl when Bbe heard it 
last from those lips bent over the bed with fall¬ 
ing tears, the faded eyes looked up and bright¬ 
ened, and the to long palsied voice said, 
“ You've been agood girl, Hester," then trem¬ 
bled away into silence and was lost in the 
noise like a fall up stairs sho remembered it 
afterward, and Anally, just as her task was ac¬ 
complished, her uncle's voico at the door 
above—" Hester, Hester, are you there?" 
“ Yes, undo,” sho cried, frightened by the 
strange, quavering tone; then she sprang up 
thoBtairs and saw it all. Her aunt, lylngprono 
and holplesB on the floor at, tho foot of the 
chamber stairs, without speech or sense. They 
lifted her on the lounge; then the husband 
went for help and Hester did the swift- 
needed things that only a woman’s hand can do. 
“Yes, aunt," replied Hester, as she gave a 
last pat to the pillow, tucked the book (where 
6he had found her words of Inspiration) out of 
sight among the snowy clothes in her drawer, 
from whence came the scent of sweet-smelling 
herbs, marjoram and the like, gavo a girlish 
glance in the glass and a swift touch to her 
brown locks—then saying half aloud, “ I’d like 
to know when and where my ‘ work’Is to be¬ 
gin," she went down stairs and to the cellar. 
The soap they had been b.UBy upon all the 
morning steamed up in hot, nauseous vapors as 
A LITERARY CURIOSITY 
A i.ady occupied a whole year in searching for and 
flttlngthe following thirty-eight linos from English 
and American poets. The whole reads almost ns if 
It had been written at one time and by one uuthor: 
IjIFE. 
WRY all this toil for triumphs of an hour? 
[Young. 
Life’s a short sermon —man is but a flower; 
[Dr. Johnson. 
By turns wo catch the fatal breath and die,— 
[Pope. 
The cradle anil the tomb, alas ! so nigh. 
[Prior. 
To bo better far than not to bo, 
[Se wdl. 
Though all men’s life may seem a tragedy; 
[ Spencer. 
Bat light cares speak when mighty griefs are dumb— 
[Daniel. 
Tlic bottom is but shallow whence they came. 
[Str Walter Raleigh. 
Your fats is but the common fate of all; 
[Longfellow. 
Unmingled Joys hero no man befall; 
[Southwell. 
X.ituro to each allots his proper sphere, 
[Congreve* 
Fortune makes folly her peculiar care. 
[Churchill. 
Custom doth often reason overrule, 
[Rochester. 
And throw a cruel sunshine on a fool. 
[Armstrong. 
Live wcl',—how long or short permit to heaven. 
• [Milton. 
They who forglvo most shall be most foTgiven. 
[Bliley. 
Sin may bo clasped so close wo cannot see ils face,— 
[French. 
Vile intercourse where virtue has not place, 
[Summerville. 
Then keep each passion down, however dear, 
[Thomson. 
Thou pendulum betwixt u smile and tear; 
[Byron. 
Her sensual snares let faithless pleasures lay, 
[Smoffet. 
With craft and skill to ruin and betray, 
[Crahbe. 
Soar not too high to fall, but stoop to rl'e: 
[Massinger, 
Wo masters grow of all that we despise. 
- [Crowley. 
Oh. then, renounce that Impious self-esteem : 
[Beattie. 
Riches have wings, and grandeur is a dream. 
[Co toper. 
Think not ambition wise because ’tls brave, 
[Sir Walter Davenant. 
Tho paths of glory lead but to the grave. 
[Gray. 
What Is ambition ? ’Tis a glorious cheat. 
[Willis. 
Only destructive to the brave and great. 
[Addison. 
What’s all the gaudy glitter of a crown ? 
IDrydcn. 
Tho way to bliss lies not on beds of down. 
[Francis Quarles. 
How long wo live, not years but actions toll; 
[ Wain-ins. 
That man lives twice who lives the most life well. 
[Herrick. 
Make, then, while yet ye may, your God your friend 
[William Mason. 
Whom Christians worship, yet not comprehend. 
[Uill. 
Tho trust that’s given guard, and to yourself be just 
[Dana. 
For live we how we may, yet die we must. 
[Skakeapere. 
THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY IEET 
By-and-by, after that first dazed, terrible hour 
it became plainer. The aunt had moaned a 
littlo and spoken. She was lying now in her 
own lied, tho strong woman who had scarcely 
ever known a day of sickness In her life, ami 
the doctor said aim must be kept perfectly 
quiet ami have constant care; bo a neighbor 
Bat by the bed mid Ulster cleared away tho 
almost tin tasted supper, and In a dim way re¬ 
membered the qUiflt' I' Hie noon and the now 
dress and little company. She waa to have 
worn It, too, thts evening, ami UPGR — 
Bofi ro that, when they had asked Hester 
for linen bandages, sho had gone up stairs ami 
opened her own sweet-smelling bureau draw¬ 
ers, and lifting the chrthea back, had mechan¬ 
ically taken up Lite book whoso high-sounding 
phrase3 had so stirred her pulses In the noon¬ 
time, and then gone up to tho attic with the 
book in her hand, and Btill half dreaming, 
dropped it in the old cheat as site found the 
desired roll end turned down stairs. She 
thought no more of the book. 
Nor did tho time for thought of such come 
very soon again to the young girl. Day by day 
they drifted into the ways that are so hard for 
us to contemplate, but so surely come when 
there is a stricken ono in the household. The 
strong, practical man proved the weaker here, 
and each time ho came our, from his wife’s 
room be would look eagerly Into HESTEK’sfaoe. 
“Don't you think she's a little better to-day? ’ 
ho would ask. and Hester, looking at thopoor, 
anxtouB face, could not tell him all. For she 
had heard the women whisper that It would 
have been better if tho poor aunt had never 
come back to consciousness, and she knew the 
doctor was very grave; so far the poor sufferer 
herself seemed to have no memory, only asking 
for drink, and sometimes counttna the flies on 
the whitewashed wall or the leaf shadows. For 
the leaves came out and spring grew Into sum¬ 
mer, and otto night Hester went to walk, ft 
had been a hot July day and Ironing had not 
left her much strength. So she sauntered slow¬ 
ly down the lane, and by chance Hugh Wil¬ 
son was just home from Ids day’s haying, and 
they turned into the orchard. We cannot tell 
you how he said It, but It was the old, old story 
and the lover’s proraisae, and a grace that was 
fairer than the moonlight over all things. 
Hester plunged her ladle to the bottom of the 
barrels, and the unmelted chunks swain and 
dived around likea party or frogs at tbeireven- 
ing play. It was not nearly as romantic as 
hanging on Vesuvius, hut the soap must be 
“made" and the girl’s "bringing up" had no 
such word as “shirk" in it, so she drew her 
nose close to her lip and tlnished the disagree¬ 
able task ; then to the shelves, where catching 
a hint of mi rumor's coming, round, ruddy Bald¬ 
wins, toothsome Greenings and Juicy Found 
Bweets, that had lalu proper and decorous all 
winter, were beginning to mellow and become 
so liberal and outflowing In their ideas that, 
they must be separated from their close and 
more orthodox brethron. It vqts not hard work. 
The sun found butsennt entrance through the 
narrow window, and even then became so en¬ 
tangled In the winter’s cobwebs that it was 
nearly lost. Everything had the spring restless¬ 
ness. Spiders Just awake were beginning their 
spring examination and dusting out their cur¬ 
tains ready for unwary flies. Tull branching 
shoots from the potatoes, like cathedral spires, 
that Botnetimes the nearer they approach 
heaven the more vividly sneak the corruption 
whence I hey spring and the need of its herd- 
son; the breath from the crushed apples that 
all the winter had been containing their wrath 
In barrels and wore now nearly ready to eat 
out the heart of sweetneRs itself; the briny 
smell from pork and beef barrels, suggestive of 
the salt sea; the 6wing Bhelf, with its few’re¬ 
maining squashes spotted and speckled as with 
a spring “ breaking out "—homely comforl. all. 
The few flies which had survived their winter 
siesta hummed In tho air, and the heart of the 
young girl hummed responsively its own tune. 
She thought of the new print dress, and won¬ 
dered whether It would be more becoming 
with a white ruff in tho neck or a simple linen 
collar and blue band, and she blushed a little 
as she found that she waa beginning to look 
through the black eyes of a certain Hugh 
Wilson, as though her blue ones could not de¬ 
cide the effect. Though why she blushed we 
cannot say: she had certainly never done 90 
when the black eyes were directly beiure her. 
Then ehe only tossed her head In a very trying, 
Independent manner to the owner of same. 
But the sun sank lower; there was a slight 
HESTER LENOX’S VOW. 
DY nOWE HENNING, 
“God sometimes lifts a soul up to the full 
measure of its endeavors. The soul strong in 
inspiration cries out,‘Hero aai I,—send me I’ 
and tho Divine Muster takes It at its word and 
says, ‘follow me,'and by the way that keeps 
the cross over in sight leads it on. Those are 
the guides of others Into light; of more pree- 
eient ken than they aud knowing more fully 
the weariness, are yet strong to bear their own 
burdens and those Imposed upon them by 
weaker human nature.” 
Hester Lenox road over the words siowly 
in her little chamber of the New England plain 
red farm house, and as she mused the fire burn¬ 
ed within, till her enthusiastic young nature 
sprung up responsive and she made her vow; 
“Any saorifloe—auy toil—only let me become 
one of the world’s earnest workers." 
Except when we remember Ch-TTekton we 
should not have called this a place for poetic 
sensibility to abide. The early afternoon sun 
was just finding its way into the western win¬ 
dow, glinting over tho bare painted floor with 
its one rag mat before the bed, its large, painted 
chest of drawers opposite, the yellow wash- 
stand in theoornor with the tin basin turned 
over upon It and the square glass above, the 
two Windsor chairs set properly against tho 
wall, and a hanging shelf holding a Bible, 
Hymn Book and “Questions on the Shorter 
Catechism." The girl took it all in as she 
smoothed the patchwork coverlet and tossed 
the one pillow. “ f don’t, believe there are many 
great things written or lived in such a place a 
this,” she thought. 
“Hester, Hester, child,” called her aunt’s 
voice from below, •' go down and stir the soap 
now and then pick over the apples; they'll all 
spoil if you don't. I’m going to colorin'rags. 
Be spry now.” 
