Chapter I: Part 1

QUAKER IDYLS

BY
SARAH M. H. GARDNER

NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1894

COPYRIGHT, 1894,
BY
HENRY HOLT & CO.

THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS,
RAHWAY, N. J.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

TWELFTH STREET MEETING, 1

A QUAKER WEDDING, 17

TWO GENTLEWOMEN, 33

OUR LITTLE NEIGHBORS, 53

PAMELIA TEWKSBURY’S COURTSHIP, 65

SOME ANTE-BELLUM LETTERS FROM A QUAKER GIRL, 87

UNCLE JOSEPH, 159

MY GRANDAME’S SECRET, 175

_This little book is
affectionately dedicated to two
dear “Friends,”
E. W. P. and M. M. T._

QUAKER IDYLS.

TWELFTH STREET MEETING.

Are the summer mornings longer in Philadelphia than elsewhere, or is it the admirable Quaker custom of breaking the fast at the usual hour on Sunday that gives such delightful leisure before the calm walk to meeting at half past ten?

Certain it is that the Sabbath of June 11 was no exception to the general rule, and when John and Martha Wilson, with their daughter Cassy, passed beyond the brick wall which separates the sanctuary from the street, there were groups of Friends kindly inquiring after the welfare of each other, and offering greeting to such as were unaccustomed to the place.

John passed to the right, where he extended his hand to a fellow-worshiper. Martha paused in the doorway to stroke the shining curls of a pretty child, whose gentle mother had failed in her efforts to subdue Dame Nature. And Cassy, sweet Cassy, who was no longer very young, felt the color rise, and modestly dropped her eyes, as she noticed the pleased observance of her entrance depicted on the face of George Evans, already occupying a seat on the “men’s side” of the meeting-house.

Several elderly Friends were in their place on the floor, and in the gallery were those who held the positions of elders and accepted ministers. Their hands were folded, and one or two of the men, who held walking sticks, rested their hands on the rounded tops. But the faces of all wore a far-away look, as if the present surroundings could never disturb the sweet serenity of their souls.

Quietly the congregation gathered. There was not a large company. But few wore the garb of the past generation. There was, among the middle-aged, a disposition to grow a little plainer with increasing years, but the soft felt hat was conspicuous in the room, and the stiff bonnets were relieved by silk shirrs of brown or gray.

Cassy, this warm day, has assumed a gown of white stuff, the very essence of simplicity; a straw bonnet of half modern date, destitute of embellishment, unless the satin ties, reaching halfway to the crown, and the blond pleating surrounding her face, could be called trimming. The dress was closed at the throat by a small gold clasp, which confined also the edges of the linen collar; drab, openwork mitts covered her well-shaped hands--hands that were never weary with good work, nor ever fearful of losing their beauty in the performance of the daily toils that fell upon them.

As the house grew silent, and more silent, a gentle prayer went up from her heart that she might keep her spirit undefiled, and when, after a little, the stillness was broken by the voice of an aged man in the upper seat, she raised her head and paid the strictest attention to his opening words.

“Like as a father pitieth his children,” he began, his pale face reflecting the purity of his aspirations, and the trembling voice, growing in volume as he proceeded, until after a few moments it had fallen into that peculiar cadence, a sort of half melancholy rising and falling inflection, measured and monotonous, that afflicts the unaccustomed ear, and so often in these holy assemblies destroys their solemnity.

Philo Thomas was a trial to poor Cassy; she revered his patient life of tribulation, she caught the reflection of the light which glowed within his soul, but his outward manifestations were singularly unacceptable to her; she wished that so good a man might feel called upon to keep silence in public places, and yet she half rebuked herself for the seeming disrespect.

Patiently she tried to keep pace with the thought that so slowly fell from the sing-song utterance, but gradually she drifted into a different channel. The glowing face of the man who had rejoiced at her coming was rising before her. Educated, as she had been, to the strictest truthfulness, she could not even seek to shut out from herself the knowledge that she felt and enjoyed his satisfaction at her presence there, nor, indeed, her own pleasure and comfort in this state of affairs. Her heart beat a trifle faster than it ought, and the blush burned again as she forgot the preacher and the company and only remembered the one face across the narrow line which divided the women from the men.

Suddenly the voice ceased, and the solemn silence smote her like a sword.

“What have I done!” she cried out in spirit, “I have desecrated the holy place. My thoughts are the thoughts of a worldling! Can I bear through the week the recollection that I wasted my opportunity on the first day? that any human being can have the power to turn me from my path, can destroy my self-respect, can make me forget my Creator?”

“The Lord is in his holy temple, blessed be the name of the Lord,” passed through her heart, and formed on her trembling lips. Hot tears filled her eyes and fell unheeded on her handkerchief, tears of shame and humiliation.

A faint rustle aroused her. In the gallery a slight pale woman arose, untied the strings of her stiff bonnet, and laid it on the bench beside her. Stepping forward until her hand rested on the rail in front, she spoke softly, distinctly, and the happy change from the droning tones of the earlier speaker riveted the attention of the wandering.

She spoke of the pure in heart; defining her terms, dwelling on the growth of sin if permitted to linger, emphasizing the truth that we must be ever on the alert to discern the shadow of transgression, until poor Cassy--who had at once entered into the spirit of the sermon--poor Cassy felt that this was being spoken directly to her.

Then as the sweet voice paused, a new measure filled it. She turned from admonition to adoration, depicting the joy there is in heaven over one sinner who returns from his ways, and as if carrying out the thought of the aged man who had preceded her, and which he had so sorely missed in his illustration, she urged the tenderness of an earthly parent to an erring child, and the abounding love and beneficence of our Heavenly Father.

“Dear children,” she cried, “do not fear to approach him. Open your hearts! Search out the hidden places! Let the light stream in and your sins shall be wiped away. Fear not man; that which it is impressed upon you to reveal, dare not to keep secret.”

She resumed her seat and her bonnet, but the seed she had sown took deep root in Cassy’s heart. All through the remaining hour she revolved its teaching in her soul. It was clear the meaning for her was a stronger and heartier purification of her thoughts. Not that George Evans was an unholy object, nor that his affection was to be despised, but that the meeting-house was not the place for human admiration. And oh! what did these words mean, “Not to keep silent?” Was she bidden to unfold this page to George, to tell him that the lesson was for him also?

What pain it cost her to dream of such a task! yet was not this one of those hidden places that should be flooded with light? What if he did deem _her_ unwomanly who could speak on such a matter without having been spoken to? Were not the commands of the Lord to be preferred to any earthly comfort? She should perhaps lose her lover--see herself dethroned, for never a word had he vouchsafed her but of the plainest courtesy, but she should gain the respect of her own conscience. The fires that purify, also blister and burn. How could she refuse? Perhaps George Evans’ soul was in peril too, for well she knew that upon his ear had fallen unheeded the words of the first preacher.

Solemnly the two men friends at the head of the gallery clasped hands, and immediately a little hum of neighborly inquiry went round.

Cassy dreaded to move. She felt, rather than saw, her lover waiting for her outside the door, and silently asking help in her time of trouble, she walked down the aisle. She did not omit any of the customary greetings; she promised to meet with the sewing committee the next day, to carry jelly to an aged friend, and turned and shook the hand which George Evans held out to her.

There was nothing strange that he walked beside her down Arch Street, but he gave her little opportunity to open her heart. They had passed but a short distance when he broke the silence by saying:

“Cassy, does thee know I almost felt that Mary Elwood’s sermon was intended for me? And perhaps for thee, too. I have thought for some time that the Lord had designed thy path and mine to run side by side. Thee knows that this morning was the first opportunity I have had to attend meeting for several weeks, but when I saw thy face it was so pleasant to me that I fell into a worldly train of thought--how I might tell thee of my great hope, that thee would respond to my affection for thee. Mary Elwood’s voice broke my reverie, and showed me where my way led. I resolved then to speak to thee at once, for something in thy look betrayed thy feeling, and I feared I had led thee into evil; that my glance, as I entered meeting, had possessed the power of withdrawing thy meditation from the Lord, and the voice of his servant warned me to repent, and hesitate not to reveal to thee the source of my inquietude.”

Gravely she laid her hand upon his arm, and with but one shy upward glance at his earnest face, she said solemnly:

“Blessed be the name of the Lord. This lesson was also revealed unto me. Had thee not felt called upon to warn me against such temptation, I should have dwelt upon it to thee at the first opportunity, but our Heavenly Father hath spared me the trial.”

A QUAKER WEDDING.

A renowned foreigner characterized Philadelphia as a “city of magnificent sameness.” Possibly this is true of the older portions of the town, and surely there is little in the exterior of the compactly built houses on upper Arch Street to distinguish the dwelling of the Twelfth Street Friend from that of a more worldly citizen.

On a certain morning in October, the same atmosphere of seclusion surrounded the whole block between Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets. No possible hint came forth from No. -- that within its red brick walls, outlined with the cold precision of white marble sills and doorsteps and guarded by heavy shutters, there was about to be consummated a tender little drama. The narrow door, with its painted icy glare and glistening knob, opened at short intervals to admit tall figures in long coats, cut with straight collars, and beaver hats in gray or black, whose broad brims shadowed smooth-shaven, manly faces. Trim little maidens too, and their quaint feminine relatives, waited demurely on the spotless step, for the opening touch of a dark-skinned hand within.

It rarely happened that a newcomer entered without a pleasant greeting to the elderly colored woman: “How is thee to-day, Hannah?” or, “I am glad to find thee has conquered thy rheumatism”; which brought a low-voiced answer: “Thank thee; will thee go up to the second story, or can I send thy bonnet?” This to the elder women, while the sweet young damsels, in a happy subdued flutter, have turned to the guest chamber to smooth their silken raiment, or possibly to venture so far toward personal adornment as the fastening of a few white buds over the dainty corsage. There was a little murmur of soft voices: the expression of joy that Cassy and George had been blessed with such a beautiful wedding day; the hope that Mary Anna Landers would be able to reach there in time for the ceremony. “She always speaks so acceptably to the young.” One told of a certain aged Friend in deep affliction and the message that she bore from the dying bed to the gentle bride whose helpful hands had so often soothed the pain away. And thus, in groups, the guests descended to the parlor, the straight long room where a strong light from tall windows in front and rear was modified by means of drab Venetian blinds. Between these windows hung, on one hand, a modest engraving of William Penn, and upon the opposite wall that of Elizabeth Fry. Both were framed in dark-colored wood, and the benign expression of the gifted man, and the wealth of dignity in the face of the celebrated philanthropist charmed in spite of their austere surroundings. Upon a marble mantel, under a glass shade, rested a clock, as white and cold as the slab beneath; a small basket of delicate ferns, as if half ashamed of their vivid green, retired behind the solemn mouth of a tall undecorated silver candlestick. The room was well-nigh filled with chairs placed in regular order, and two hair-cloth sofas whose broad seats accommodated the elders of the meeting. Directly below the picture of the venerable Penn were the places designed for George and Cassy, straight-backed old oaken chairs, that would be a delight to the antiquarian of to-day, and near the right wall stood a small table upon which rested a roll of parchment, a pen, and a substantial ink-well.

One of the windows was open, and the fresh sweet air came in laden with the noises of the street: the rumble of the carts, the click of hoofs upon the sharp stone pavements, the distant cries of venders, and the whistle of the locomotive. The light breeze stirred the cap borders and the kerchiefs of the placid women, who lifted their soft hands to rearrange the muslin with the same instinct that prompts the care of curl and ornament in their fashionable sisters. The parchment fluttered to the ground, and in replacing it there was exposed to view a page of exquisite penmanship, the great letters in ornate Old English hardly belonging to Quaker simplicity.

Meanwhile in the sitting room at the head of the first flight of stairs there was a sweet picture. This apartment was so entirely an emanation from the home life that the stiffness and coldness of the lower room was totally lacking. The very loud tick of the old-fashioned mahogany clock that stood in the corner had a sound of cheer. The little wood fire on the hearth gave out a welcome, and the half dozen rockers and lounging chairs in gray and brown dress held open arms. A big Maltese cat crouched by the rug, a few pencil sketches from the hand of a favorite nephew graced the wall, and a heavy bookcase gave evidence thro’ its glass door, of much substantial learning. There was a cluster of periodicals on a stand, the clear title of “The Friend” recalling their import; a stereo-scope with a tray of views, a basket of knitting work, and, hanging on the back of a peculiar easy-chair, the round pillow that betokens snatches of rest.

Cassy was standing by the east window. The broad beams of the morning sun were growing more direct, and fell with force over her delicate form. Her gown of silver gray enveloped her like mist, and chastened the rising color. As she turned toward the advancing figure of the bridegroom, her eyes suffused with tears. She held forth her hands and said tremblingly, “Dear George, how earnestly I pray that our Heavenly Father may ever guide me so that I walk aright, and fulfill toward thee all the requirements of this holy relation.” Tenderly he kissed her as he replied, “My soul is assured that thee never would have been drawn so close to me were it not the will of the Divine Master:” and presently when John and Martha entered they pressed the daughter to their hearts and breathed upon the stalwart young man a blessing, so full of emotion that the patience of awaiting Friends was quite forgotten. Then the tall monitor on the corner, that had marked the hour of Cassy’s birth, gave warning of another epoch in her life.

The company was seated as the little party entered the parlor. George and Cassy advanced to the chairs assigned them, John and Martha next their daughter, and the parents of George occupied a similar position on the other side. There were a few minutes of absolute silence, then the younger pair arose, joined hands, and in a clear unbroken voice the bridegroom spoke these words:

“In the presence of the Lord and this assembly, I, George Evans take Cassy Wilson to be my wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto her a faithful and loving husband until death shall separate us;” and after an instant’s pause, the bride, with a far-away look in her sweet eyes, calmly repeated the same tender promise. Then they sat down again, and presently a white-haired man, with so great revelation of power in his face that it might almost have been called conscious strength, appeared in supplication before the throne of grace. He asked that the twain now made one might become nearer and dearer to each other as time went on, and that in fulfillment of the claims of the spirit, they might ever be ready to respond to the call of the Bridegroom who cometh while it is yet night. For some moments after the prayer had ended the company remained with bowed heads, and the stillness was but gently broken by the movement of another honored Friend, who came forward as a member of the committee appointed by the monthly meeting, to be present at the marriage and report that all proceedings had taken place in strict accordance with the rules of the society. He now read aloud the certificate, heretofore lying on the table, testifying to such regularity, and advancing to the bridal pair requested them to affix their signatures. The pen was then passed to the parents, and as each person present gave hands to the happy George and Cassy, the same favor was extended. During the conclusion of this ceremony, Cassy’s color had brightened with the congratulations and gentle admonitions of these so dear to her, and before it was finished the little buzz of friendly interest had wreathed the placid face in smiles, and dried the tears that were almost too ready to start to the eyes of the tender mother. No one was forgotten; even the faithful Hannah and the Cassius of long service added their irregular strokes to the certificate, and Cassy caught up on her arm the three-year-old guest, and guided his playful fingers over the smooth page.

There was a quiet intimation that a collation was spread in an adjoining apartment, and the thrifty folk, who scorn the embellishments but not the substantials of life, did ample justice to the bounteous repast, daintily served from the finest of linen, the clearest of glasses, and the frailest of china. There was no spoken word of thanksgiving, only a pause wherein their hearts might acknowledge the mercies of the Giver of all Good. There was no haste, no indecorous indulgence in the temptations of the table, but a cheerful, happy tone pervaded the company who regarded marriage not as the absorption of one life by another, but as a true union of strong souls for the furtherance of God’s holy purpose.

As each guest departed, he or she was freighted with a package of wedding cake for some friend or servant: “Maria, will thee kindly give this to Eldridge Percy? We all feel to regret his absence, and trust that he may be spared to meet with us once again.” “Philip, thee knows how dear our Cassy was to Hagar the summer we spent at your home: thee will not mind carrying her a bit of cake?”

And when at length the hour of parting came, there was no long line of merrymakers to hurl slippers and showers of rice after the retreating carriage, but there were last words spoken that dwelt in the hearts of the earnest young husband and wife, and the injunction of the father was a simple admonition to “search ever for the light that is revealed in the soul”; and the loving children heard his brave voice reply to the neighbor that regretted the distance that must henceforth separate them: “I can safely trust my son and daughter in the hands of the Lord, wheresoever he may lead them.”

TWO GENTLEWOMEN.

The square brick house with many windows, in the little village of W., was called the “Mountain Place,” both from the name of one of its occupants, and also from its situation, which was the most conspicuous point in town.

The owner was a rich manufacturer, who had for many years placed it at the disposal of his two widowed sisters less prosperous, financially, than himself.

Mrs. Letitia Mountain’s family lived on the lower floor in a commodious suite of “apartments,” hardly known as such in that day, when any respectable person was supposed to occupy, or furnish, an entire dwelling, but the idiosyncracy was in this case excused on ground of a peculiar attachment existing between the sisters.

The double parlors, with high ceiling and heavy folding doors, were forever resplendent in white china paint and velvet paper, and the visitor felt almost obliged to observe the extreme complexity of the figure on the carpet, evidently designed for homes of heroic proportions.

The upper rooms were far less imposing, and thus better suited to the smaller purse and household of the elder sister, Mrs. Honora Plum. This poor lady endured much from the companionship of a stepdaughter, ill-tempered and idle, and reflecting the blaze of an ancient escutcheon stained by vice, for Mrs. Plum had married the younger son of a titled English gentleman.

Nothing of the regret from which she must have suffered ever passed her lips, and her patient smile sweetened the loaf which she so generously shared with the woman whose only claim was the name she bore.

Mrs. Mountain’s past, on the contrary, was delightful to contemplate. A happy marriage in early life shed a halo over even the long illness and death of a beloved husband; but neither this break in the tide of joy, nor the sorrows of Honora, ever darkened the light of true sister love that doubled their present portion of helpfulness and cheer.

Both ladies were short and dark, with large brown eyes which never lost their sparkle, and well-formed lips that kept a rosy color into late years.

Fashion forever stamps some part of Nature’s work as reprehensible, and at the period of which I write, the gray locks that represent intensity of feeling as often as age were considered unfit to be seen by the world. So the heavy silken bands that graced the brows of both sisters were closely covered with beribboned caps, and bordered with “false fronts” of dusky hair, coiled on each side over two small combs, forming stiff and ungainly puffs that did not seem to belong to the little women, but to which they were so much attached that one never admitted the other to her chamber until the structure was erected, or a huge nightcap entirely concealed the absence of it.

Far more suitable would have been the simplicity of the Friend’s costume, which bore a wondrous charm for them, as the dress of their beloved mother. But the sisters had wandered from the fold, each had married “out of meeting” and thereby forfeited her birthright membership; and having renounced the worship of their fathers, they also felt it incumbent to robe themselves somewhat according to the fashion of the world’s people, but the “Stranger” air which marked their devotions before a “hireling ministry” also clung to their garments.

It was a little pitiful, this estrangement from their early religious associations, and perchance it might have been their greatest pleasure to return to the fold when the days of their widowhood came, but the meeting was held in a remote district of the township, and neither of the sisters was robust. For this reason they made a church home in the nearest house of worship, and carried thither so much of their elementary religion as wrought daily miracles of love and patience.

They were charitable to a degree almost beyond praise, and the fine bearing, the impressive presence of the little pair, could have come from nothing else than a realization of noble attributes.

The annals of New York indeed would be incomplete without mention of the exceeding service rendered the State in time of need by a rich Quaker, who steadfastly refused any public recognition, but whose death was everywhere heralded as that of a man combining in his character modesty and rare worth.

Perhaps it was the consciousness of being heir to these virtues that led Honora into a false conception of the inheritance of her husband, but the painful knowledge of her error never lessened her understanding of the motto “Noblesse oblige.”

Everybody forgave the sisters their touch of pride since both its source and outcome were of such purity, but it was almost pathetic to hear their personal disavowal of merit, attributing all things of worth in their admirable womanhood to their ancestry, and when, in the days of her children’s youth, Mrs. Mountain found it necessary to chastise them, the rod was considered far less severe than a reminder that through misdemeanor they were sullying the family record.

It was a matter of deep regret to both Honora and Letitia that they had no sons. The former was childless, and the latter had buried her boys in infancy, but it was a consolation that the marriage of their brother, late in life, had resulted in securing a continuance of the honored line.

Hospitality was one of the inherited virtues. The fruit cake jar was never allowed to become empty, and on such holidays as were not bespoken by their brother, their separate tables were surrounded by the impecunious old and young of their acquaintance.

So long as Mrs. Mountain’s daughters remained unmarried there was an abundance of merrymaking, but after they had gone to homes of their own this youthful element was greatly missed. Mrs. Plum’s stepdaughter was too grim to be social, and gradually the lives of the sisters fell into a routine.

Certain days in the month were devoted to family visits. The rector was entertained by them alternately, at stated periods, and once every fortnight they dressed themselves in stiff silks and real laces, and went through the formality of returning calls. No doubt the conversation was as little varied as the wardrobe, yet it was a pleasing duty, faithfully performed.

They had been educated like the majority of well-to-do women of that period, but this was far from developing a love of study--that progressive intelligence which furnishes the ladies of the present with unfailing entertainment.

Nothing, therefore, was a greater satisfaction to them than the daily visits of an old and respected colonel, living on a large farm just beyond the border of the town.

He rode to the post office every morning on a white horse, quite as stiff in his joints as his master, and it was one of the duties of the postman to respond to the timely cough of the colonel by carrying out the scanty mail, if such there chanced to be. The soldierly salutation repaid him a hundred-fold for this small attention, while the colonel turned his horse toward Mountain Place.

He was so prompt in all his proceedings that the servant prepared herself, at ten o’clock, to answer the summons of the enormous brass knocker, and with as much dignity as if he had come with a message of state, the ruddy man inquired for “the ladies.” Then, as he entered the hall, he graciously relieved any embarrassment by mentioning “Mrs. Mountain’s parlor, if you please,” or “Mrs. Plum’s drawing room,” alternating day by day. Immediately the lady presiding arose and greeted him as though he was recently returned from a foreign mission, and in the next breath spoke to the servant, who had long ago learned to await this direction: “Ask Mrs. Plum if it will be convenient to come down, Colonel Gray is here,” or “My compliments to Mrs. Mountain.”

The newcomer then formally welcomed the second sister, carefully asked after her health, and conversation became general.

An hour, sometimes two, the colonel’s horse stood in the wind and weather awaiting his agreeable master, but if, as rarely happened, the latter limit was transgressed, a loud neighing brought the gentleman to his feet. “Ladies, I have had a most entertaining morning; duty alone calls me from your side. Allow me to wish you good-day.”

In the afternoon as the sisters sat by the front window knitting socks for the poor, or daintily stitching some fine muslin for a baby’s outfit, they discussed the Colonel’s visit.

“Letitia, I am sorry brother does not like the Colonel.”

They never disagreed, and from a constant desire to emphasize, each the opinion of the other, there had grown a habit of repetition.

“Yes, Honora, I wish brother did incline toward the Colonel.”

“I cannot understand his objection. Colonel Grey is a gentleman, and an excellent provider.”

This term embraced a multitude of small virtues, chiefly that of generosity toward his immediate family, and to Mrs. Mountain and Mrs. Plum, the man who failed in this respect had better not be alluded to.

It was a little strange that they knew the Colonel’s household habits, for he lived alone with an aged housekeeper and her husband, and it was only at long intervals that he opened his doors to his friends, albeit he was justly proud of the frequent honor he enjoyed of “drinking a dish of tea” at the Mountain Place, and on these occasions he never forgot to be strictly impartial in his attentions, and addressed his conversation first to one, then to the other of the sisters.

Like the entire village population, he was well aware that to these ladies everyone looked for advice, and indeed for intelligent nursing. So frequent were the midnight calls for services that one of the servant’s regular duties was the disposition at nightfall of their hoods, cloaks, and lantern conveniently near the front door.

A reference to this formed a staple joke between the friends, and Letitia frequently asserted (and it was repeated by Honora) that in case of illness at “Moss Farm,” they would consider themselves engaged.

Perhaps the good Colonel had more than a jest at heart when he referred to the matter, for the ills of life come surely in train of age, and the summons reached Mountain Place on an early morning of September. It was a shock to the ladies, this forerunner of a parting from one who had been so stanch a friend, and so inconsiderate a visitor, as their brother insisted.

Just as the carryall came in sight of the Colonel’s homestead, the first twitter of awakening birds brought a new sense of life and activity into the world. The dark forest behind the house sent forth a thousand notes of welcome to the day, and the clear spring, where the old horse turned to drink, added its gentle murmur.

Mrs. Mountain was touched, her eyes moistened.

“Alas!” she said, noting the movement of the old gray, “the world never stops for any of us. The birds sing, the horse wants to drink, the sunlight flashes over the farm, just as if the good man that has lived so long to lighten the cares of others, was not passing away.”

“Passing away! Yes, passing away,” and the solemn voice of her sister, seemed like an echo from the hills.

It was the usual trouble, a shock of paralysis, and the faithful doctor gave little encouragement, yet he thought it possible the Colonel’s speech might become clear again, and when the stupor that enthralled the poor man had passed, the pale eye wandered about the room. Words were unnecessary, the watchers understood that he wanted a hand laid in his own, and Letitia gently slid her soft palm beneath the chilled fingers. Honora as promptly took her place at the other side, stroking the withered arm that lay motionless upon the bed.

The doctor opened the window, and as the delicious breath of the pines crept in, the sick man stirred. He moved his head restlessly. But when Mrs. Mountain would have left her place to rearrange his pillows, suddenly his tongue loosed and he spoke, feebly indeed, and with an effort, but the words fell distinctly upon the listeners.

“Years ago, I wanted--I intended she should be my wife if----” He stopped. Presently he gave evidence that the same thought was still in his mind.

“Yes,” he murmured, “but I love her just as well.”

The doctor moistened the dry lips, and the sisters both moved as if to assist, but one lifeless hand pressed heavily, and the poor member with a little vitality motioned Mrs. Mountain not to stir.

So they remained, while hour after hour went by.

The noonday was upon them when again the old face brightened and the quavering voice said slowly:

“Yes, yes, I love her just as well.”

The silence that followed was not broken again, and soon the faithful sisters spread the white sheet over the dear dead.

That night, as they sat together in Mrs. Mountain’s stately parlor, Honora said with a sigh:

“Perhaps, Letitia, it is just as well the Colonel never spoke to you about marriage. His family was not so good as our own, but I thought it strange he could see you so often and not love you.”

And Letitia startled Mrs. Plum by contradicting her.

“Child alive, Honora! I always knew the Colonel loved the ground you trod on.”

OUR LITTLE NEIGHBORS.

A first of April story.

Jerry came in one spring morning wearing a very triumphant air. He caught the baby from the floor and tossed him as he said:

“Well, Kittie, I have taken the house.”

“Have you, dear? Now do just tell me all about it. Is it ‘The Cottage by the Sea’ or a ‘cobble-stone front’ at Riverdale? Have you plenty of neighbors, and a garden spot, and what rent? Pray don’t keep me in suspense!”

An amused smile passed over his face as he seated himself.

“Let me see, question No. 1. Is it the ‘Cottage by the Sea?’ Yes, if you choose, for the ocean is only three miles away; just a lovely drive or even walk through delicious pine wood. A ‘cobble-stone front?’ No, thank you. A small plain wooden box, of a dull gray color, well suited to its neighbors, for there is quite a community of Quakers in the vicinity. Neighbors near? Yes, decidedly, as our share is only half the box, after all. It was built for a summer home for two brothers, the Allens, next door to us, you know. Caleb cannot leave town this year, so we can occupy his quarters. Garden spot? Oh, yes; abundantly large, but all in one inclosure. The house is regularly divided, but the grounds are not. Don’t look worried, little wife; you and I and the baby are not likely to be troublesome, and I am sure Joseph Allen’s staid household will behave itself.”

And so on the “First of April” we moved. My costume was considerably demoralized when we reached our summer home. The baby had quite destroyed all the beauty my hat ever had, and my small nephew, who had insisted upon going to visit us the first day, was so timid in crossing the river that he clung to my draperies with too much fervor, and I presume that I was an object of pity to the few ladies in the cabin. Certain it is that I felt decidedly shabby, tired, and perhaps a trifle out of humor as I entered the cottage door and dropped my heavy boy on the clean, but carpetless floor. Bridget soon made her appearance with a list of the casualties, and as Jerry had not yet arrived, I was growing very gloomy when a light tap at the side entrance caused me to spring to my feet.

What a picture of simplicity and purity stood before me! I blushed at the contrast which my disordered finery presented! Here on my doorstep were two little wrens (I could call them nothing else, although they were certainly girls), one just a trifle taller and larger than the other; both with soft pink cheeks and brown hair cut close on the neck and parted smoothly and evenly, without a suggestion of crimp or curl. Their dresses were of a drab color, just visible below long white aprons, on which there was not even a superfluous button! Their linen sunbonnets boasted of no ruffles, and the colored stockings, which peeped from beneath their rather long dresses, were of the same shade. Little gray birds, with just such shy little ways!

The elder one looked up timidly and held toward me a basket, saying:

“Mother sent thee this lunch.”

“And don’t forget, Sallie,” whispered the younger, “don’t forget about the baby.”

“Thee can ask that, Debby.”

The only worldly looking feature between them was Debby’s blue eyes, and they sparkled and ran riot in spite of her, but her mouth was very serious as she asked:

“Would it not relieve thee if Sally and I were to ’tend the baby?” then glancing at my company, “the children, I mean, while thee lies down on mother’s bed.”

My eyes filled with tears at the thoughtfulness of these strangers. I had never known anything about “Quakers” before.

The baby was ready enough to exchange Bridget’s charms for the dainty little ladies’, and I clasped each of his small hands in Debby’s, but instantly she transferred one-half her treasure to sister Sally, who turned demurely, and said:

“Thank thee. We will watch over him, and presently, if thee thinks best, I can give him some milk.”

They had not quite reached the garden when Johnny burst forth. In great wrath he was indeed.

“Do they fink I am a baby!” he roared out. “Get my cap, I want to go on the boat again!”

“On the boat, Johnny!”

He colored, and remembering his terror, revenged himself upon me by saying:

“I s’pose the reason they calls me chillen is ’cause they’s such ole womans demselves;” and having flung his parting shot he walked off with great dignity.

A moment later he was lunching superbly from cold chicken and apple tart out of the “’ole womans’” basket! Such is mortal man!

Although I felt inclined to decline my little neighbor’s invitation to “lie down on mother’s bed,” it was a great help to me to have the baby so well cared for, and Bridget’s stout arms ready to stretch and nail carpets. Down they went rapidly, and was it the fresh breeze from the ocean, wafted through the pine trees, or was it the glass of rich Jersey milk that toned me up to such a cheery condition that, when Jerry’s step sounded on the gravel, I rushed to meet him, singing “Home, Sweet Home”?

The good man was delighted with my progress, and especially with my report of the lovely little neighbors, which I lingered over.

“And where are they now, Kittie?”

“Let us go quietly out to the garden and see, for I am sure I do not intend to impose on good nature by giving over baby entirely to them.”

The tall drooping willow tree in the grass plot sheltered a lovely group. Baby mine, sound asleep in the big clothes basket, was snugly tucked up and protected by the little ladies, attended by that fickle youth, Master Johnny. His squeaky voice was plainly heard explaining the mysteries of Cat’s Cradle and Wood Sawyer. But in a moment more he called wildly:

“Ain’t that a big snake on the baby?” His companions sprang forward hurriedly, but the vicious boy only replied, “April Fool.” The two girls hung their heads and colored. I held my breath. I could not believe they did not understand the joke. It was only an instant, and then Sally, laying her soft hand on stupid little Johnny’s head, said in the silvery voice, so low and clear:

“Dear, could thee not just as well say ‘Fourth Month Dunce’?”

PAMELIA TEWKSBURY’S COURTSHIP.

In a certain section of Central New York the contour of the hills forms a remarkable resemblance to a huge _pitcher_, and by this name the region has long been known.

A few years since my husband and I, with a young son, took a delightful outing through that locality. Having our own horses and carriage, we made a very leisurely journey, aiming always for a comfortable resting place at night, and bearing away with us each morning a hamper containing luncheon for ourselves and a bag of oats for the ponies. Thus equipped, we traversed the distance to our next lodging according to our daily whim; picnicking at noon, in true gypsy fashion, beneath some pine trees, or beside a rippling stream; turning from coffee and sandwiches to a delicious course of “Humorous Sketches,” or a siesta upon pine boughs.

Many comical adventures had we. It was difficult to convince the country people, who often stopped to chat with us, that this was recreation. They invariably demanded a legitimate reason for such unusual proceedings, and more than one inquiring visitor searched the light vehicle for some wares that he had “made sure” we were peddling.

Genuine offers of hospitality were not wanting, and many a pedestrian found a seat in the comfortable little carriage.

It so happened one morning that my husband was somewhat bewildered by the conjunction of several roads, and seeing in advance of us a sturdy figure moving forward at a good pace we hurried to overtake it. At the sound of approaching wheels, and the words “My friend, can thee tell me just where _Pitcher_ lies?” a genial countenance was turned toward us.

“Wal, I reckon, this here,” indicating the abrupt hills just before us, “is the handle. What part be ye looking fer?”

He had a ruddy face, very grizzly as to beard, and when he removed his weather-worn hat his smooth, bald crown, with a fringe of white curls, seemed an unfit accompaniment for the twinkling eyes of deep blue--such eyes as one sometimes sees in babies, wholly undimmed by care or tears.

“Why, I really don’t know,” laughed my husband; “I was directed to Hosmer’s Inn.”

“Oh, ho! that’s atwixt the nose and the swell. Now ye are smiling, and well ye may; but just step out here and ye can see that God A’mighty shaped a perfecter pitcher out of them hills than most men can turn on a wheel--no, ye can’t drive nigh to this stump, and that’s whar yer woman wants to stand.”

He helped us all to alight, gave me his hand as I climbed to the top of the stump, and pointed with his thumb to a rise of ground far in the rear.

“That thar’s the rim, being what the pitcher ought to rest on if the Lord had sot it on end.” There was no possible irreverence in his tone. “Hereabouts,” a rolling section nearer us, “is the swell. Just across Bub’s left shoulder lies the nose, and here right for’ard is the beginning of the handle. Foller it--see it curves jest so.”

It was very plain, and we all expressed our complete understanding of the “lay of the land.”

“There is jest four p’ints where you can see the whole figger to onct. Here, by this hick’ry stump; yander, north of the nose; south of them pines ye see, and kinder back of the rim. Them’s all, but it’s worth a journey--and I take it ye are travelers--to see how darned perfect the thing is. Looked to right, it couldn’t be beat; and I reckon, somehow, it’s about so with the most of God A’mighty’s doin’s--ef we look to ’em _right_ they’re about perfect, that’s all there is of it.”

My husband thanked the old man cordially and invited him to ride with us if his route lay that way.

“Wal, now, I don’t care ef I do, squire. Ye hev the speech of the Quakers and them’s mighty good folk, and it haint often nowadays that I get behind two such spankin’ roans as them be. Nor,” as he clambered into the front seat, “nor nigh so sensible a looking woman--yer wife, maybe?”

“Yes; this is my wife and son.”

“It’s a darned good thing to hev yer wife with ye, along in life. I haint never had one yit,” he added evasively.

We all smiled, but the old man didn’t notice it. My husband spoke of the crops, of the fine air and good water. Our visitor answered in monosyllables. At last, pointing to a white gleam in the distance, he said, almost gleefully:

“Now, thar’s a woman livin’ in that house, that I cal’late to call my wife one o’ these days; but time an’t come yet.”

“How so?” asked I, rather hastily, I fear, for I scented a romance.

“Wal, it’s a long story, but ef ye an’t amiss I’d jest as lief tell it. We’re mor’n six miles from Hosmer’s.” And with this little introduction the story proceeded.

“It was in 1846 that I first come to the nose. Our farm lay afar off to the rim--a little mite further. But our deestric wa’n’t a-goin’ to keep no school that winter; so I up and asked father ef I dassent go off somewheres and get a job o’ chores fer my board, and so git one more term of schoolin’. He hadn’t no objections, and kinder thought it over, and spoke about Deacon Hinman at the nose being laid up with _teesick_ and reckoned how he might want me. So I packed my big red han’kercher full o’ traps and socks and shirts, and away I come. I can see myself now a-bobbin’ up and down this very lane. It wa’n’t worked by team then, and it was full o’ yaller-rod and spikenet, for it had been an awful pretty fall. So I, like a boy--and I love to pick ’em yit--hung a posy bed around my neck, and clean forgot it when I knocked at the deacon’s side door. And what do ye think? The durndest prettiest gal up and opened it. I never was so took back. I allers knowed Deacon Hinman hadn’t no darters; and there she stood and me a-meachin’, till all at once she said:

“‘A-peddlin’ posies?’

“Then my feelin’ came back, and I answered her quick: ‘Do you like ’em?’

“And she took ’em, and was a-turnin’ away as red as a piny herself when I recollected the deacon’s teesick. So I stepped in the room and sot down on the settee, and says I: ‘How’s the deacon?’

“‘He’s abed,’ says she.

“‘Got a man around?’

“‘Ef we haint it’s none o’ your business. I’m man enough to tell ye that, and if ye haint got nothin’ better to do than to sass folks and string posies ’round yer neck, I’d thank ye to git up and go.’

“I do not know as I ever heard Pamely Tewksbury say so much to onct in all my days since, fer she a’nt no talker; but, land’s sake, didn’t she skeer me, and didn’t she look purty! I kinder shook all over, so I scarce got tongue to tell her who I was and what fetched me. She was ashamed enough then; I see it in her eyes, but she didn’t never tell me. No, sir. That a’nt her way.

“The deacon’s wife came in jest then, half a-cryin’, for the cow had kicked her, and it didn’t take long afore we struck a bargain, and in the evenin’s she told me all about the deacon’s teesick and her rheumatiz; but the only thing I could remember was that the gal was the deacon’s niece come to live with them, and her name was Pamely.

“My! how that winter flew by. I don’t reckon I l’arned a great deal to school, but I knew jest how many sticks of wood het the stove up right to bake, and how to plan to git time fer the churning Saturdays, and to turn out the wash-water Monday nights fer a gal who never said tire--but I couldn’t a-bear to see them little arms a-liftin’ so.

“Summer time come, and the deacon wa’n’t no better, and father said how I’d better stay and hire out for hayin’. I was a powerful worker then--I can mow my swath pretty reg’lar now--and I was a powerful big eater, too; but there wa’n’t no lack of vittles. The deacon was allers a good provider, and Pamely was a rare cook.”

Here he paused, and turning toward the white speck, now grown into a distinct homestead, he said gravely:

“Ef ye was to put up there this very day, and no one a-knowin’ of yer comin’, _she’d_ set ye afore as good a meal at an hour’s notice as ever Hosmer sot for two dollars and a half a day.” Then the story went on.

“At first I used to talk to Pamely some, but after a while every time I tried to speak somethin’ crammed in my throat, and it got to be so that I dassent try to talk. Evenin’s I jest sot and whittled mush-sticks out of white pine, till she bu’st out one night, and says she: “S’pose you think I’m goin’ to spile my mush every time with a new tastin’ stirrer.” And she laughed till she had to go out the room; but what did I care ef she used them stirrers fer kindlin’? I’d had my luck lookin’ at her fingers fly a-sewin’ or a-knittin’, and I’ve got a pair of double blue and white streaked mittens now that she made that winter. It went along so fer ’bout three year and more. I don’t think I keered much fer time. I jest wanted to be a-earnin’, winter and summer, and that was what it had come to, fer the deacon didn’t git much better, and the wimmen folks couldn’t git along without me very well. They do say now I’m dreffle handy; and so long’s Pamely set store by me, I was all right. I declare to goodness, I clean forgot there was another young man in Pitcher but me! But I had to wake up to it, arter all, and I’ve wished a thousand times I had waked up sooner.

“Pamely went off on a visit to her folks, and when she come back, onexpected like, a feller fetched her. When I see him a-liftin’ her outen the sleigh I felt like a-heavin’ a claw-hammer at him; but when he turned round, and I saw what a putty-face he was, says I to myself, ‘Pshaw!’ Several times that winter he come, and set and set, and onct I got up and was a-goin’ up the kitchen stairs when I felt somethin’ in my heel. I sot down on the top step and pulled my stockin’ off, a-lookin’ fer a tack or perhaps a broke-off needle, when all of a sudden the door was ajar and they hadn’t spoke a word afore I heard Jim Whiffles say: ‘I knowed a feller as went a-courtin’ one gal fer a whole year.’

“‘P’r’aps,’ said Pamely.

“‘And she didn’t chuck him off neither.’

“‘S’pose not.’

“I tell you I listened close after that, but there was not a sound until Jim shove his chair and got up to go and she took the candle to the outside door, and then she come in and went right off to bed.

“Next mornin’ I looked at her sharper’n ever but I couldn’t see a shadder on her cheek. She was jest as bloomin’ and as quiet as ever, and I knowed she cared more fer my leetle finger than fer the whole of Jim Whiffles’ body.

“Next time he came it was near New Year’s and he sot a big red apple plump in her lap; but she did not so much as say ‘thankee.’ I thought she kinder of turned toward me, as much as to say, ‘Ef ye had done it, all right.’

“‘But I didn’t _know_, and I reckoned I needn’t begrudge Jim an evenin’s lookin’ at her. So I off to bed ag’in. I was thinkin’ how mean I had been about listenin’ on the stairs, when up through the big stovepipe hole come these words, jerked out as usual: ‘I think sometime there’s goin’ to be a weddin’ up to our meetin’-house.’

“‘Like as not.’