Show thic silver th over the sun bathed pastures above the bilberry bilbe iry swamps and the upland glens floated the liquid clabion of tile stage hoin dying away amid cicat piles of mossy locks and mountain gorges rohe most adventurous footsteps had never with a sweet melancholy cadence until you could not have distinguished llis hod its burden from the gurgle of the za 3 brooksie brook brookland siv sand nd the noisy concerts of the wood bild news from the scat of war I 1 the village mail had come in with its cd fi eight of grief and lamentation pride and sadness ahat what else could it be when Sunny cliff like all the rest of our new england villages had sent the flower of its young men to the battlefield battle field and every mother held lier her breath with vague and turned from the bright flush of june roses with a shudder and thought of that other crimson which dyed the pale daisies of southern meadows 1 the noonday noon day sun shone full into the gloat old fashioned kitchen of tile farmhouse with its white board floor and windows hung r with chintz curtains on either cither slide side of the broad flat door stone were wooden boxes of rank leaved hydrangeas zah otha the giant maple that seemed to stretch 13 L I 1 leavy eavy branches anches br above the roof was all Inu musical with the stir and twitter of little birds just in the cool impenetrable bladow of that same maple agnes miller stood folding up the lead and reread re read lett letterloh erLof her brother in the wars with a flus lied cheek check and wishing for the thousand first time that she was a man to join in the glorious cause it would have done your heart good in these days of pale faces and wasp like to see such a rosy healthy bit of bloom as agnes 0 ML millers illers I 1 bound bri bright I 1 lit eyed with a light el clastic astir footstep that never seemed to bo be weary and a brow just tinged with the alie olive of mountain winds and june s auns funs uns agnes did not kalow what headache ine meant alit and was only ac ti ai 1 4 ted by reputation with the ilic hypo hype she w was a 9 is as pretty in her pink calico diess abany as any duchess in rose rosc colored salin and the single of white wax apples twisted into her hair glimmered linini ered like 11 gigantic ib pe ecail all drops all of a sudden as silo stood thoughtfully 0 wining tinning the letter round and around an arm was stolen about the alio trim little w waist list and another shadow fell on oil tile the velvet grass I 1 1 I dont Cli ailes P 1 you see she was not a hit bit stait startled led and charles like a sensible follow that lie he was interpreted dont in the light way and immediately stole another hiss come agnes 0 lets sit down on the door stone and you shall tell nic me what harry says for I 1 see you have a letter arom from thoice side by side in the ni moving shade of the dense old maple the two lovers lead over the hastily scribbled lines it was a pretty tableau yet you could not have helped wondering liow how it was that so fresh and beautiful a ci catine as ag agnes giles miller could ever have fallon fallen in love with that pale little shoemaker stunted in growth and lame laino in one foot but the truth was that agnes looked beyond more mere exteriors and saw the noble heart and steadfast will that shone out thi ough chiai les Denni dennisonn sons pale thoughtful face well said charles at len lenth length 0 th folding 0 tile the letter once it seems that his aidor is as glowing as ever yes said agues agnes abati abstractedly act edly adding a moment afterwards how I 1 should like to send the dear follow fellow something I 1 0 Cli alles if we were only rich I 1 just the tho thought which was in my licad head scarcely half an all hour ago said den dibon do yon know A agnes nes that if I 1 had a thousand collais in cash I 1 could buy that little shoo stole stoic in ill tile the village 0 11 could you 11 said A alies agnes 0 lies turning her wistful hazel eyes fully upon him 0 chaales alles and then and then we should be married said Ch chaales ailes cs taking up the broken of her wol voids ds in the most natural manner possible but I 1 got the money nor do I 1 see any probability of getting it so for all I 1 can see the best way is to rest contented with the blessings god has almeady sent us I 1 and I 1 have just half an hour to sit here in the fragrance of the springing glass pass beaole I 1 must to my shop agnes was tying up a little nosegay of white se fragrant as the breath of spice islands and loses with sprays of green southernwood for charles to carry with him to the place where lie toiled for daily bread ile he liked to 1001 lookup up from liis his monotonous employment employ mont to see the bright blossoms in the window seat scat it made him think of agnes I 1 1 I shall write harry a long letter tonight said the girl pensively as slie silo leaned over to gather a biesh rose although to be sure I 1 have ilot much news to communicate except about aunt alep death how strange n that was agnes said dennison for that thai old ci catule to leave all her antiquated brocades brocaded bro cades and venerable wardrobe to strangers stran geis and none to yen yell who tended her through lier her last illness and wel beio 0 always supposed to be her favorito favorite grandniece grand niece nothing Xo thing chaales 7 you forgot forget the ille huge ducre old workbasket basket with its lusty sli shears ars and steel thimble and ball of wrinkled wax 11 that amounts to nothing unless could sell the ilie dvorkin working 0 dimple lionts for old iroll ii on said laughing agnes ag aca shook glicr licad with a smile no I 1 ishall novel never sell anything f that belonged to dear funny old aunt ile I 1 ball bah I 1 shall keep the basket not because of its intrinsic value but because it W waa as hers ay 1 I have heard 11 said chai Chail losi cs taking the completed boquet flom agnes lap ind and disposing it with lively ostentation in tho buttonhole button butto hole nho of his coat of legates disco discovering broad gold pieces in ill secret crannies of work boxes but unfortunately yours is a basket im afraid agnes that aunt only wanted to give you yon a hint on the subject of industry when silo she bequeathed thed you those rusty shears I 1 nonsense onse sai said agnes dAgnes laughing but she stood on oil the threshold a lon long g time tillie gazing after Cli charlca ailes dennison as lie walked slowly down the load under the overhanging boughs of the wayside elms dear charles she mused is it not haid that lie should be obliged to so constantly when othni lotheia s i level evel in luxury but I 1 am iviona giong 0 to complain how many gills mourn their ones lead dead upon the South Sout licin cin plains while my lover is safe at home poor lame Oli Cli ailie allic if I 1 could only guiller sull er for you P 1 silo she stood a moment musing and then aroused herself exclaiming half aloud 1 I know what I 1 will do for ciany poor fellow I 1 I 1 will knit him a pair of those old fashioned cotton stockings that aunt always said would out wear a dozen doca anaias it will keep my findeis busy and still tile wand wanderings ellings of my mind I 1 dont think I 1 have quite foi gotten the alt ai fc of wielding the knitting needles P I 1 to the old faun faini house fairet have our ever parsed beneath the balad ow of its decainy precincts the massive brown rafters the little ci descent e seel it sh shaped windows just bryon athe x tho brick chimino chim chimney iio where herc our eye I 1 loves ov over r the summer landscape out in sunshine savoia and dangling from the beams and the worn trunks and boxes piled against one another like pilgrims whose journey is lone done somehow thele was about this silent gahret that made agnes miller feel as if silo were breathing the influence of half a century back as if slie silo were an intruding ghost on oil the hush of the past but the cracked minor loaning leaning 0 against the clif chimney finicy deflected the imago image of a very pretty little ghost with pink calico diess and cheeks checks to match whose small feet patte pattered led on the mossy shingles above in the days of april and violets there the knitting needles lay in the great wicker basket with all its contents useful or otherwise as aunt will said was bequeathed to agnes miller i they were rusty and discolors disco lord tord but agnes know knew silo could easily rub them wight blight so slie she took the basket in lier her hands and flipped away down stairs singing softly as sho went there was a window just in the anglo of the case aholo iglic agnes loved to sit a window looking 0 down into the gleen wilder wilderness noss or of a 14 in mammoth ammoth bliar bush whose spicy odors lose up like a col column linin of incense in the bummer air agnes established herself for her afternoons task and there a matronly old lady capped and spectacled found her about five ini minutes 11 ut Cs I 1 later at er Mi concluded chided on llumi raith th page why agnes child what ale aie you 0 do O ing 1 I am going to knit n a pair of cotton 11 stockings for poor hairy mama lama see mrs A miller filler looked through 0 gha a treachel ous mist that swam swain her eyes and pronounced that the cotton was about the ight ht size then she settled down a stair or two below her daughter ostensibly because it was a cool place whore where she might pick over her basket of ruby led our cur lants gathered from the bushes jants in in jollity ica joa lity to talk about bairy with agnes for an audi audience encel these mothers mot hersl 1 liow how lovingly they treasure up the absent ones in their very heart jf hearts A agnes iles was fastening on oil her taper waist the strange 0 ol 01 old d silver knitting set into a diamond shaped piece of blue brocade long since faded into dim bisti distinctness not that had once been the pride of aunt s why mamma liow bow strange strang the needle will not run in tile the sheath I 1 perhaps it is broken in okan su suggested asted mr mrs miller 0 no o it is not I 1 think something must be in the it seems to bo be obstructed 7 agnes unfastened wied it as she spoke and examined the small tube closely it looks like brown paper rolled up very tightly mamma gleaso lend me a pin pill to take it out mis miller 11 iller leaned over her daug daughters z lit els shoulder ind and took up tile tiny bit ot of paper that dropped from the sheath while agnes 0 coni composedly seemed the small anstrum ansti ont to its place a again 0 darf agnes my love sillery my eyes do it not ot deceive me old and dim though they al c 91 gio owing P exclaimed ml mis s miller toll tell me what tins this is P and 4 agnes vies saw that the despised piece of paper was a bank balik noto note for one thousand poor old aunt no c earthly artilly poi suasions sua had ever induced her to to ionize savings banks or investments 1 K nt IN lie her will ivill was as mada 1 bcd lcd tho wicker basket to agnes her f ahoi ite niece CC having intended to roveal reveal to her hartlie the of the sheath but tile deathblow canic came suddenly as aa it always will p for it as we may and tile the Q old lidy lady had died and made KO iao siant mammal mamma said agnes when their first astonishment had subsided into something t like calmness 1 I have read of things like this in faidy books of wild lo lomance malice but I 1 no never vardi earned that midi an advent adventure could happen to me little Agri agnes cs you have yet to learn that ti nth is sometimes far stian astl anger c or than fiction t r the poor whippoorwill was singing 0 in in the clinge of woods th that t bordok ed tile the mountain 1 pastilles pa and tho the dow dew ly jay heavily L on oil the white lillies by the alic g fence when Cli allos dennison came caim up to loor tono elicie agnes was gen gan el bially ally teu tending dill r her border of pansies at that hour slie silo was as thole all blo baoming ining in her pink deess and i ivady c ady to Wel welcome collic him in with it a soft little kiss Cli ailie allie I 1 she said what at acle yo you u toning me about the village shoe sho estor store 0 tins morning 1 that I 1 c ouid buy il it t for a t thousand dollan 9 dear why do you ask akk I 1 an am not aldy to 1 moke ako the purchase at present alles 7 silo went ou hesitatingly gly y you ou I 1 would uld not scola to accept ho help fl aiom 0 vie me NV would uld you 11 aie c wo we not lot one dearest 77 r gaily but what does docs this question mean you have not conle como into possession of a gold nine mine have you 7 almost 11 whispered agnos agnes laying tile bank bill upon his hig hand now charles I 1 understand what dear clear OU old aunt 11 apsey ash meant when silo she left me the wicker baket of course charles was astonished and when lie he heard the than ever moia so S 0 whole history of the slip of brown paper Ilo however wever lie came to the conclusion that aunt iasci mutable will had more meaning in its clauses than had been at the time supposed and when the golden harvest moon of august was mellow in the sky harry miller the bold soldier boy came home on a kinlough fui fin lough to attend his sisters wedding weddin i |