Bush Of Sweet Brier

"I never bavo had things like other pioplc," lid por titile Mrs Hpwood, wining lif r eyes with the corner of her lixbby rfnjfhftin apron, "and I don't suplióse - there roes the apple-sass bilin' all iivcr iIib stove, hihI if th'íio'a any mortal tlüují your pa Ilutes it's the smell of burnt victuais - I doa't rappoM I í-ver Hhall! Tlie wcll curb has rotted away and the mlDka lius caten all my spring chlokens, tiid tlie oíd Püund Sweet apple-tree bluwed over in the last gale, and the rhlmley luicks has half way curae down, and the latch is off the garden gate, and ['m clean mbamed to own up I live here if the lisrhtninft rod man or the sewln'mftchine man Mki for Mrs. [lopwood '. [ut thorp nln't nnthin' toiiflifíl m so niuch as yonr pa throwin' away that root o'sweet-biier tlmt the Widow Mellon broujihl over for me. I always wanted a bush o' sweetbrier under the parlor wiu'low. There used to prow one ly the front door at home - tnotlier planted it with tor own hands, and she set i lieap n'gtore by it - and I don't never suii'ü eweetbrier hut that it brings back the old conrtin' days when your pa and me Ufled to set on the steps af ter mnonrise and talk abont what we'd do vhen we wot m irried." "U's too bad, motlier, I declare," said big Joshua Hopwood. "l'll try and get y ou another root!" "And I've spoke to your pa galn and xjialn," sighed Mrs. Hopwood, "about inendin' the front gute and putin'a hinge un the east shutter. He didn't uae to be ¦o sliiftless! Your pa is very niuch changed ot late, Joshua." "Yes, mother, I think be Is," said Josinia, "s If reluctAutly. "And Tve ptetty much given up expectin' to have thingsany way different," added Mrs Hopwood. I used to work dreadful hard when you children was little, but I didn't mind it. I said to my elf, paye 1, "there's better times ahead!' IJiit'now that I'ra gettin' old U's port o' hard to live this way, with Eider Jones' wife ridin' ly In her new chaise while I go afoot, and Betsey Haddock orderin'a red and green store carpet for her settin'room, wHiile I keep on scrubbln' floors. Hut it'? tlic sweet biier bush tliat hurts me the most. Your pa Unew how fond I was of sweet brier ! And t won't cost nolhin' to let u ütish grow out by the fence. Dew and punshine don't come High nohow !" "Joshus!" cried young Mrg. Hopwood, fxcitedly, when they were on their way home, "t 8 11 shame to let your mother live so when everyone knows your father lias rot money l.iiü up in tbe baak." "My father is peculiar," acknowledged loshua. "Peculiar- I should thlnk so," said Mis. Joshua. "I'd like to shike him." 'U.-ntly, Rulhie, gently !'' lauhed .loshua. , . "Slarving the pnor llttle hard-working wite in tliat way." went on Ruth. "Not quitó so bad 9 tliat," said Joshua. "There's alwaya enoujjh to fat " "Oli ! but th;it isu't wli it I raain, Josliu.i; and you know it," per=Uted Ruth her brlght yes sparkling with exciiement. "U's her lieert and soul tliat ure bein" s(ai ved. She'sswinging uil tlie time on the rack of tliat creuky liutter, .ind slie's pinin' for the sweet-brier bushe Hiiil hollvhork blooms and slie slirinks :iw;iy iuto herself every time i nei-hlior lookl at the tuiiilili-down porch. Joshu;i whisiled goftly. ¦Am! when I look at your fatlier I teel as f I must teil him what u menn, pareltnonloi Oíd skinllint he Is, and ak „im f he tliiiiKs be cn take all lus boarded money MtO the olher world with bim. And yet, he always scemsso pi iii-ible anl g'iod natur -d. Joahna - -neakiiii: witli poruntious t-iiipti.isis- 'Iin afrld yonr i ither is- a liyuocrite ! Josliii:! wa sik-nt. "Anti I wiin'i ( onnt.:nu c hls way any li.iig.-r," said Rmh, "See if I do. l'H liaruem up BroWnle to-morrow and we 11 gooverto ünde Ilawksley's and dig up ihe blgseft root of iwcét-brler in 11 Aunt Bawkíley'í Jtarden, and we'll cmiie liome and plant it with our own hands Mie and me. I hope I can liandle: spade ms w-ll as your tather or you either, anl I'd like to see any one dig It up alter 1 ve P ".So'would I," said Josliua, with a little ,Iuk of hil head. Ruth went over to the old home on tlie mxt dav in a truly belllgercnt .nood. Deacoii Hopwood made some llttle obiection to nis wife leaving home, but the impeluous daugUter-in-law overruled eVr"í'liailftcooked no vltuaU," faid Mrs Hopwood, whOBe pale faoe ha') iijiUteü up at prospect of "a day's WlUng with Joshua's wife. "The deacon can go over to dlnner at Joshua'.-," said Kuth. "I've lett plenty of irood food there on the paitfry s helf. '¦Hadn'tyou better put it ofl unti I lomorrow?" said the old deHcon, wnose mild face suggested any ideas but thosc of i douicstic lyritut. "No, vc hadn't," siid Itutli. And lior enery earried ttie day. Kmh Hopwood ni vcry fond of her littlo molher-iii-law. and the dn ve was a great treat to Mrs ltopwood lierself. '¦I dunno when I've been up ttiis dlrection afore," said she. "Lufa go around by Pluin Tiee Comer?, and sce how (lie new 'Piscopal ehurch isgetting alonj?. Oh, dear me, if tuero ain't gome one built a new house on th8 'ere sijthtly spot wheiv Widow Barnom's cabiu used to stand. Do stop, Kutli. ind ask wbose it is. Olí, dear, it'sthe very sort o' house I slways used to thlnk I'd Ilke, with a bay-window outer tlie sittin-room, and a little veranda in front. And an orchard to the aouth, all pink with apple blows- and la rae, líulli, a busli o'sweec-liiier, that vou can smell ever so far iway ." Tlie tears carne uto Mrs. Hopwood's oves once more. Slie turned hr p:ilc little face away. "It' a proper pretty little place,1' said Ruth. "Let's go out and look at it. Tve heard there's a man building it as is Jí" ing to brinfí home a wife "A widdower, mebbe," said Mrí. Hopwood. "Or maybe a bachelor," sugsrested Rutii. "He's jrot evcrything awful couvenient- water-pipes all tbroujfh _ tlie house, new cnrpelion the floor, turoiture all out of the stores I New Haven, even down to a nw of geranium plants in the south wimlow." "Good old-fashloned fish geraniums," si)fhed Mrs Hopwood. "I wonder if the wmii ui woulU inind ({ivlu' me a few slips sometime wlien I m goin' by. I?ut then - your pa - " "Just look at the nice wide stair, ' cried Kuth. "And there's i real pretty tlciweigaiden at the bick, and rows 011 rows of currant-bu-ihes, and a guminerhouse with vines all trained around it. And see they're bringin' a new stove. "I wish I could have a new cookst"Vf," saicl Mrs. Elopvrood. Ours nin't worth tiotuin' but to s-ll for oíd ron. Ou, well, the bride she'll tliink itawtul ntue, bui just let her wait till slie's marrird thirty years like me! Lok at tlictn lace windy-curtilns tied back wilh ribbon. Sixpenny cotton, with home-made ball frine, U good euough for me! Anyliow, it'ü tiio best I got!" Ruth looked thoughtfully around. "It's an awful pretty pliice,'' said she. "I do wonder how poon the folks is goin' to move in? Look, here's a biand iiew buifgy sUudin' at the door'. lut we inustn't stay any lonfer now. lt was duak when tlie two women ro turned, with two or three sweet brier buslies sticking out of the wagon oml, and sundry clumiis of sweet williarn, blne-Oell, lóve-lies-uieeaing, anü cbaraomile packfd in around them. "Joslma's mother shall hace a few llowers or I'll know tlie reasou why,1' ó.iiá voutiíf Mrí. H'ipwooil, ileflantly. "Weli,I hüveu't noobjections," said her father-in-law, tappinj; liis pipe against the rotting porch of the old house. "No obJKCttons, I have no patlenoe with hlm, " s:iul ltülh under lier breath. Joshua canm across tlie fields as she was unloadiiiji her roots and bulbs, and he could hear Mrs. Hopwood talkins eagerly with her husband and son between the various stsea of getting mpl1" „ , "The prettiest house you ever see, said she, "with s real old time garden arouni.1 it, and furniture all new, down to the very wlndow curtalns. Mo and Ruth, we went in and looked at lt. It's been put up by a man tliat's foiu' to bring lila new wite home, and lt falrly made me choke to think how happy ttiat woman was goln' to bel'1 Deacon Hopwood rose elowly up and put his pipe on the slat of trelli. Then he went across the floor and placed liis hand kindly on hls wife's shoulder. "ïhink o' that, Joshua," said he to hls son. "She's been over the house a'ready? And slie likod it inother did'. Well, if the woman's that's to live there is ftoin' to be happy, you'U be happy, too, mother, for U's for you. I built the house for you to move into, on the thirtieth annivewary of our weddin'-day. I furnlslied it, and I planted the garden, and I set the big sweet-brier bush- the very one the Wid.iw Melton give you- and went niglit and mornin' to water it, fO it shouldn"t droop. And all the time mothtr l a thinkin'of you. Buttheday isa week off yet , iind you've spoiled my surp' '8 . And that's the reason I've let the oíd place go to ruin- but we didn't dure iel Kuih tor fear slie couldn't keep it to herself I Me and Jnsluiü, we kep, our secret, we did !" 'Mine, Sebu! Is it mine gasped the little wcnian; and Ruth, colorín? to the roots of her htir, went up to her father in-law and munnured: ' Forgive me for 11 the hard tliings I liave tluiugbt ot you !" "And It wa? foV me 11 t'ie time !" cried Mr. HupwBod proudly, "and not for aiiy new wife as hadu't borne the heat and burilen of the ilay. He did love rüe, Ruth I Ho was tliinkiu' of me all tlicm dtys! And, oh, Ruth, he plinted tinêwri-t-brier busli Wowelf!" "Vouien ar queer, ain't they?" said Joshua, a- he tuckcl hls wife under liia ann and w .lkcd offiti the purpla duk "I ilo bttlieve of all tliiugs father planued and coutrived, inother thinks tha hioat of tUat (iweet-l)rier bush." "Oh, how happy die wil! be," aid Rutli, with te:r in her rye. "Aod lic dt-curvei it all : yes, every bit of it !"