The Widowed Bride — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 ‘THE WIDOWED BRIDE. panionship of the “‘little marble angels” ran lightly after. ‘The cold floor feels so good to my feet,” she said, pite- ously. ‘‘Rena, don’t you think we might sit down here a minute on the green grass, where the water runs out of St. ~ Hilda’s Cup, and bathe my sore foot?” It’s a church-yard,” said Rena, somewhat doubtfully. But nobody would see us 1f we got behind the hedge. Please, Rena, it smarts so!” And Rena, with a glance over her shoulder, to where her erandfather stood in front of the porch, leaning on his stick, and absently gazing off over the sun-gilded landscape, knelt down, and carefully removing the wretched mockery of shoes that scarcely covered her sister's poor little blis-~ tered feet, began to bathe them in the cool water, with a touch strangely gentle and skillful for one so young. ““Oh, that feels so nice,” said Alice. ‘‘Do it more, sis- ter. Let the drops fall down from your fingers!” - But little Alice’s innocent enjoyment was not destined to continue long. ‘‘Clear out here, you young wagabones!” shouted a gruff — voice close to them, as a gate in the hedges was suddenly opened. ‘‘A-washin of your dirty feet under the very sancter-ary! J wonder you don’t expect to be struck dead like Annermias and Saphiry! What’ll you wagrants be a- doin’ next? I’m a mind to have you afore a magistrate—I just have!” | | ’*Please, sir!” faltered Rena, making a bold stand, while her more timid sister snatched up her shoes, and ran | = olga toward Jason Garfield, ‘‘we warn’t doing any arm!” Harm!” echoed the sexton, for such the bunch of keys he carried betokened him to be. ‘‘Harm, indeed! Get along with yourself, quick, or I'll know the reason why!” “IT beg your pardon, sir,” said Garfield, advancing slowly; _ “but we were not intending to trespass; we only stopped a minute to rest, and we're goin’ right on.” “‘Let_ me see you a-doin’ of it, then,” growled the irate sexton; and he stood watching them with Cerberus vigil- ance until they had got quite a distance down the road. ‘“There’s always such a lot o’ tramps round the country in hop harvest,” he muttered, as he disappeared within the - ¢@hurch porch. ‘‘Nobody don’t never know when they’re _ safe and when they ain’t.” | ) « Comicboo €o