Aunt Rachel / A Rustic Sentimental Comedy

ulness of the village main street. By some unusual chance there were half a dozen people in the road, and not only did these turn to stare at him, but at least half a do

n' i' the place, gaffer," said S

to-day," the old fellow answered, with a fine unconsciousness.

mp consisted of one slatter

out the Midland counties turnin' out t

y deaf on a sudden. "Theer's been no such fine r

d a burlesque threatening flourish,

r this mornin', M

Snac. "What

he old rustic, "an' he's drunker wi' the joy on

c, scenting a je

hioned even then. It was of a fine crimson cloth, and had a tarnished line of lace about the edge and around the flaps of the pockets. Over this glorious garment Joseph wore a sky-bine swallow-tail coat of forgotten fashion, and below it a pair of knee-breeches which, being much too long for him, were adjusted midway about his shrunken calves. A pair of hob-nailed

h a mere nod of lordly recognition but the triumph was too much for him and he laughed aloud for joy. "Well, bless my soul!" said Snac, in feigned astonishment, "it's Mister Beaker. Send I may live if I didn't tek him for the Right

that sort about me,

, with conviction. "But how g

display his raiment, and gravely turning round in the presence of the littl

er his arm. He was on his way to his uncle's house, and, unobserved of Snac, took

s in that half-an'-half manner. I should ha' fancied, if Lord Barfield had took i

h an air of criticism. Then he took hold of the gold-laced flaps of

n done thorough

, but again at the sight of the gold-laced waistcoat his doubts vanished. "But surely, surely, Joseph, he sho

at, to be sure," said

h! and would ha' done it if he'd been half a man, let alone a pee

into the trap which was set for him. "You would have exp

it of clothes like them has got a right to do-'my lord,' you says, 'you're as mean as you're high,' says you. 'What for?' says he. 'Why,' says you, 'for settin' a man out i' this half-an'-

h, with an air half mar

h one exception everybody in the

id Joseph, thus fortifie

Gold, "I'm going that way. We'll

er, recognizing Reuben's voice before h

onded Reuben, smilin

nac, with a delighted grin. "Y

It's sport to stand up for a bout with the sticks when the other

dor, "when th' odds is on t'other side. I

al. But you like to deserve a

side. Joseph was as yet unconscious of his rescu

s'll tek no such thing as a no. An' lettin' that alone," he continued, again relapsing into candor, "he could punch my head if he

he was a lad he was the best cudgel-player, the best man of his han

of late 'ears,

est on us, Mr. Eld. Who'd think as I'd iver stood again all comers

a drop o' good stuff wi' it, an' warm up that old

mendations of the rustic circle. He was a young man who liked to be well

the collars and the cravat, and his imagination was so fired by the prospect of those splendid additions to his toilet, that Reuben was

for his lordship to-day, Jos

as 'twarn't natural to think as a man 'ud want to go to

hould care to e

imy job," said Joseph. "N

take the message in

s and legs, and then took a grip of

ing, and a pair of collars and a black

d Joseph, "it

eph set out with them at a leisurely pace towards his patron's home. Reuben on first entering his uncle's house had laid the

old lady back agai

for bringing her back again, you remember what used to be the sayin' when you was a child, 'Give a thing and take a thin

t, "I scarcely like to take her. It seem

t's why in the natural selfishness of a man's heart I kep' her all these 'ears hangin' dumb and idle on the wall here. I take some shame to myself as I acted so, for you might ha' had her half a dozen years ago, and ha' done her no less than as much justice as I could iver ha' done her

embarrassed

aid, "I should take her the more

lad," returned his uncle. "Let

nd the young one sat down together in the summer air, and Reuben, drawing a little pitch-pipe from his pocket, sounded

re is any of the old skill left." His face was gray and his hands shook as he held them out. "Theer's almost a fear upon me,"

fingers of the left hand, such as only a violin-player could accomplish. "I

Reuben. No, no. It's a thousand to one the power's left me, but theer's just a chance it hasn't. I feel it theer." The gaunt left-hand fingers made just such a strenuous swift and subtle motion as Reuben's had made a minute earlier. "And yet it mightn't be." Reube

marked the movement of a prelude inaudible except to him. Then the bow gripped the strings, and sounded one soft, long-drawn, melancholy note. A little movement of the brows, a scarcely discernible nod of the head mark

, "take her, Reuben, take her. Give her a sweet note or two to take the tast

" and Ezra, with his gaunt hands folded behind him,

thing as is longed for like that as can niver be got at. Good-day, lad. Tek her away and nive

what he wanted to say, the historic Muse must needs have rested with him. But since, in spite of the promptings of his own desire, the favorableness of the time, and the delightful confusions of silence which overcame both Ruth and h

lay along the village main street, and therefore took him where he had most chance of being observed. He made but slow progress, being constantly stopped by his admirers, and making a practice of sitting down outside any house the doors of which happened to be closed, and there waiting

barrow, and spitting upon his hands to show how littl

ppening to alight upon the books, she approached and turned one of them over. Poor Joseph was not accustomed to read the signs of emotion,

's gi'en 'em to his nevew, and I'm a-wheelin' of 'em hom

ght for something. Her hands were trembling more and more, and even Joseph thought it odd that s

aid at last, with a covert eagerness. "I want

oseph. "I worn't told to let nobody handle 'em, but it

tle old maid, stooping for her fallen

y. "If a lady wants to look at 'em theer ca

systematically after the other, and racing through them as if her life depended on the task. Rapidly as she went to work at this singular task, it occupied an hour, and when it was all ov

lythe arose languidly and gave him the promised sixpence. "You'm a wonner to read, you be, mum," he said, as he pocketed the coin. "I niver

on the final course of his journey. Rachel closed the gate b

Then, with sudden fire, "I have known the man to be a vil

g her, she fell into a chair and cried so long and so heart