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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1889)
THE WEST SHORE. C5 girl slowly. lUai8a11' 8aidth0 " Honest? " asked the other, flashing a little, Chalcy sprang to her feet "Clarissy" she crieJ, her tone fall of hurt feeling, "did I ever story to yon?" Clarissy rose and pat her arm affectionately abont the thin shoulder, "Goosie," she said lightly, " who said you storied ? You know we've heerd more's onct he was cominV " I s'pose you thought 'twas too good to be true," returned Chalcy saucily, quite appeased. " Well, it's time we was gettin' home," said Clar issy, turning away. Chalcy ran helter-skelter down the hill, indulging in various capers to express her buoyant feelings, just as a young lamb prances about because he is young, while Clarissy walked sedately along the nar raw path that wound down the hillside. She stopped, presently, before a small "doby," a hut bailt of sun' dried brick, its lean sides shrunken and cracked as if from drouth. A hard-faced baby sat in the doorway and eyed her with such unwinking stolidity when she stooped and made a merry face at him that she felt rebuked, and was about to start on her way, when she was startled at the sight of a woman's face, wear ing a look of dull misery which appealed silently to the girl's pity. It was that of Hanchen, her Swedish neighbor, usually one of the happiest and most smil ing of creatures, who now sat listlessly in the disor dered room, her face drawn and haggard with pain. " Why, Hanchen!" cried Clarissy, going hastily in, air you sick? Where's Peter? " For answer the woman put her hands over her face and rocked to and fro. " Oh, Hanchen," implored the girl, " do tell me what's the matter 1 Where is Peter? " " He gone to Logan," sobbed Hanchen. " To Logan? " echoed Clarissy. " What for? " Hanchen struggled to regain her self-control. " He get letter two, free monf ago," she began, pick ing her way with difficulty through the unfamiliar English, "from home, de ole countree. It say some more of our people come to Zion, an he most Ix? for sure meet dem to de city, w'en be come back an say ueraa oorenson, her we know to home, sue is come ..it Hanchen's eyes flashed. " Da church Ho den. I no wants Peter to haf nodder wife. I no b'licvo Oot say to him marry Gerda." t " Oh, you mustn't talk that a-way," cried Clarissy in alarm. It's dreadful, an' if any ono heard you I don't know what they'd do to you. " w'y I no die," moaned tho unhappy woman, " Wen mine heart acho so it will break? " " But Hanchen, mebby ho loves you too." " I not know dat lof; I haf no fadder, no mutter, no one but Peter, and he will mino bo no moro-all do time Gerda's now." " Oh, I'm so sorry for you I If I could only do something for you! " sobbM Clarissy, quite overcome, and sho knelt down and put her arms around tho on. romantic figure. " You haf do goot heart," said Hanchen, grate fully. " But there haint nothin' I can do," wont on tho girl, hopelessly, "jest nothin', only to fool sorry for yor an' feel bail with you. Oh! " aomo painful roool. lection pierced her troubkl miiuL Half ashamed, not of her emotion of pity, but of her demonstration of it, sho row, and aftor a moment of awkward silence, said hurriedly " I must bo a-goin'; eomo an boo us wxm's you can," and then went out, hor head drooping so that sho did not boo how tho bands of orango in tho sun set sky were fading, changing to palest yellow and pink, while in tho edgo of tho rosy Hash a few stars hung trembling and luminous. A man and woman coming slowly up tho hill did not notico hor as sho stood aside to lot thorn pans. It was Potor and his now wifo, hand in hand, sev ing only each other's foes. Sho linked at thorn with bitter dingunt and pain. Il.-ing a woman, and yot young, hor hoart arhed, whether morn for Hanchen or herself sho did not know. Old doubU stirred In her mind, old memories of her mother, dead them many years, carao up Ix foro her, snd words In mother had sjnken soerned to utter thenwlres afrmh to hor unhappy ooiisciounneiis. Toel on a of unrest, between her doubts and her Ignorance, tho girl was very miserable. If, for a moment sho thought of Torn JJaker, sho tried t thrust hi irnago from b"r with a feeling of contempt at her weakness. too. Wen he say dat I fink nofing. I nefer like ! " Haitt I o enough of it?" sho whispered dat Gerda. Now, to-day, Peter he is gone to Igan . scornfully, and yet with a certain sadness for herself, to take her for wife too." A fresh burnt of tears j " Don't I know jVt how it g? Mother knew; n,' closed the recital 11,(11 ' w,,y "n" m'w,'' m I'rofC,," 1 r,'ck"- 1 (""'r sea me recital i Clumsy stood m awkw.r.1 Bil,w. What cnM ' if k, b.rj 'Ii. f, t, I,,,, it?" ..! ho ay to comfort grief like tbU? " You kn- T"f ' S "''; '" l' t church Mys plora! marriago i. . revol.t," .1 I- . ' 'f "' ' T- , . RU. faltorml. .nnrin if that wo-U b. tqr ! hl1" ' '""""A"'1 U"B O J " o t adubo building, containing two room, tho kitchen eolation.
