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'Z0.' AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY NEWSPAPER. ' jl?
"Vol. V. INoav 131ooiiiilell, rn., rr"neHajiy, 3Xtvy 3(), IVo. 352.
J rublinhcd Weekly,
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JUDGE HARLOW'S HELP.
riUJERE was u young lawyer by tho
1 name of John Harlow practising law
in New York twenty odd years ago. Ilia
father lived not very far from my father.
John had graduated with honors, had
studied law, and had the good fortuuo to
enter immediately into a partnership with
his law preceptor, Ex-Gov. Blank. So
eagerly had ho pursued his studies that
for two years ho had not seen his coun
try home. I think ono reason why he
had not cared to visit it was that his
mother was dead, nud his only sister was
married and living in Boston. Take the
"women-folks" out of a house, nnd it
never seems much like home to a young
man.
But now, as Thanksgiving Bay drew
near, he resolved to give himself a brief
release from the bondage of books. He
told his partner that ho wanted to go
homo for a week. Ho said ho wanted to
see his father and the boys, and his sister,
who was coming homo at that time, but
that he specially wanted to rido old Bob
to tho brook once more, and to milk Cher
ry again, just to see how it felt to be a
farmer's boy.
" John," said tho old lawyer, " bo sure
you fix up a match with soma of those
country girls ; no man is fit for anything
till he is well married, and you arc now
able, with economy, to support a wife.
Mind you get one of those country girls.
These paste and powder people hero aren't
fit for a youug man that wants a woman."
"Governor," said the young lawyer,
laying Ihb boots gracefully up ou top of a
pilo of law books, as if to cnocurage re
flection by giving his head the advantage
of the lower end of the inclined plane,
" Governor, " I don't know anything
about city girls. 1 have given uiyselt to
my books. But I must have a wife that
is literary, like my self, one that can
understand Emerson, for instance."
Tho old lawyer laughed. " John," he
answered, " tho worst mistake you can
make is to marry a woman just liko your
self in taste, loudont want to marry
a woman s head, but her heart.
John defended his theory, uud the
Governor only remarked that ho would
be cured of that sooner or later, and the
sooner the butter.
The next morning John had a letter
from his sister. Part of it ran about
thus":
" I've concluded, old fellow, that if
you don't marry you'll dry up and turn
to parchment. I'm going to bring homo
with me the smartest girl I know. She
reads Carlylo, and quotes Goothe, and
understands Emerson. Of course she
don't know what I am up to, but you
must prepare -to capitulate."
John did not like Amanda's assuming
to pick a wife for him' but he did like
the prospect of meeting a smart girl, and
he opened the letter again to make sure
that he bad not misunderstood. . jig read
acain. " understands Emerson." John
was pleased. Why ? I think I can di
vine. John was vain of his own abilities,
and he wanted a woman that could appro
ciate him. He would have told you that
lie wanted congenial society. But con-
genial female society to an ambitious
man whose hoart is yet untouched is only
society that, in some sense, understands
his own greatness and admires his wis
dom.
In the old home they were looking for
the son. The family propor consisted of
the father, good Beacon Harlow, donns
two brothers, ten and twelve years oiu.
and Huldah. tho " help." This last was
the daughter of a neighboring farmer
who was poor und hopelessly rheumatic
and most of the daughter's hard earnings
went to eke out tho scanty subsistence at
lining Aunt Judith, the sister ot John
' mother. " looked after ," tho household
affairs of her brother-in-law, by
ins over once a week and helping Huldah
darn and nieud and make, und by giving
Huldah such advieo as her inoxperieueo
was supposed to require. But uow uea
con Harlow's daughter had left her hus
band to cat his turkey aloue in Boston
and had brought her two children homo
to receive tho paternal blessing. Not
that Mrs. Amanda Holmes had tho pater
nal blessing chiefly in view in her trip.
Sho had brought with her a very dear
friend, Miss Janet Bunton, the accom
plished teacher in tho Mt. Parnassus
Femalo Seminary. Why Miss Janet
Dun ton came to the country with her
friend, she could hardly havo told. Not
word had Mrs. Holmes spoken to her
on the subject of the matramonial schcino.
She would have resented any allusion to
such a project. She would have repel
led any insinuation that sno nau ever
dreamed that marriage was dcsirablo
under any conceivablo circumstances.
She often declared, sentimentally, that
she was wedded to her books, and loved
her leisure, and was determined to bo
old maid. And all the time this
sincere Christian girl was dying to con-
er herself upon somo worthy man ot
conL'cuial tastes; whiou meant in ncr
case, just what it did in John Harlow's
some ono who could admiro her at
tainments. But sensitive as she was to
ny imputation of a desire to marry,
she and Mrs. Holmes understood one
another distinctly.
Mrs. Holmes aud her friend arrived
twenty-four hours ahead of John, and
the daughter of the house had already
installed herself as temporary mistress
by thoughtlessly, reversing, and turning
inside out all the good Huldah 8 most
cherished arrangements, All tho plans
for the aunnal festival that wise and prac
tical Huldah had entertained wcro ve
toed, without a thought that this young
girl had been for a year and a half in ac
tual authority in tho house, and might
have some feeling of wrong iu having a
guest of a week overturn her plans for
tho next month. But Mrs. Holmes was
not one of the kind to think of that.
Huldah was hired and paid, and she ucver
dreamed that hired people could have
any interost in their work or their homo
other than their pay and their food. But
Huldah was patient, though she coniess-
ed that she had a fueling that she had
been ruduly " trampled all over." I sus
pect she had a good cry at the end
of the first day. I cannot affirm it, ex
cept from a general knowledge of wo
men.
When John drove up in tho buggy
that tho boys had taken to the depot for
him, his first care was to shake hands
with the deacon, who was glud to see him,
but could uot forbear expressing a hopo
that ho would " shave the hair off his
upper lip." Theu John greeted his sis
ter cordially, and was presented to Miss
Dunton. Iustead of sitting down, he
pushed right on iuto the kitchen, where
Huldah, in a calico irock aud a clean,
white apron, was baking biscuit for tea.
She had been a schoolmate of his, and
he took her hand cordially as sho stood
there, with the bright estern sun halt
glorifying her head and face.
" Why, Huldah, how you've grown '"
was his first word of greeting. He meant
more than he said, for though she was
not hundsome, she had grown exceedingly
comely as sho developed into a woman.
" L ndignihed as ever I said Amanda,
as he returned to the sitting-room.
" How ?" suid John. He looked be
wildered. What had he done that was
undignified? And Amanda Holmes saw
well enough that it would not do well to
tell hi ni that speaking to Hulduh Man
ners was not consistent with dignity.
She saw that her remark had been a mis-
"take, and she got out of it tho best way
she could, by turning tho conversation.
The next day the ladies could cot no
good out of John Harlow. He got up
early and milked the cow. Ho cut wood
aud carried it iu tor lluldah. lie rode
old Bob to the brook for water. He did
everything that he had boon accustomed
to do when a boy, boding as much pleas
ure in forgetting that he was a man, as
he had once found in hoping to bo a man.
The two boys enjoyed his society greatly,
and his father was delighted to see that
ho had retained his interest in tho farm
life, though the deacon evidently felt an
unconquerable hostility to what be called
"that scrub brush on the upper lip." I
think if John had known how strong
his father's feeling was against this much
cherished product he would have mow
ed the crop and grazed the field closely
until he got back to the city.
John was uot iusensiblo to Janet Pun
ton's charms. Sho could talk fluently
about all the authors most in voguo, and
the effect ot her flueuoy was reully daz
glint? to a man uot yet cultivated enough
to see how superficial her culture was.
For all her learning floated on top. None
of it had influenced her owu culture
She was brimming full of that which
sho had acquired, but it had not been in
corporated into her own nature. John
did not sco this, and ho was infatuated
with the idea of marrying a wife of such
attainments. How she would dazzle his
friends ! How the Governor would like
to talk to her ! How she would shino iu
his parlors ! J low sho would delight
pcoplo as sho gave them tea and talk at
tho sanio time.
Before the cud of tho week ho be
gan to feel a warmer fooling for Miss
Janet. It was not in the naturo of things
that John should walk and talk with a
pleasaut girl a week, and not feel some
thing more than his first interested de
al ro to marry a showy wile. His heart
began to be touched, aud he resolved to
bring things to a crisis as soon as possible.
He therefore sought an opportunity to
propose. But it was hard to find. For
though Mrs. Holmes was tolerably inge
uious, she could not got tho boys or the
deacon to pay any regard to their hints.
Boys are totally depraved on such ques
tions anyhow, and always manage to
stumble in whore any privacy is sought.
And as for tho deacon, it really seem
ed as though he had some design in
intruding at the critical moment.
I do not thiuk that John was seri
ously in love with Miss Dunton. If he
had been ho would have found some
means of communicating with her. A
thousand spies with sleepless eyes all
round their heads cannot keep a man
from telling his lovo somehow, if ho
reully has a love to tell.
There is another fact which convin
ces mo that John Harlow was not yet
very deeply in lovo with Janet. He
was fond of talking with her of Byron,
and Milton, of Lord Bacon and Emer
son, i. e., as I have already suid, ho
was fond of putting his own knowledge
on dress parade in the presence of one
who could appreciate the display. But
whenever any lirtlo thing released him
for the time from conversation in tho
sitting-room, he was given to slipping
out iuto the old kitchen, where sitting
on a chair that had no back, and lean
ing against the chimncy-sido, ho de
lighted to talk to Huldah. She could
not talk much of books, but sho could
talk most charmingly of anything that
related to country life, and could ask
Johu many questions about the great
city. Id fact, John found that Hulduh
had come into possession of only such
facts and truths as could be reached in
her narrow life, but that sho had as
similated them, and thought ubout them,
aud that it was more refreshing io hear
her original and piquant remarks about
the topics sho was acquainted with,
than to listeu to tho tireless stream of
Janet Bunton's ostentatious erudition.
And he found more delight in telling
the earnest and hungry-minded girl
about the great world of men, and the
great world of books, than in talking
to Jonct, who was, in the matter ot
knowledge, a littlo Hate, if I may be
allowed the expression. And then to
lluldah he could talk of his mother,
whom he had often watched moving
about that samo kitchen. When he
had spoken to Janet of the associa
tions of tho old place with his moth
er's countenanco, sho had answered with
a quotation Irora some poot, given in a
tone of empty sentimentality. He in
stinctively shrank from mentioning the
subject to her again : but to Huldah it
was so easy to talk ot his mother s gun
tlcncss and sweetness. Hulduh was not
unlike her in these respects, and then she
gavo him the sort of sympathy that finds
its utterance in a tender Bilenco so
much more tender than any speech can
be. He observed often during the week
that Huldah was depressed. He could
not exactly account for it, until ho notic
cd something in his sister's behavior
toward her that awakened his suspicion,
As soon as opportunity offered he inquir
ed of Huldah, affecting at the same time
to know something about it.
" I don't want to complain of your
sister to you, Mr. Harlow
" Pshaw! call me John, and as for my
sister, I know ber laults better than you
do. Go on, ploase.
" Well, it's ouly that she told mo that
Miss Duuton wasn't used to eating at
the same table with tervantt, and whon
one of the boys told your father, he was
mad and came to me, aud said, " lluldah,
vou must eat when the lest do. If you
stay away from tho tablo on aoeount of
these city snobs 1 11 make a iuss on the
spot.' ' So to avoid a fuss I have kept on
eoins to the table.
John was ereatly vexed with this.
He was a chivalrous fellow, aud ho knew
how such a remark must wound a per
son who had never learned that domestic
service had anything degrading in it.
And the result was just tho opposite of
what his sister had hoped. John paid
more attention than ever to Huldah Man
ners becauso sho was the victim of op
pression. Tho evening beforo Thauksgiving Bay
tho ladies were going to mako a visit.
It was not at all incumbent on John to
go, but he was seeking an ppportunity to
curry off tho brilliant Miss Dunton, who
would adorn his parlors when he becamo
rich and distinguished, and who would
make so nice a head-piece for his table.
iVnd so he had determined to go with
them, trusting to somo fortunate chauco
for his opportunity.
But, sitting in the old "best room, in
tho dark, while tho ladies were getting
ready, aud trying to devise a way by
which ho might get an opportunity to
speak with Miss Bunton alone, it occur
red to him that she was at the tune in the
sitting-room waiting tor his sister. Io
step out to where sho was, and present
the case in a lew words, would not bo
difficult, and it might all bo settled be
fore his sister came down stairs, lho
fates were against him, however. For
just as ho was about to act on his thought
ho heard Amanda Holmes abundant
dresses sweeping down tho stairway. Ho
could not help hearing the conversation
that followed :
" You sec, Janet, I got up this trip to
night to keep John from spendtng the
evening in tho kitchen. He hasn't a bit
of dignity, and would spend the evening
romping with children und talking to
lluldah if ho took it into his head."
' Well," said Janet, "one can overlook
everything in a man of your brother's
culture. But what a queer way your
country servants havo of pushing them
selves. Wouldn't I mako them know
their places !"
Aud all tins was said with the kitchen
door open, and with the' intention of
wounding Huldah.
John's castles tumbled. Tho crudito
wife alongsido tho silver tea-urn faded
out of sight rapidly. If knowledgo could
not givo a touch ot humuua regard ior
the feelings of a poor girl toiling dutiful
ly and self-dcnyingly to support lier fami
ly, of what account was it
1 wo minutes before ho was about to
givo his lifo to Janet Dunton. Now,
there was a gulf wider than tho world
between them.
He slipped out of the best room by tho
outside door aud came in through the
kitchen. Tho neighbor's sleigh that was
to call for them was already at tho door,
and John begged them to excuse him.
He had set his heart on helping Hulduh
make minccpics, as ho used to help his
mother when a boy. His s'lBter was in
despair, but sho did not say much. Sho
told John that it was timo ho wus getting
over his queer freaks. And the sloigh
drove on.
For an hour afterwards Johu romped
with his sister's children aud told stories
to the boys and talked to his father.
When a man has barely escapod coins
over a precipice ho doos not like to think
too much about it. John did not.
At lust the little children went to bed.
The old gentleman grew sleepy, and
retired. Tho boys went into the siting
room aud went to sleep, ono on the
lounge and one on the floor. Huldah
was just ready to begin her pies. She
was doeply hurt, but John succeeded in
making her moro chocrful. He rolled
up his sleeves and went to rolling out
the pastry. He thought ho had never
seen a sweeter picture than tho young
L'iil iu clean dress and aprou, with her
sleeves rolled above her elbows. There
was a statucsquo perfection iu her well-
rounded arms. Tho heat of the fire bud
flushed her lace a little, and she was
laughing merrily at John's awkward
bluudeis iu pie-making. John was de
lighted, he hardly knew why. - In fixing
a pio-orust his fingers touched hers, and
he started as if he had touched a galvan
ic battery. Ho looked at Hulduh and
saw a half-painful expression on her flush
ed face.
tot the hrst time it occurred to him
that lluldah Manners bad excited in
him a feeling a thousand times docper
thau any thing ho had felt towards Janet,
who seeuiod to be uow in another world
For the first timo ho realized that he had
been more in love with Huldah than
with Janet all the time. Why not mar
ry her ? Aud then ho remembered what
the Governor had suid about marrying
woman's heart and not hor head.
He put on his hat and walked out,
out, into the darkness, and drizzling rain.
and the slush of melting snow, fighting
a fierce battle. All his pride and all his
cowardly vanity were on one side, all the
irresistible torrent of his love on the oth
er. He walked away into the dark wood
pasture, trying to cool his brow, trying
to thiuk, and (would you bclicvo it ?)
trying to pray, for it wus a great strug
gle, and in any great struggle a true soul
always finds something very, like prayer
in his heart.
Tho feeling of lovo may exist without
attracting tho attention of its possessor.
It had uot occurred to John that ho could
lovo or marry lluldah. Thus tho passion
had grown all tho moro powerful for not
being observed, uud now the unseen fire
had at a flash appeared us an all consum
ing ono.
Turning back ho stood without the
window, in tho shadow, and looked
through tho gloss ut tho trim girl at work
with her pics. In the modest restful
face he read tho story of a heart that had
carried great burdens patiently and nobly.
What a glorious picture sho was of
warmth and light, framed iu modesty.
To his heart ut that moment, all the light
and warmth of tho world centered in Hul
dah. All the world besides was loneli
ness and darkness aud drizzle and slush.
His fear of his sister aud of his friends
seemed base and cowardly. And tho
moro he looked at this vision of the night
this revelation ot peace and lovo aud
light, the more ho was determined to
possess it. You will call him precipitate.
But when all a man s nobility is ou one
sido and all his meanness ou the other,
why hesitate? Besides, John Harlow had
done more thinking iu that half-hour
than most mcu do in a month.
Tho vision had vanished from the win
dow and he went in and sat down. She
had, by this timo, put in the last pie, und
was sitting with her head on her hand.
The candle flickered and went out, and
there was ouly the weird and ruddy fire
light. I cannot tell you what words pass
ed between John and the surprised Hul
duh who had thought him already be
trothed to Miss Dunton. I cauuot tell
what was said in the light of that fire : I
don't supposo Harlow caii toll that story
himself.
Huldah asked that ho should uot say
anything about it till his sister was gone.
Ut course Johu 6a w that she asked it tor
his sake. But his own cowurdice was
glud of tho shelter.
JNext day a brother ot Johu s (whom
I forgot to mention before) came homo
from college. Mrs. Holmes' husband ar
rived unexpectedly. Aunt Judith, with
hor lamily, came over at dinuer-timo, so
that thero was a largo and merry party.
Two hearts, at least, joined in tho deu
ce u's thanksgiving prayer with much fer
vor. At the tablo the dinner was much
admired.
Hulduh," said Janet Dunton, " I like
your pies. I wish l could hire you to go
to Jtoston. tJur cook never does so well.
John suw the well-aimed shaft hidden
under this compliment, aud all his man
hood rallied. As soou as ho could be
sure of himself he said :
" You cannot havo Huldah : sho is al
ready engaged."
" How's that?" said Aunt Judith.
0 1 I've secured her sorvices,'suid John.
" What !" said Mrs. Holmes, " en
gaged your your your help before you
engaged a wife !"
"Not at all, suid John; "engaged my
help and my wife iu one. I hope that
Hulduh Manners will bo Huldah Harlow
by Christmas."
Tho Deucon dropped his knife aud fork
and dropped his lower jaw and stared.
" What 1 How ! What did you say John ?"
" I say, father, that this good girl
Huldah is to be my wife."
' John ! gasped tho old man, getting
to his feet and reaching his hand across
the table," you've got plenty of senso if
you do wear a moustache ? God bless you
my boy ; there ain't no better wouiun here
nor in New xork nor anywhere than llul
dah. God bless you both. I was afraid
you'd take a different road through."
" Hurrah tor our lluldah and our
John," said George Harlow, the oollege
boy, and hb brothers joined him. Even
the littlo Holmes children hurrahed.
Here tho Judge stopped.
" Well," said Irene, " I don't think it
was very nice in him to marry tho ' help,'
do you father ?"
" Indeed, I do," said tho Judge, with
emphasis.
" Did sho ever come to understand Eni
orsou ?" asked Auna, who detested tie
Concord philosopher because she could
not understand him.
" Indeed I don't know," said the Judge ;
"you can ask Hulduh yoursolf."
" Who? what 1 You don't mean that
uiothor is Hulduh ?"
It wus a cry iu concert.
" Mother was a littlo red iu tho luce
behind the copy of Whittier sho was af
fecting to read.