Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1857-06-03
EAsrMANvIILE, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE Ea 1857.

DOfS all SAID Iarmer ICtlu neVeru get nlS
wages worth out of him."
"He'd been bound out till he was eight
cen, to some man down in Maine, and he
hadn't relation in the world that he knew
on, nor a suit of decent clothes, when he
came to farmer Reids.
"But for all this, Justin proved himself a
smart likely boy, and the farmer, who some
how never was very forehanded-I always
thought his wife's sudden death hurt him
found that Justin was real prize.
CAT first he was gloomy and silent, doing
his own work, and taking little notice of any
body; but he couldn't stand it long before
Lucy. I'd like to have seen the heart that
girls wouldn't have thawed out.
"She was like bird round the old place,
singing from morning till night; and her
blue eyes, that were like her mothers, SEEM
ed always letting out one laugh as her red
lips did another. never wondered her faith
er doated on her as he did, and of course,
Justin wasn't long in the house before she
tried to make friends with him.
Poor fellow! it must have seemed very
strange at first; for don't think anybody
had ever given him kind word till he came
to Meadow Brook.
But he made ladders for her flower vines
to run on, and got shells for the borders, and
propped up the dallas, and did thousand
other things, which took them out into the
garden after SUPPER and made them the best
of friends
Lucy, had playful, childish way about
her, that made her seem much younger than
she was; then she was small Of her age; so
at fifteen she didn't seem day older than
you Cora.
"Well, she rode on top of Justin's hay
cart, and helped him husk corn in the barn,
and pretty soon the farmers noticed great
change in Justin.
He got him new suit of clothes, and
his face lost that old down look; and after
harvesting, farmer Reid made him an offer
to stay all winter.
$50 Justin staid, and taking Lucys ad-
vice went to the district school; and though
he hadn't any education before, he went
ahead of many an older scholar that winter.
"Well Justin staid with the farmer four
years. Then he had good offer somewhere
in York State, and he concluded to accept it
for the winter only.
"Lucy Reid was grown into young wo-
man by this time, and handsomer one chill
dren, these dim eyes never looked on.
81 don't know how it happened, for Lucy
might have had her pick of the boys for
miles around, but somehow she took to JUS
tin, and when he left, they were engaged to
be married in one year from that time"
"Why, grandma Deane, you aren't going
to stop now!" cried Cora in alarm, for the
old lady bad laid down her knitting.
"No my child" and she removed her spec
tacles and wiped her eyes. But the rest is
a sad story, and must hurry over it.
81 don't know exactly how it happened,
but that winter Lucy's father got into terri
bic lawsuit with squire Wheeler. There was
some flaw in the title, and the people said it
was plain the old man must let the home
stead 90.
"They said, too, he'd never survive it;
and better, perhaps he never had, than keep
it as he did. But one day squire Wheeler,
to all the neighborhood's astonishment, rode
over to the farm.
"What he did there was never exactly
known, but in little while it was rumored
that the suit was withdrawn, and in the COM
ing spring Lucy Reid was to be married to
Stillman Wheeler. And so it was. One
bright March day she went into the old
church yonder and gave herself to him.
He was good looking man, but not over
smart, the neighbors whispered; and always
thought it was his money more than any
thing else that kept him up"
"But, Justin, grandma Deane, what be-
came of Justin 2"
"There is dark look about the whole
matter. Lucy was made the victim of some
terrible falsehood. l never blamed her faith
er, for the idea of losing the old homestead
seemed completely to shatter him.
Il only know that squire Wheeler and
his son were at the bottom of it, and that
Lucy Reid went to the altar believing that
Justin Keep had been false to her."
"Dear me, how dreadful! Did he ever
come back 2"
eyes, the next May. Lucy had been a
wife just two months. Justin had not heard
of her marriage. She was at home visiting
her father When she met him at the door
she fell down like one suddenly stricken with
fit.
But he carried her into the house and
there they learned all. Both had been de-
ceived