Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1857-09-04
Nj | 5 G. T. l. A y Y.
THE RIVAL LOVERS;
Or, the Wishing Cntc.

the north county the last Saturday of
July, the day whcrcon the carthon floors Of
our small churches have their carpotins re-
ncwcd with rushc4 from Minoton Mere.
There was two wagons iull Of them, and
upon the horses head. that drew them
waved their rcaihcry tops, and in the drl.
ycrs' hats, like knishty plumcs. they nod
dcd and upon the hats Of each OF the band
that followed. playing iHHi- Lnure, they
kcp, measure with the tune and bound mp
gracefully with wrath'o VI wild flowers, and
carried by young girls, still came the Mine.
ton rushcs IN procession. Where the twin
rivers run into tho M,ro, thoy grow upon
hank Of sand, and ia ihcli,il, bay beyond,
under those moss grown rocks who's, head,
arr purple with heather. This i.a grcat
day with us at Grccnsil1 the shops-thcrc
are bat two in all tho yilagr-lre shut, as
though It were Snnlay, and the church bell
is changing Il Is the samo which tolls Tor
service and knclls for hurral-. but no one
can mistake it, tones to-day Tor anything
hut mcrriment. Every ur,hin in the place
j. having his pull at il, and, a. many as
can. together. - that it never gives two
uuklc' alike. To b. carried up by it into
the beliry. and tp hlt head. against rlrt"r'
j. rare mu. our women fjlksarc cn9lOycl
for day. upon these sariauis, ani every
household strives that out oi it shall bo
chosen the rush.b1arins queen.
"Thc rcwcr the ribbons the better Phcbc, ="
was Dame FORESTS advice 10 her daughter
up0n thi. occasion; and phcbc, who wa.
but seventeen, and hkoly 10 err upon the
ribbon ,Ilr, mad, a Hmplc rirllo of blue
dover. round her rushcs. aud was pro.
claimed queen by acc'lmation Hail,
beautiful phcbo Forrest Hail, pretty
Ph,bc Forrest Hail, beautiful phe5r For.
rr,t' Hail, pretty queen of the rushhenr-
ing" II was thc proulc,i moment OF her
young life, walking at thr head Of her sub.
j.gis, as /; was, too, without question,
that OF her mother, who's, eyes, however,
were filled with tears the rroudr't too, oI
Leonard lilrIs. her lover, whose look never
,,raycl away from her. nor r,laS- In IT,
steiIiur,s. ono would think hc was watch
iu. DEER in Nar,ind,lc, lr., il should crop
out OF ril,-rangc. \ powerful young lrl-
low with q Gna lace, but ror liitl, too
much .al..will about tho mouth. lie has
tie hcctrst foot after Hill fox in West
mor,lAnl, aud !, the king Of the dalcsmen
hyr,ab,ut, ia the wrestling ring aud the
Tear OF the men and the love ol tho women
ha, spoiled him, he says be will marry
phclo rurrr,; whether she will or no--and
phcb, says no-which s,ems strange sort
Of woons.
There wa, bat one in Grccnsilo that sum
mrr.noou who bal not yet Acknowledged
Phcbc hi, queen, and that was not for lack
Of love or loyalty neither. Frank Meredith,
the landscape painter, who lodged in the
farm house On the hilI-hc was the rebel
hc hnl been thcr, flr the last three years,
until hi, portfolio was iIIrd 70 o,rrlowinc,
aud scarcely rock Ia WcstmoroAnd hal
escaped On, canvas but still be- gave no
sisu o' departure. Thcar,is.Aool was now
rolling over our beautiful wllcy for the
fourth time rnca hi' arrival, but however
pleasant his brcihrrn-howrycr lovely NJ.
High CrIc, NJ wave ever bore him with
il further than the ncishhorinc dalo'. Ger.
uinly his home.yiow w, 30 beautiful ~
not TO b, cycellcl elsewhere; the grl,.y
mouu,lin..idc slopcl down to the river and
woodland from hi, door, and Mnoton Mere
lny not 50 Ear beyond /, but that every snow.
white .ail upon it, bosom could be seen.
Two sycamor,s cayo forth perpetual bee.
music to IN, song Of tho dancing brook
within his garden; AMI towering behind
and aboy, the farmhouse, crowded the
whole mountain world
Still there wa, something beyond the
beauty OF is landscape that year after year,
chained Frank Meredith to Grcensilc-i,s
sos,iIs ail. They had found ou, all about
him bcl1r, the second year wa. out; how
that be wa, a black sheep, and had ds.
sus,cl his noble family, and was allowed
pound a week. upon condition Of keeping
ont oi their way which was not Franks
history at all, nor anything like it. He
was indeed Of an ancient stock Of painful
rcspcctaliliiy, and had shocked it good
deal by his lnartiicial behavior. llc was
by nature vulgar, or at lcas! had preferred
landscape painting to any gcuilemanly pro-
icssIon; anl having been intoxicated with
some slight success, pursued ii which was
his relatives account Of the matter. And
his uncle, inlccd, from whom he should
have inherited thousands and tens Of thou
sands, AMI chlriots and horses, did, We
know, lisinhcrit lin for making ncgus Of
his particular sherry" The fellow put hot
water and sugar, sir, to my 3S, at eighty
four shillings dozen and the family
suit TO the rich uncle, washed their arlsio-
cratic hands OF him, leaving the young ar
ti,t to live as he could upon hundred
year Of hi' own, aud upon his cunning
water colors.
On this same rushbcarng night, he stands
on the natural race thai leads into Green
side from High Cras, leaning upon the