Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-03-19


this year those forty-eight hours were destined
to drag past, for John wasn't coming, why, we
shall discover,-lor Polly Mariner has finished
the cider, and the gingerbread is as much sub
jcct of inquiry as The Indans,-where are
theyP'
so John Boynton aint a-comin'? Well Het-
ty Maria Clapp's jest got homo from Bunker
town, that's tew mile from Roxbury, m she
told Miss Lucas that Miss Perritt whose sis
ter's son keeps a grocer's store TO Roxbury, told
that Mr. Boynton, their teacher to the 'Cademy,
was waitin on Mrs Roxany Sharp's cousin, a
dreadful pretty gal, who'd come down from Bos-
ton to see Roxany, an liked it so well she staid
to Roxbury all through October. | do'no's |
should ha' remembered it, only I l he'd the
dreadfuest iumpin' toothache that ever ysn
| did, N Miss Lucas. she'd jest come in to our
| house, an she run an got the lodlum an was
a-puttin' some ont onto some cotton SOS to
plug the hole, while she was tcllin; N | re-
member forgot all about the jumpin while t
she was talkin', so ses, ses |, Miss Lucas, |
| guess your talkin's as good as lodlum'j n she
| bust out larhn', m scs she, Polly Mariner, |
declare fort, you do beat ALL Well ses |, I'D
die content, ef | could beat John Boynton; fur
eff ever l see feer payin' attention to gal,
he's been payin' ont to Lizzy Gris1d this four
| year and faint no wonder t | think hard ont,
for there never was prettier behay ed gal than
her on Greenfield Hill; an ses'-
Lizzy was on the point of "freeing her mind"
| just at this juncture, when Mrs Griswold inter-
| posed her quiet voice.
Don't trouble yourself to defend I.izzy Miss
Mariner; you know John Boynton is her cous-
in, and he has been here good deal. Folks
| will talk, | suppose, always; but if John Doyn-
ton marries well, don't think anybody II be
more forward to shake hands with him than our
Lizzv.'
'Of course | shall said the young lady, with
most indignant toss Of her head. pray, keep
your pity Miss Polly, for somebody else l
| don't need it,
HIM shifted the sagacious Polly. We'll, l
| didn't suppose you'd allow t you felt put out
about it; and | wouldn't if | was you. Be
sides, there's as good fish in the sea AS |
\ declare fort! there's Mr. Gris'ld I'll come
round early to-morrer. Good day, all on ye,'
So Polly departed
Il don't care, if he is said Lizzy, Hinging
herself down on the settle, when the door clos
ed behind Polly's blue cloak.
Mrs Griswold said nothing but Sam looked
up from his whiting, and coolly remarked,-
1T looks as if you did, though"
Sam = said his mother, with-emphasis.
Sam whistled and with his hands in his pock-
cts, having shut his jack-knife with a click, and
kicked his shavings into the fire, muttered
something about feeding the pigs, and beat an
| ignominous retreat,-snubbed, as the race of
Adam daily are, and daily will be, let US hope,
for telling 'the truth, the whole TRUTH and moth
ing but the truth
For Lizzy certainly did look as if she cared.
pretty enough picture she made, too, flung
| down on the old black settle, one well shaped
| hand pnching the arm if il had becn-J John
| Boynton's the other as vigorously clenched
on harmless check-apron that showed no dis
| position to get away her bright red lips tremb-
ling a little, and her grey eyes suspicously
shiny about the lashes, while her soft black hair
had fallen from part of its constraints on to the
| gay calico dress she wore, and her foot beat
time to some quick step that she didn't sing,
Mrs Griswold did not care for the picturesque,
| JUST them she cared much more for lAzy, and
her acute feminine instinct helped her to the
right word.
Il don't believe it, DEAR said she you'd
better finish straining that squash, or Widow
Peters won't have her pies for Thursday
Lizzy went to work,-work is grand pana-
cea, even for sentimental troubles,-and in do
ing battle with the obstinate squash,-which
was not as well cooked as might have been,-
Iizzy, for the moment looked quite bright, and
forgot John, till her father came into dinner.
Somebody once said that Mrs Griswold was
"a lesser providence" and Lizzy thought so
now; for scarce We're they all seated at dinner,
when she remarked, in very unconcerncd and
natural way
What keeps John in Roxbury so long, faith
er?'
'He has business in Boston,, curtly answered
Mr. Griswold. Sam, did you go over to the
Corners, yesterday, about those sheepY
| Sam answered, and the conversation went on.
but Johns name did not enter it, nor did Mr.
Griswold offer to show his letter either to moth
er or Lizzy.
Now the latter lady, not being perfect wo-
man, had sundry small faults; she was proud,
after certain fashion of her own slightly SEN
timental, which is rather failing than fault ;
but her worst trait was brooding, faut-seeing
persevering tact at making herself miserable,
scarce ever equalled. The smallest bit of van
foreground was enough for start, and on
that foundation Lizzy took but few hours of
suspicion and imagination to build up a whole
Castle Doubling. The cause she had to-day
was even greater than was necessary; it was
more strange that he so perseveringly withheld
Johns letter; and certainly he watched LiZzy
at her work with unusually tender eyes, that
sometimes filed with sort of mist All these
things heaped up evidence for the poor girl ;
she brooded over each separate item all night,
and added to the sum Polly Mariners gossip,
and looked forward to the day when everybody
in Greenfield should say, 'Lizzy Griswold's had
a Disappointment of John Boynton Poor, dear,
Lizzy! as if that were an unheard of pang! as
if nine-tenths of her accusers were not 'disap-
pinted' themselves-some before, some after
marriage,-some in themselves, some in their
wretched, dreary lives But there was only one
John and only one heart-break present to her
vision.
Polly Mariner came to breakfast next day,
and pervaded the kitchen like daily paper.
Horrible murders, barn burnings, failures,
deaths, births, marriages, separations, lawsuits,
ISLANDERS, and petty larcenies, outran each other
in her glib speech, and her fingers flew as fast
on Sans blue jacket as her tongue clappered
above it.
Lizzys pride kept her up before the old wo-
man; she was in and out and everywhere, q
pretty spot of crimson on either fair cheek, her
eyes as sparkling and her step as light as any
beliefs in ballroom, and her whole manner so
gay and charming that Polly inwardly pronounc-
ed John Boynton mighty fool, if he lodged
such pretty girl as that, and one with means
But night came, and Polly went. Lizzy went
to bed with bad headache, convenient sy-
nonym for aches of soul or body that one does
not care to christen! Sleep she certainly did