Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-10-20

him."
They shall pity him no more," l
said. "What is the Hall to me p
1t was my Willie's love l cared for.
Tell him he is free"
@You must tell him YOURSELF" she
said. "F you care to see him hap
py open his cagc;" and she tied on
her hood and sped away.
That night there went note to
Willie:
"Alaster William Haslet,-Tve
thought a long, long while that the
bond between us was best broke
/ feel sure of it nog. 1t will be
better that we should not mectagain ;
aud in this | send you back your
ring. May good fortune and hap
piness attend you! And with this
wish. sign myself,
HANNAH FANTHoRN."
This wrote with a heart torn and
rent as never flesh could be; and it
was sent; and though he came to
the farm would not see him; and
all was over between us.
| waited only to hear that he was
bethrothed to Miss Dorcas Oakley.
Instead of that, heard, a week after,
that he had left the country. Where
he had gone and why, no one knew,
When | felt sure that Miss Dorcas
Oakley could be nothing to him, or
that at least they were not to be
married, my heart smote me a little,
and | wondered whether / should
not have put my pride down a bit,
and have heard him speak for him.
self.
Miss Sabrina Haslet did not mar
Try. The wedding was put off first
by her mothers death, and then by
her fathers six months after; and
then folks said there was a quarrel.
But be it as it may, he Who would
have been her husband married in-
stead that same Miss Dorcas Oak
ley.
Other suitorS came, no doubt for
Miss Sabrina was handsome and
rich; but she liked none of them,
and lived on in the Hall quite alone
but for the servants. By-and-by she
saw no company, and shut up half
the house, and seemed more lonely
and wretched than many poor wo-
man. All her beauty left her too,
and she grew to be a sharp, sour
spinster, always dressed in black
she who had been both belle and
beauty.
[ lived on at home. Ellis married
and so did Barzillai. The years
did not seem to give gray hair to
my mother, nor a wrinkle to my
father. They were too placid to
grow old fast. No one wondered |
did not marry. They seemed to
think that having been so nearly
mistress of the Hall, it was not like
ily | should be willing to wed for
less.
The Hall BAIL 1t was Willie
| | loved, and not his house or lands.
One winter night, Christmas time
was nearly come, and | sat by the
fire dressing dolls and tying up su.
gar.plums in paper horns with bits
of ribbon for my nieces' and ncphews'
stockings, when there came loud
trapping at the door. | opened it,
and there stood an old man servant
from the Hall.
T'm sent by Miss Sabrina, Miss"
said he. "She is very i'll, and desires
you to come alone. She has some
thing particular to say to you"
"Sabrina Haslet send for meF' |
thought, and then my heart beat fast,
and fancied l hardly knew what.
all, did you say?' | asked.
"Very i'll" said the man. "The
doctors give her over"
| went back to get a shawl and
hood and tell my mother where |
was going, and then came out. The
night was bleak, and snow was fall
ing and lay deep upon the ground,
and there stood a sleigh with buffalo
robes in it ready for me. | stepped
in, and was whirled away toward the
Hall. 1t was like dream. Icould
scarcely believe myself awake. 1t
was still a dream when we stopped
at the Hall, and l only realized that
all was true when | stood in Miss
oanrinas room, and saw her lying
wan and pale upon the pillow. Oh,
what change had come over her!
~You've come, Hannah Fanthorn,
she said; "thank you for that. |
thought you'd refuse, perhaps. It's
a long while since we spoke to-
gether."
"a long while" l replied.
aYet you haven't changed much,
said she. "You lookasy youdid when
you stood by the hedge in the moon
light and said, "what is the Hall to
me f? Twas Willie's love | cared
for" / remember the words, Han
nah Fanthorn. They've stung my
q. - H. .-o,, Iynou- |