The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-07-19

I
And your mother p
"She is here-but cripple. The
owner of the farm, Mrs. Pool, was from,
New England. My father had boarded
with her, and since his death she has been
very kind, though had my mother been
able to travel we should have returned
"Then at least you are northerner p
A norlherner by BIRTH southerner
by adoption; it is all my country"
Just then the door opened, and Mrs.
Pool came in. 1t was true Rachael Pools
home had been in New England; you
could tell it in her every bearing, but why
had she left her home and friends and
dritted here on farm Of her own! And
how she had grown old and hard. A
rigid Presbyterian, kind, but undemon-
strative ruling her negroes with strong
hand. Managing her plantation with u
mans ability and shrewdness not cruel.
but exacting. Proud of her crops. Com
placently contrasting her own tidy APP
pcarancc with the shiftlessness of her
neighbors; trying to infuse her own vigor
into her servants; gong to church on
Sunday, and hospitahle to ALL This was
the whole of Rachael Pools life. And we
listened to her story with an outward
complacency, strangely at variance with
real feclng-but we saw no more of our
little entertainer. Her mother cannot
live long. AS soon as she's gene | shall
send the girl North. She must not live
here" 10 which observation | mentally
assented.
Next morning and Sam was ready be-
times. Ten o'clock founl us at the mill.
ard dom!ciled at Il large barn-like look
ing building called "the boarding house."
After the first few days, looking about,
and soeing that the foreman was quite
well able TO manage, and no doubt quite
as reliable as should be, gave myself
to the ENJOYMENT Of my gun and fishing
tackle, drinking in health from the pines,
and glorying in the perfect abandon, the
wild, tamelesS freedom More than once
/ found my way to Mrs. Pools while Sam
had several times been the bearer of fish,
game, &C., aud Of late it seem to me the
great brown eyes filled with welcome
light tla, thrilled my very being.
Thus the summer drifted away. Ny
letters home were satisfactory. and not
little praise did win for giving myself
50 completely to business. My father
wrote in the happiest mood-anI rv i,nt-
" his scapcgracc son WAS suh-d.ng into
the very nichc he woull have hu fill the
daily routine OF an active business man.
One autumn afternoon Mrs. Barton
seemed better, and had now Mrs Pools
cons nj for Annie 10 join me in II fishing
party OF two 1t was soft. warm day,
when the laughing ,ummcr looked over
her Shouldc and smiled all aduwn the
str am. Annie was sitting on the bank,
the sunshine lay around her warm, and
sill almost tangible. The lanl>cape was
drowned in IA purple haze, while higher
up the stream the negroes were chanting
in their own peculiar vrin ,l,.. huge pines
ihlirng h tIrc them, n Ike The sau,la,
woo giving out their lragianue at e,o.y
blow Of axe
1t was very quiet and pleasant and
without knowing why Annie felt that
her short life had never known any day
so happy. and the cdthmon place remarks,
the trivial nothinss.Nbow well | remem-
ber them the silence that is dearer than
words. We did not catch any fish that
day the fact was the fish wouldn't bite,
and my rod hung dangling in the branch
es of tall pine, much to Sans surprise
as sent him to dsentangle it.
"W hats the matter wild massa-yah
yah going home Tomorrow, yah Sam
keeps his own counsel. Old massa neb-
ber know" And the white teeth glis-
tened.
l had taken my seat by the side of this
shy little fairy, while glad future OPEN
ed before me, | would make her life so
happy-and mine would be complete
Strange, that in this out-of-the- place
l should find the very thing had SO
longed TO see. Could | only have known
it all OF these yeaue that somebody was
waiting for me-waiting to fill my heart
with her presence, and crown my life
with her love. ''Let what will happen,
you will trust me, Annie. And when |
come back next summer you will not re-
fuse to return to me. How glad nv
mother and sisters will be to welcome me
littlo wood-dove.' And her head was
pillowed on my shoulder. Then sudden
ly thinking of what might be, for the
election of President was TO come off soon
and it was rumored by certain malcon-
tents that such candidat should never
take the chair.
"Why not 60 with me now, Annie .
If anything should happen, it would make
the earth very dark for both of us-would
1t not, darling :" While the brown eyes
looked mp trustingly. "Can you trust
yourself with me-"
'l trust you; but l cannot leave my
mother now"
"And you will trust me, whatever
comes, my little spring blossom -
''The earth would be dark to me
should find you false"
sand you shalt find it so by all my
hopes of Heaven, promise to return
and then your life shall be different from
what it has been"
And thus we parted-the timid good
bye kiss warm on my lip, the sweet love
OF this artless glrl thrilling my heart
Back TO INV city home--and a v.arrn