The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-09-02

down, and well sccusbOmeN w al tne 0s
tentions that could be thrust upon him.
He told John Gordon, who stood ready
to receive him, that his name was Phillip
Conger, and his intention was to spend 8
week with him, and try his hand at the
fish. John was pleased at the announce
nent, and told his guest SOL more pleased
as he noticed the young mans language
bespoke that money was plentiful; and
still more pleased when he found that his
liberal orders did full justice to his looks.
Phillip Oenger fsbed until the venerable
old trout and pickerel trembled in their
watery beds. He shot with such success
that he awakened the jealousy of the ster-
eotyped spor!smen of the place. He
walked, be rose, and drove, and SO the
week passed away, and yes he remained 8
guest of 1.-THE Village Tavern" Another
week, and Philip Conger was still there;
but he no longer fished, no, longer hunted,
his walks and rides were shorter, and the
house had more attraction. In q few
words, be had seen Lefty Gordon, and
spoken with her, and from that moment
all things that carried him away from
where he could feel that she was near had
lost their charm. And stranger still, Lefty,
who had been 60 invisible to all other eyes,
now went fitting unessily about the house.
If Philip sat upon the settle, there were
large chances that he would see her within
the hour. If he walked roamingly about
the garden, Lefty had 8 bouquet to make
up, some berries to pick, or something to
do which he could always take a hand in.
Those about the village who always see
everything told John Gordon occasionally
that Lefty was st that moment under the
charge of the stranger, being paddlsd lei
surely along the river bank in q skiff, or
had been seen at some past time walking
with the stranger in soma near lane, or
sitting in some half-secluded place earnestly
talking. They could see that the landlords
face grew dark whenever such intelligence
was brought him and those who were most
about the house could observe that he no
longer treated his guest with the same at.
tention IS formsrlyj there wss q lack of
that welcome and greeting that John
Gordon had always for well-psying guests
and then the gossips foretold q Storm
They said that when Jehn Gordon's face
darKened there would he lightning FISHES
which would strike somewhere, There
we're other signs besides these foretelling
this coming storm. Lefty was seen once,
twice, perhaps three times, in tears, and
Martha Field had been heard openly to
declare all fathers tyrsnts.
One day John Gordon, with q redder
face than usual, and quicker step, went
from bar to stable, and from parlor to eel
lar. Something there was in the wind
more than common. The busybodies look
cd around and abroad for the cause, and
were not long in fndiug out. There, al
most opposite the house, and in full view,
lay the little skif fast at anchor, while
Philip Conger, with Lefty Gordon as his
pupil, was back at his old employment Ct
fishing: Now they said the long gather.
ing storm would burst but they were to
be Woefully mistaken when they believed
it would break with violence over the head
of Philip Conger. In their own good
time the couple came back; they were too
happy TO hasten much; and then John
John Gordon, with his walls of wrath all
charged sought Philip. For an hour
they were together in the room of Phi
lip but those who listened for the thur
der of the storm heard nothing. There
was only the confused sound of the two
voices, sometimes that of Gordon above
the other, then So instantly calming down.
What the mesmerism was that held the
usually violent man was q mystery, but at
the end of the hour John Gordon came
forth pale and silent and another hour
Philip Conger had turned his back on
"The Village Tavern" never 10 be its
guest again.
1t was for his daughter all his harsh
ness was reserved, and poor Lefty had now
not only to bear with her fathers dark
looks and stern words, but, what was
Wnroo NIT h a n ilp,on sc To- 1ibo-e- |
How she would have borne this it would
be hard to tell but that Martha had brought
to her a letter from Philip, written within
Thai hour before he left the house, filled
with his promises of love, and his DECLARE
vicinity, and would find means TO eommu-
nicste with her. How well these declsra.
tions were kept she knew the next day,
when Martha brought her intelligence that
Philip Conger was within q mile, having
found quarters at a farm scarcely that dis
lance away, on the opposite side OF the river.
1t msy be held as B certainty that John
Gordon was not long in knowing this and
further, he knew that many days would
not elspse ere the lovers would find means
of correspondence. Nor was John Gordon
wrong in this. To Martha Field Lefty
had confded everything, and Martha was
noW the Mercury that managed, if she did
not carry the correspondence batween Lefty
Gordon and Philip Conger, and David
Bigelow, the worker, at the bidding of Mar
tina performed the pestmsn. Without &C.
tually knowing this, John Gordon suspect
ed, and with HIM suspicion generated &C.
once forbidden the house, and the full
-uNfrhE Of he ds.,laaanra -afnaA 11u,n ,,Ho1 /
the h5Hd of Martha.
For weeks things remained In this uncer-
tain state. Whatever measures John Cor
don intended to take were locked within
his OWE breast. There was 3 mystery in
progress through which none could iathom
and 70 which Lefty Gordon bent her ear
seriously and tretnblingly when Martha
Field brought her the gossip she had heard
stirring. John Gordon had been known
TO have several private interviews with
old Brown, the village constable. The old
man had been seen lurking around the
village sus piciously, as if smelling out some
trouble. He spent a great deal Of time at
the tavern in talks with the landlord, or
sitting watching everybody and. everything
under his lowered brows. The gossips
were busy again. They declared that be-
tween Jonn Gordon and old Brown there
was something that would bring trouble TO
Philip Conger or David Bigelow. They
had heard the landlord declare his inten-
ton of driving them both out of the village,
and of turning Martha Field into the road
to seek q home where she would. Perhaps
he would not go SO far but every one who
knew John Gordon knew that he would
not stop half way in his efforts to reach
any end upon which he started. Oflste he
had talked about ingrstitude-sbout those
he had fed turning from him-sbout con-
spirscy-Sbout nursing vipels in his bosom
that turned and stung him and for a long
time these pickers up of unconsidered do
nestle trlfiles were divided in opinion
whether the old man made sllusion to his
daughter or Martha Field. They were
soon satisfied when they perceived that he
ceased to speak with Martha unless forced
by necessity 10 do SO, and then only with
an expression that betrayed his unwilling
ness. Martha laughed at the thrests of
John Gordon to expel her from his house.
She knew that she was essential to the
success of 1.-THE Village Tavern" sndthat
its landlord did not understand when he
had a good and faithful ser gitor, she knew
enough that would, and to these she would
go. Martha Field set him at defiance, and
still continued, with the aid of David Bige.
low, to carry the letters of the lovers.
1t was one evening in the early autumn,