The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-06-01
Missing.
by MARY c. VAUGHN.

them. There was silence between the
two who so loved each other; if the
thing were inevitable there was moth
ing to be said. Henceforth only en-
durance was possible.
Mary was the first to speak.
care you quite sure?' she said, not
expecting, only hoping, that some way
of escape might open. 1t was not
that she was destitute of patriotism
not that she was less ready than other
women to make sacrifces for she had
seen him march away to the war,
smiling farewell to hide an aching
heart, in those first days Of the coun-
try's danger, when all the brayest
and the best rushed to its defence
But it was different now He had
done his duty faithfully fulfilled his
two years service known danger
wounds and hardships and had re-
turned as they both hoped, to the old
quiet, home-life, to the fulGlment of
deferred hopes, to the enjoyment Of
the impcrilled happiness And yet he
had lust told her he should have TO 90
again. 1t was hard to belieye-hord
to bear
And yet there seemed no other way.
The two years of his absence had been
two Yeas of disaster to his parents.
For a quarter of century they had
lived peacefully with a moderate pros
perity that fully contcnted their mod
crate desires, upon the pretty home
stead farm; and now, close upon the
sacrifice they had made of their most
precious treasure, their only child,
followed blight and insect, and storm
and fire. The harvested crops, the
fine cattle, and the strong draught
horses, persisted in the conhagration
of their barns Mildew and weevil,
for two successive years, made their
great wheat field a desolation The
long rains Of early summer spoiled
the rich, low-lying meadows; and the
fire spread over the hillside covered
with rare timbors, and swept away
their fences. The third year, when
the season of harvest approached, for
many weeks the sky was brass, and
the earth dust beneath the scorched
andruined crops. Steady, quiet, home
loving, God-fearing people were they,
and vet it seemed MS if the wrath OF
heaven had descended upon them.
And then money was needed to re-
build and re-stock, to purchase tho
necessaries Of life, to provide for the
coming sced-time, and The farm was
mortg0gcd for the purpose of raising
ing these needful funds And in this
condition Horace Harding found home
matters at the expiration Of his term
of service.
Old Simon Suggs advanced the
money, and held the securities. He
was hard, graswng old man, 9
money-lender by profession, grow
rich upon unholy gains; but in the
sparscly settled agricultural region
where the Hardings lived he was AL
most the only moneyed man. Weaa
enough there was of hocks and herds
and waving haryests, but little money
and men would give old Simon almost
cent. per cent sometimes, when tn,
necessity was great, as in this clsc
He would lend to Mr. Harding only
on the security Of his small but fine
farm Only thus, and the money
must be had, and his terms were nc
cepted.
One years harvest at war prices
will set us right, Mr. Harding said
and So bhndly, 1t is true, but reluc
family, he gave the miser hold upon
those acres, trebly worth the sum nd
yanced, and built and sowcd in hop,
which hope that third summer
that summer Of burning heat anC
draoght- blasted, and left him bank
rupt in hope as IN purse
And now the time was come fol
payment, and old Simon demanded
the fulflment of his bond.
We have called him old Simon, fol
that was the name 10y which he was
known far and near, and he had tn,
pinched and aged appearance Viii ii /
misery life 50 often produces, but II
reality he was not old enough to es
cape the impending draft
Simon was a great coward, and hC
valued his precious person far toi
highly to be willing to make it a mari
for bullets As far as metals were
concerned, he preferred gold to leac
or steel, and though rations and fre'
living at the expense of the govern
ment tempted him not a little, he still
I thought that he could make none,
enough at home to oyerbalance the ex
pense. And, as the time approached
his fears so increased that he roluc
family decided to procure substitute
And this was how Horace Harding
got personally complicated in the
, affair.
Old Simon threatened to foreclos,
the mortgage He had bought NJ
every claim he could discover agains
Mr.. Harding. If he made use of tn
, power in his hands, certain ruin mus
, follow to the distressed family. /
{ was not many hundred dollars, but
, represented home, comfort, peace T.
the stricken man. TO lose these wa
more than he could bear He ben
beneath the blow, and could not risC
I From a hale, middle-aged men, h
suddenly grew old, and his mine
= yielding with his physical strength
= threatened a decay of its powers, an
-,l,,,e N norfnonaOt mhQcl hts