The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-07-05

geDce was brought MIN, and tnosc VINO
we're most about the house could observe
that he no longer treated his guest with
the same attention as formerly there
was lack of that welcome and greeting
that John Gordon had always for we'll
paying guests; and then the gossips
foretold storm They said that when
Gordon's face darkened there would be
lightning flashes which would strike
somewhere, There were no other signs
besides these foretelling this coming
storm. Lefty was seen once, twice,
perhaps three times, in tears, and Mar.
tha Field had been heard openly to de.
clare all fathers tyrauts.
One day John Gordon, with a redder
face than usual, and quicker step, went
from bar to stable, and from parlor to
cellar. Something there was in the
wind mole than common. The busy
bodies looked around and abroad for the
cause, and were not long in finding it
out, There, almost opposite the house,
and in full view, lay the little skiff fast
at anchor, while Philip Conger, with
Lefty Gordon as his pupil, was back at
his old employment of fishing. Now
they said the long gathered storm would
burst but they were to be wofully mis-
taken 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 Cor
don, with his vials of wrath all charged
sought Philip. For an hour they were
together in the room of Philip, but
those who listened for the thunder of
the storm heard nothing. There wss
only the confused sound of the two vol.
ces, sometimes that of Gordon above the
other, then as instantly calming down.
What the mesmerism was that held the
usually violent man was mystery, but
at the end of the hour John Gordon
oaulv rortn pale anu silent, and IN ano'
ther hour Philip Conger had turned his
back on "The Village Tavern " never
to be its guest again.
1t was for his daughter all his hars h.
ness was reserved, and poor Lefty had
now not only to bear with her fathers
dark looks and stern words, but, what
was worse, with a curtailment of her
liberty. How she would have borne
this it would be hard to tell, but that
Martha had brought to her letter from
Philip, written within that hour before
he left the house, filed with his promis.
es of love, and his declarations that he
would not depart from the vicinity, and
would find means to correspond with her
How we'll these declarations were KEEP
she knew the next day, when Martha
brought her intelligence that Philit
Conger was within mile, having fount
quarters at farm house scarcely tina
distance away, on the opposite side o
the river. 1t may be held as certain
ty that John Gordon was not long il
knowing this; and further, he knew
that not many days would elapse before
the lovers would find means of CORES.
pondence. Nor was John Gordon wron,
in this. To Martha Field Lefty hac
eonOded everything, and Martha wa
now the mercury that managed, if sh,
did not carry, the correspondence be
tween Lefty Gordon and Philip Cong4r
and David Bigelow, the worker, who, a
the bidding of Martha, performed tn
postman. Without actually knowing
this, John Gordon suspected, and will
him suspicion generated active measures
David Bigelow was at once forbidden
the house, and the full weight Of hi
displessure rained down upon the hea'
of Martha.
For weeks things remained in thi
uncertain state. Whatever measure
John Gordon intended to take wer
locked within his own breast. Their
was mystery in progress througl
which none could fathom, and to whiol
Lefty Gordon bent her ear seriously an,
tremblingly when Martha Field brough
her the gossip she had heard stirring
John Gosdon had been known to hav
several private interviews with oil
, Brown the village constable. The oil
man had been seen lurking round tn
village suspiciously, as if smelling ou