The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-09-04

Hepsey, where be you, child? Come
and see to Miss Kevin. Lay her right
on the bed in your room, and fetch hel
n cup of tea or something, quick"
Hepsy, the granddaughter who lived
with, and cared for the old man, came
at his summons and very kindly took
charge of the poor young woman, who
was already attempting to rally from
the stupor into which terror had thrown
her. AS the women left the room old
Peter West turned to John.
"Sit down and eat some breakfast,
neighbor. We've just done, early
though il be. Sit up, man."
'Not bit will eat or sup will
drink till ! know all you can tell me Of
the work going on in that house these
two nights" and John, sternly. "That
you can tell me am sure, and ! do moi
think you will refuse"
"Well, neighbor, can tell you the
story of the Blackmann Cottage" be.
gan the old man, deliberately; "and af.
ter hearing it, maybe you can guess out
the rest for yourself. If not, don't
know as I con help you.
Seventy years ago, when was Il lad
of fourteen, Marshall Blackmann built
the house you have just bought and
brought his family to live there. There
was a wife and two twin girls twelve
years old the day the roof was raised.
Their names were Mary and Dorothy,
or, as we all got to calling them. Molly
and Dolly, and two handsomer young
women than they grew to be you wont
find if you look the world through.
They looked alike, as twins are apt to
do, but there was a difference. Any one
that had ever looked at Molly Black
mann for ten minutes and listened to
the ring of her voice talking, laughing,
or singing, never could take her for
any one else, or any one else for her.
Well, well, them days are long past
now, and Nancy Snow made me a good
wife and was good mother to my chill
dren, but 1 never'll forget that girl,
The old man leaned his chin upon the
head of his stick as he sat in his great
armchair, and dstaring at vacancy SEEM
ad to forget everything else in this one
unforgetable memory. John Kevin
waited for moment, then asked re-
spectfully:
"What became of Mr.. West:'
20 yes, Excuse me, your man | was
thinking of--well, I'll get on with the
story.
"Molly and Dolly were eighteen, and
was a young man of twenty. already
looking forward to a home anda wife o
my own, when, the two girls went t.
spend the winter with an aunt in Bos
ton. hated bad enough to have Mol.
go, but nothing could say would stol
her, and off she went, she and Dolly, IAN,
for three months heard but little G
either.
That was the time when the British
soldiers were in Boston, and men lik
me, that didn't believe in British soldier
kept pretty much out of their way, es
pecially after Concord fight, where
would have been myselfif I'd had tn,
luck. Well, in April the girls cam
back, bnt so changed, one hardly knev
them. Nothing was heard Of now bu
dressing, and singing, and reading stor,
books, and fixing up the old house will
posies and fol-lols. Mother Blackmanr
said she couldn't get an hours work on
of either of them, and that they wer
spoiled out-and-out for any use, but tn
old man only laughed and SCENE,
proud of h- girls fine airs and flight.
ways.
"At last it came out that the girls ha,
got acquainted with two English officer
while they were in the city, and ha,
been writing to them and getting letter
from them ever since, and finally on
night when my mother was sick an
my father went for the doctor in tn
middle of the night, he saw two me
on horseback stopat Blackmann's an
after a bit the two girls opened tn
door and let them in while Bl acknian
himself came out and saw to the horse
"When father told me next mornin
it seemed 10 me Us if | couldn't stan
ii any way, and | went right off (
Molly to ask what it meant. But sll
wouldn't give me any stisfaction, an
was so pert and saucy that | saw thel
was no use in talking to her, so ] wer
to Blackmann. But he was as shol
and huily rs his daughter, and told M
up and down that it was none of IN
business what company hi, daughter ha
or what prospects she had for the #
ture. So | went home rs came, an
stayed there, or if went to the Blacl
mann Cottage the folks inside we
none the wiser for it. But part
through other peoples eyes and part
by my own found out little by lit
that the visitors were II captain and
maj Jor in the English cavalry regimen
and that they came twice Il week To st
the Blackmann girls, riding tiftce
miles each way between sunset and su
rise, being afraid to be seen in an enc
my's country in the daylight, Whetl
er they had fooled the old man rs the
had the girls with promises Of MARI
age, or whether they had bribed hi
with money, God only knows, hoI
it was the first, and | think il was, f,
the end would seem to show that i
was as much took by surprise as an
one. However it was, he asked to Il
the girls lay out n supper for their Io'
ers of all the best that was to he 20
and after he had seen to their horses
would GO off to bed and make his wi
go too, and the girls and men would $
up eating, and drinking The wine II
officers brought with them, and carou
ing, till just before day the two fellow
Il Ill. &. L..