Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-06-12
Catching a Horse-thief.
BY MRS. BELLA F. BURTON.

Noiy, IL ohOJ he'uh y oe'NOii
Beauty"
Father sat by the table, reading.
Mother was knitting quietly, and Lau,
IA, Hattie and l were chatting over
our work. Laura had a dark, grave,
good face, quite plain in repose, beau
tiful when she smiled, as she did now,
looking up at Hattie.
"The money would be more accepta-
BILE now than Beauty fancy" she
said. II don't believe there are ten
dollars in the house."
MI Ill l----L: r-r- --:+hout
a word, and taking out his pocket
book counted out the contents on the
table. "One five dollar bill, one two,
and seventy-fve cents in change"
Mother drew two silver half dollars
from her pocket, and laid them on
the table. Laura had three dollars,
Hattie four, and |, always a spend
thrift had none.
There" said Laura, counting it
over and putting it all in my fathers
pocket-book. "There are fifteen dol
lars and seventy-fve cents to meet
the expenses Of family of six, the
coming winter. A good time to learn
economy, Hattie"
She'll need the lesson, I'm think
ing. if that Alberton succeeds in his
suit" l said. at must take small
fortune to keep him in hair oils and
perfumery alone. How delightfully."-
his hair does curl And he is so po-
lite. | declare he almost touched the
ground with that long nose"
"SusanP p This from mother.
"Well, | wont, mother; but [ do
hate the thought of calling him broth
err some day.
Don't worry" Hattie said, but her
cheeks were scarlet. "Ifwe only had
Beauty we might sell her, hard as ii
would be. Mr.. Alberton said that
she would bring five or six hundred
dollars in St. Joseph or st. Louis
He particularly admired her"
$50 he did" Laura said suddenly
putting down her work. Then, after
thinking a moment, "Oh | a0ish we
were safe back in the States again
We have met with so many disasters
in Kansas. l shall be glad to get
away"
"It is all for the best, my daughter
You should be thankful that we have
our health when so many are sick
place. @4 il sHig soniy tie e9d 9ndad5 is &ouah aafG&jd g9d
drunk l said, by way Of putting in
my mite. 81 aint bit afraid of them
when they're sober"
"What valiant little thing it is :!
Hattie said, mockingly. M mind me
of an evening in the summer wher
Miss Sue StetSon wouldn't 60 dowr
the rayine alone"
Il saw a snake, that was the reason
But speaking of the ravine makes mt
think. | saw the funniest sight dowr
in the ravine south of PragueS Point
yesterday. You know it Laura
about three miles from Mr.. Prague's
down the river. Annie and | ha(
been crossing in a skiff-father neve
forbade US till last highland just al
we grounded, | was looking acros
the river-you know the bluff is quit
bald there-and l was sure | saw
smoke rising up from the rocks.
called Annie's attention to it, and sh
said it was a fog, because there WASH
a house in miles. But | know it wa
smoke"
"An optical delusion, l guess faith
er said; but | knew from Laura
looks that she did not think so.
About four months before, we haO
moved to where we then lived. NJ
fathers health had failed, and he ha'
failed in business. A cousin of our
had written from small river tow
of Kansas, situated near the WyaI
dotte Reserve, telling wonderful tale
of the beauty of the climate, fertilit
of the soil, ETC., and winding up wit
description of farm for sale neal
partly improved. "a rare chance,
he wrote. Father wrote begging hir
to secure the bargain, and hastily di'
posing of what property he had lef
we followed the letter, and son lane
ed in W. The next thing wa
the farm; some trouble about the titl'
1t went on for two months, the none
(all we had in the world) lying in th
house. Mother was uneasy about ii
but we laughed at her. "You needn
talk of "disreputable characters" W
would say; are we not a sufficier
guard? Four women in one house
There's not house in town can boal
as many"
So we went on, enjoying the tre
easy life of the backwoods, as onl
young girls can; going to the rust
pic-nics, kissing bees" and takin
part in them, too! All but Laura
We never could persuade her. Pc
haps it was owing to a memory 81
had in her heart Of a young, overworl
cd teacher in an Illinois school, to
poor to marry, but not too poor
, love. But Laura went with US a
, ways; to stake care Of US, she said
Hattie's new lover made US all
little anxious. He was a passeng'
8 on the same boat with US, coming U
| the river, and Immediately, On becoI
q ing acquainted, attached himself
, her. We feared that Hattie like
q him-we feared because she said not
ing. She was the beauty of the fal
|. lily, and we were corresponding
II I 4 e