The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1868-12-29
MANCHESTER. W., TUESDAY MORNING,


leave 80 dedicate my tale To ali thes'
who aro seeking b enter INTO the hoIi
estate II mairmony ] present tic frs
portion. and % those who have already
known the trouble aud JOYS. tbe care
and bliss Of a c0nnubial life, viii tnl
/ the latter par; applicable % themselves
{ / beg q al not 10 despise Il iur TIE
bomoly dress ii viii be arrayed ia
mean il to be SO, the plain common
garb fitted ior the every day use oi l.f,
spun aud woven from houe made
materials | am writing this as If
WAS perfectly sure Of its being accepted
by that formidable person the Editor,
who H. oItenhmes, by no mems easy to
suit THIS much by way Of preface.
4 Dora Ncwby, the subject Of my tale
/ 1 cannot oall her hero.uel, Was the on
ly child Of her iatber-a substantial
/ well-to-do farmer, and widower As
a matter 81 course. Dora grew up petit
( ed aud weIl-nigh spoiled She was nat.
urally inclined 10 be self-willed petu-
liant aud selfish, aud the want Cf a
mothers guiding, aud a kind easy faith
ers spelling, in no little measure in
creased and strengthened all her fail
ings She grew up wild and untaught,
save what il pleased her to learn by oc-
casioaal fits aud starts She also grew
| prettier with every passing year, until
she reached the age Of eighteen, and
was then a petted, spoiled young wo-
man with plenty Of admirers, for she
was the village heiress as well as its
/ belle
Dora did not believe in having only
one string to her bow She wanted
more, aud she kept two always on hand.
A large well-built man named Smurth-
waite, aud a little smart active one nam
ed Benjamin Richmond, were her two
favored swaius. She tyranized over
both Of them, and kept them in con
staut state Of uncertainty encouraging
now one, now the other, as the humor
suited her, and this not for weeks only,
but for years Five long years she had
kept them both attached to her, until
their patience was well-nigh tired out
Dora was quick enough to see this,
and had hall resolved 70 make up her
mind and determine in the favor Of one
or the other. when fate itself decided the
matter for her sooner than sho had in
tended.
Newly Grange was an old fashioned
farm house, with all tho old appli-
anees Of large closets, wide chimneys,
and capacious brick oven. This oven
was III the sitting room, and heated by
Aue from the large fire of the kitchen.
The sitting room had two bay windows
overlooking the garden, and these bay
windows were the places where the love
making generally went on.
As / have said, five years courtship
had been the hard, unrequittcd seryi-
tude of her followers, when one day, a
Saturday in the sunny month Of June,
Ben Richmond was seen by the waiting,
expectant Dora coming up the garden
path to pay his usual weekly visit, with
an unusual look Of resolve and determ-
ination On his face, 1t was so. The
long, hot walk had tired him, and he
had come fally determined that day to
know his fate, either to be accepted or
rejected without any longer foohng.- .-.
Dora intuitiyely felt that to-day, at.
least, she could no longer trife, and felt
annoyed at the thought Of being driven
up into corner; and partly from pique,
partly from willingness to say no short
ly and fatty to his request.
All in vain were poor Ben's earnest
entreaties and passionate pioadings; all
in vain his long, weary waiting, and be
gave it up in despair.
He made, however, one last attempt,
one final appeal, when, in the midst Of
his talking, they heard the garden gate
creak on its hinges, and looking ont,
saw the tall form OF John Smurthwaite
striding up the path.
Now it so happened that Smurth-
waite had come as well that very day,
big with tue same resolves that poss-
essed Ben Here was a to-do Well
did Dora know how Smurthwaite had
vowed that if be ever caught Ben in the
act Of poa ching, as he termed it, ON his
ground he would inhict on him such
bodily punishment as he would not cas-
ily forget
There was no lack Of courage little
Ben, but still he felt and knew ho was
utterly unable in physical strength to
csmpete with Smarthwaite. What was
10 lie done?
Poor Ben fear OF punishment and
still greater fear Of any appearance Of
cowardice before Dora, tugged hard at
his heart Dora herself decided the
matter Sse wished no fighting or dis
turbance, at least in her presence.
Here quick, Ben, she said, trying
the two cupboard doors IN The room.
come IN here until be goes Alas, the
doors We're botA locked and the key up
stairs in her bed room.
What shall DO 2 she calculated;
her eye lighted on Tie Old fashioned
oven--t the very piace, she thought, aud
opening the doori creps Ben Scarce
Iy was he safely slowed " when Smurth- /.
wait ent red the room
Lang, very long. be sat, and ike
Ben, before him, plead has cause and
urged his sait with uo encouragement
from Dora. He uls interrupted, low
1yer, ii tic midst ~ his most pathetic
appeal BY load tbunp. where from be
eoald not tell What is that. Dora 4
be inquired Only tie rats, was lhe
answer Again ha began lis euGfsat-
es, again to be interrupted by another
oud knock and the sound q voice
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