Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-07-30


all the eyes other own, and all the eyes
of her watching them SO intently
that actually pair of pigeons flew into
the belfy of the church, and pair of
ragged boys peeped into the vestry win
dows, without her knowing it. But her
watch was rewarded, for at precisely a
quarter past eleven q close carriage came
up to Mrs. Writings door.
"As sure as you are born, BENJAMIN.
she is going." exclaimed Mrs. Disbow, ap-
parently rs violently astonished as though
she had not been looking all the morning
for sight OF this very carriage. "And
two trunks! What can the woman want of
two trunks, just going down to Cincinnati
for few days?" she continued, appearing
to suspect the trick of the Trojan horse.
'Well, now, can't see why she takes so
much baggage. And as sure as you're
made, Benjamin, she has new travelling
suit throughout, hat and all. A suit of
silyer-gray poplin, with muff and collar
of Astrachan wool, aud an Alaska hat.
She looks as girlish rs you please, added
Miss Disbrow, bringing her opera-glass,
which always lay conveniently near on n
tcapoy, to bear upon the small figure of
her neie ehbor, who was turning back at
the door for last word to Bridget !;
seeming, as she stood there, to the untried
eve, as cheerful and innocent as Burgun-
DIV rose. But, alas! things are not what
they seem.
III that woman is ever dissccted, I
want 10 see her heart, Benjamin. | be-
leve she has no more than you could put
on tho point Of n needle. | do So"
resumed Miss Disbow, putting down her
glass as the carriage slowly ploughcd its
way along the snowy street. and taking
up the book-mark she was embroidering
for the pulpit Bible.
The sun shown. the pigeons whirred
past the windows. the school boy snow
ballsd, the engine screamed. and the cars
rumbled and grumbled and glided out
from the depot disappearing around the
long curve, out beyond the city limits,
and so away into the limitIess somewhere
Of the wide world And with them went
little Mrs. Whiting. blithe as a blueiay
and charming as June morning. But
although she looked so, what if, after ALL
she was not rs simple-hearted as daisy?
did you know Mrs. Whiting over here
had gone, Aunt Alma?" cried out her
neice Morarctta, bursting into the room
that afternoon in her usual brupt way.
Certainly. neice. Take care, child.
Don't upset that pot of primroses."
Miss Disbrew always enjoyed call
from Moraretta, something as one would
to see calf taking his morning walk
among ono's verbenas.
'Morarctta. little more and you
would have thrown down the shade over
my wax flowers, Did you want any
thing?"
why, no. Aunt Alma. l just come
in that is ALL But | was wondering who
Mrs Whiting went off with, and thought
perhaps you would know"
why, did you see anybody with her?
What do you mean?" asked Miss Disbrow,
suddenly SO interested that she forgot TO
chide Moraretta, for swinging II pair of
scissors by their ribbon to The imminent
peril Of Benjamin's eyes and of apier-
glass.
"Yes, / saw somebody, and So did
Bella Mosier We were coming through
the depot, on our way home from school,
like we always do, when we saw Mrs.
Whiting. saw he-, and so did Bella !;
and lust rs we said, both together, There
is Mrs Whiting a gentleman came up
and kissed her very afectionately, and
she looked all in n flutter, and so did he !;
and then they took the cars for Cleve-
land"
For Clereland? Moraretta, are you
sure?n exclaimed Miss Dsbrow, in vestal
horror.
"Yes, ma'am. sure. That was what
Bella and | thought SO queer, for her
trunks were marked Cincinnati; We stood
right by them and saw the cards. You
may ask Bella il it wasn't SO. There she
is, going by this minute. Bella, Bella
Come in" she cried, running TO the
window, tapping on it, and nodding and
beckoning.
Miss Disbrow's sense Of outraged pro-
pricty was so much shocked by the
scandal of Moraretta's story that she
permitted this breach of decerum and in
sultto the dignity of her windows, without
a word, though the window itself shook
all over under the modification. But
Bella came in, like Moraretta in girlish
life and hoydensm as one bramble- bush
is like another. And then out of the
mouth of two witnesses Miss Disbrow
was forced to believe.
"Did you ever see the man before ?
How did he look, and how did he APP
pear?" she asked.
.Oh, he was perfectly splendid. and he
was dressed elegantly" cried the enihu-
siastic school girls. but | never saw
him before; neither did Retta. don't
think he lives here; he came from the
: Cincinnati cars. You saw him, didn't
you, Retail said Bella Mosier.
"Yes, of course did, And then he