Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-02-15
JOHN HARLOw's CHOICE.


of John Harlow in New York. He told
his partner that be wanted to 60 home for
a week. He said he wanted to see his
father and the boys, and his sister, but that
he especially wanted to ride old Bob to
the brook once more, and to milk Cherry
again. Just to see how it felt to be
farmers boy.
"John." said the old lawyer, "be sure
you fix up a match with some of those
country girls; no man is fit for anything
till he is well married, and you are now
able with economy to support a wife.
Mind you get one Of those country girls.
These paste and powder people here aren't
fit for young man who wants woman"
The next morning John had letter
from his sister. Part of it ran about
thus
"rve concluded, old fellow, that if you
don't marry you'll dry up and turn TO
parchment Pm going to bring home with
me the smartest girl | know. OF course
she don't know what | am up to, but you
must prepare to capitulate."
In the old home they were looking for
the son. The family proper consisted of
the father, good Deacon Harlow, Johns
two brothers, ten and twelve years old,
and Huldah, the "help." This last was
the daughter of neighboring farmer, who
was a poor and hopeless rheumatic, and
most of the daughters hard earnings went
to exc out the scanty subsistence at home.
Aunt Judith, the sister Of johns mother,
looked after" the household affairs of her
brother in-law, by coming over once week
and helping Huldah darn and mend and
make, and by giving Huldah such advice as
her inexperience was supposed to require.
But now Deacon Harlow's daughter had
left her husband TO eat his turkey alone in
Boston, and had brought her two children
home to receive the paternal blessing.
Not that Mrs. Amanda Holmes had the
plternal blessing chiefly in view in her trip
She had brought with her a very dear
friend, Miss Janet Dunton, the accom-
plished teacher in the Mt. Parnassus
Female Seminary. Why Miss Janet Dun
ton came to the country with her friend,
she could hardly have told. Not a word
had Mrs. Holmes spoken to her on the sub
ject of the matrimonial scheme. She
would have resented any allusion to such
a subject. She would have repealed any
insinuatiOn that she had ever dreamed that
marriage was desirable under any conceiv-
able circumstances. She often declared,
sentimentally, that she was welded to her
books, and loved her leisure, and was de-
termined to be an old maid. And all the
time this sincere Christian girl was dying
to confer herself upon some worthy man of
congenial tastes which meant, in her case,
just what it did in John Harlow's,
one who could admire her attainments.
Mrs. Holmes and her friend had arrived
twenty-four hours ahead of John, and the
daughter Of the house had already installed
herself as temporary mistress by thought
lcssly upsetting, reversing, and turning
inside out all the good Huldahs most
cherished arrangements. All the plans for
the annual festival that wise and practical
Huldah had entertained were vetoed, with
out thought that this young girl had
been for a year and half in actual author
ity in the house, and might have some feel
ing Of wrong in having guest of a week
overturn her plans for the next month.
But Mrs, Holmes was not one of the kind
to think of that Huldah was hired and
paid, and she never dreamed that hired
people could have any interests in their
work or their home other than their pay
and their food. But Huldah was patient,
though she confessed that she had feeling
that she had been rudely ''trampled all
over" lsuspect she had good cry at the
end of the first day. cannot affirm it,
except from general knowledge of women.
When John drove up in the buggy that
the boys had taken to the depot for him,
his first care was to shake hands with the
deacon, who was glad to see him, but could
not forbear expressing hope that he would
"shave that hair off bis upper lip" Then
John greeted his sister cordially, and was
presented to Miss Dunton. Instead o.
sitting down, he pushed right on into the
kitchen, where Huldah, iE a calico frocb
and a clean white apron, was baking biscuit
for tea. She had been schoolmate of his
and he took her hand cordially as she stood
there, with the bright western sun half
clarifying her head and face.
"Why, Huldah, how you've grown ?
was his first word of greeting He meant
more than he said, for though she was moi
handsome, she had grown exceeding comely
as she developed into woman.
Undignified as everw said Amanda, a,
she returned to the sitting room.
The next day the ladies could get n,
good out Of John Harlow. He got u,
early and MIXED the COW. He cut WOO
and carried it in for Huldah. He rode oil
Bob to the brook for water. He did every
thing that he had been accustomed to d
when boy, finding as much pleasure il
forgetting that he was q man, as he ha,
once found in hoping to be a man. TIL
two boys enjoyed his society greatly, am
his father was delighted to see that he ha
retained his interest in the farm life.
John was not insensible to Janet Dun
tons charms. She could talk iiuentl
about all the authors most in vogue, an
the effect of her fluency was really dazzlin
to man. John was infatuated with til
idea of marrying wife of such attain
ments. How she would dazzle bis friends
How the Governor would like to talk /
her How she would shine in his parlors
How she would delight people as she CAV
them tea and talk at the same time. job
was in love with her as he would hay
been in love with a new tea-urn or rar
book. During that week he talked an
walked and rode in the sleigh with Mi:
Dunton, and had made up his mind tbs
he would carry this brilliant prize to Ne
York. But, with lawyer-like caution,