Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1872-12-20

prove to my people that They would bull
ly me and her and, if told them her his.
tory, they would think me mad for believ.
ing It,"
He continued for time more in this strain
and then cOn6ded us Maras history, which
she had told him that afternoon, "crying," |
said he as, "as if her little heart would break,
and hiding her face in her hands, as if II we're
a crime she were confessing TO-" Mara's
mother had never been married. She had
been Sempstress, aud when deserted by her
seducer, who had kept her for some years in
comfort, she had resumed her old calling,
and supported herself and her child by the
needle. BY and by Mara had been able to
earn her living by her needle too; but at
her mothers death, rich family-perhaps
related to her father-had taken her under
protection, finished her education, and given
her a comfortable home under their roof.
She remained with them until she discovered
that the master Of the house. whose wife was
her chief benefactress, and who was himself
an honorable man and father of family,
was in love with her. Then, foreseeing that
if she staid she could only be cause Of sor-
row and disgrace, she had fed, leaving note
behind her, TO say that she would never re-
turn, because she had been unhappy in the
house, and was going to seek a home else
where. "They had been kinder to me than
If had been their child was her grateful
acknowledgment; "but l thought, that, if 1
made myself out to bs thankless and wicked,
they would not endeavor to follow me-" So
she had come TO Sandbeach, not knowing the
town, but thinking that from its loneliness it
would be a good place to hide in. She had
ten pounds when she arrived, the savings
of her pOcket-money; and she had hoped, in
her ignorance Of the ways Of the world, that
she could obtain situation by simply saying
that she was wiling to work. How soon
she had been disappointed we knew but
Halsey had met her just in time to save her
from grinding want. Since then she had
been living on the proceeds of her sketches.
She painted three or four of them week
and for each Halsey gave her sovereign,
saying he knew dealer in London who sold
them. Being unimagnative, she had never
doubted this was fact. Such was the sim.
pie history of Mara, as Halsey told it US.
Looking back upon that time, it strikes
me as symptom of the inthralling fascination
Mara had exercised over us all, that we all
accepted her account Of herself as if it had
been gospel. There were no questions and
no doubling; yet we were not, l believe,
fools. On the morrow Halsey started early
for London to get his license; and by the
following train Merry went there, too, under
commission from Cloves and |, to buy Mara
a wedding present in our three joint names.
By clubbing our resources We had Jumped
some sixty pounds; and Merry brought back
the same eveninga watch and chain, brace
let, and pair of earrings, all tasteful and
well made. Halsey also returned about the
same time with his license and trousseau
that had cost him a hundred pounds. He
went off at once to Mara's and brought her
back to tea with us, the landlady being in
vited up for the occasion, to play propriety.
Mara found her presents on her plate, in
the place of honor at the head Of the table
and fancy can see Halsey now, fastening
the earrings to her tiny ears, then turning
round to us with his eyes moist, and saying,
"What good fellows you all are and what a
lucky dog | am to have such wife and
such friends :"
The presents drew q little color to Mara's
pale cheeks, for she was extremely pale; and
it escaped none of us that she wore an abb
stracted, dreamy expression, which we had
noticed on her face before, but which now
seemed settled there. We attributed this to
natural emotion. Later, however, l remem.
bered an episode OF that evening to which
we none of us attached much Importance al
the time, though it seemed to have rather
struck Cloves, who was the most observant
Of us. When the tea-thngs were cleared
away, Halsey asked if there were any thing
: in that days paper. Our landlady, who
read her newspaper religiously from end t
! end, advertisements included, answered, "Oh
r yes, Mr.. Halsey, the shockingest murder in th'
world,-a policeman killed in London with
! a poker There's column of particular
I most dreadful to think Of" Lifting my
, eyes at that moment, saw that Mara's fac,
5 had grown livid. Her eyes were haggardly
fixed on the speaker, and her lips parted Al
if in abject terror. Seeing me looking at he
{ she endeavored to recover herself, and pu
: up her hands before her eyes; but moaI
Y broke from her lips, and her head fell bacl
a senseless All of us rose in alarm. Tn
, window was opened, salts were fetched an,
= Halsey, falling on his knees chafed he
t hands distractedly between his but, as sh
i was soon restored to consciousness, the Incl
c dent was ascribed to the heat, which had, i
y truth, been oppressive that day.
The next morning Halsey took his licens
t to the rector, and on the day following tn
d wedding came off. One need scarcely dc
C scribe the commotion spread throughou
e Sandbeach by the event. Although the rec
n tor had been given but four and twont
r hours notice, this was quite enough to lC
the news circulate in every mock Of the town
= and, at the hour appointed for the ceremony
t, not pew in the small parish church but wa
u crowded, whilst the concourse outside woul
a have given one to suppose that every specta
d tor had deep personal interest in what wa