Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-12-18

choose TO keep on. lie shall acknowledge
soma day the value Of the despised brushes
aDd paint-pots. And, Nelly, mind you
do not lose faith in me, and when | come
back"
These sweet, significant blanks in the Low.
er's dialect Who needs to Gil them up
Certainly this boy and girl Of eighteen uu-
derstood each other. And so they had
parted. The years passed on, and still John
fingered in Germany, ahard.working, lonely
student Success had not come to him in
full tide ; he had been refreshed only BY
an occasional scanty ripple. Absence tries
the worth of our friends severely; but at
the end of eight years John Douglass had
no reason to complain of bis place in Eli
uor's heart And then, Fate, the great
mischief-maker decreed that the Reverend
Gilbert Palmer should receive call " 10
Thorndale And, coming, what more natu.
raj than that he should find in Elinor Reid
the dream Of his manhood fulfilled. No
one wondered at bis choice, every body won
dered why his suit was not successful. Miss
Lodemy, who may be considered as a sort
Of sounding.board Of the village opinions,
speculatcd a great deal on this matter.
For my part" she was fond Of saying,
" its jest as plain as the nose on my face
that these two people were cut out for each
other. He's considerably older than she
is; he's good-looking, smart, well.connect-
ed, aud pretty well off, As for that, though,
she's got money enough for both. Only
herself and mother to share all that Reid
property. The unlucky insinuation that
perhaps Elinor was waiting for her cousin,
never failed to rouse Miss Lodemy's indig-
nation. That's likely story What do
you s'pose those two children know about
love 20 The new minister" -four years
residence in Thorndale had not been sufli.
cieut to rob him Of the distinguishing title,
" new y "will carry the day, or I'll miss
my guess and Miss Lodemy nodded her
head triumphantly.
But, owing to our privilege of authors
clairvoyance, we are able to see that the
minister and Elnor only stood to each other
in that delightful, dangerous relation of
" very dear friends" Living as Gilbert
Palmer did, when he came to Thorndale,
above the village gossip, no hint of Elinor's
attachment TO her cousin had reached his
ear. Long ago had he declared his love !;
long ago had he received his answer. His
quiet words ran constantly in her ears,
" | have waited nearly lifetime for hap
piness, Einor; | shall wait still longer"
Over and over again, Elinor said to her
self, 81 love John of course / love
him !" When a young woman seeks to
convince herself in this way, does she love
him ?
"When John comes home," she thought,
" all will be we'll" And John had written
that he was coming. He had left Ger
many. But the days had passed into
weeks aud the weeks into months, until
over two years had been spent in dreary
suspense and waiting. In this interval,
Elnor was forced to admit the humiliating
truth that her affection for John Douglas
had dropped to the level of pure sisterly
feeling And now began the battle be-
tween love and (what seemed to bel duty
We understand now the reason Of her
tired look, to-day. The submissive atti-
tude OF the trees, holding up their gaunt
arms to the sky, seemed to her type of
the desolate, waiting lives in the world.
" But for the trees, at least, is a coming
spriug-time," she murmured. The next
moment she laughed at herself for the FAM
cy. Am | growing sentimental A
walk at Aunt Marion's will cure me-"
She left the parlor. and shortly after
presented herself, with hat and cloak, at
the door of her mothers room. am
going to Woodside."
" That long, lonely road at this late
hour ~ inquired Mrs. Reid
The walk will do me good,' replied
Elnor " and Aunt Marion will bring me
home after tea"
Nothing escaped Miss Lodemy, sewing
by the window Of the little brown cottage
over the way. She watched Elinor out Of
sight with a wise smile lowering over her
| thin lips. "She started to her wife, III
bet and the minister went the same way,
full two hours ago. How surprised she'll
be !" But another surprise was in store
for Elinor Of which Miss Lodemy little
dreamed.
Night came ou--a raw, cheeIless night.
1t was too dark to see longer by the win
dow, and Miss Lodemy prepared to light
the lamp and draw the curtains. The sit
tiug.roo floor like life, had its ups and
downs" Enough TO make feller sea.
sick to walk round here" grumbled the
brisk little woman, as she creaked about,
stirring the fire and putting away her scat
tered work. Suddenly her attention was
arrested by the sound of wheels. They stop
ped at the house opposite, and, by strainng
hor eyes in the darkness, she saw the figure
Of man alight from close carriage, and,
with hasiy strides, 60 up the graveled path
to the house. Miss Lodemy grew excited.
She felt unequal to observing all this
alone. 1t was high time to call in her sis
ter, and the shrll voice piped out, Lora-
ny Lorany -
The kitchen door opened, and through it
drfted an odor OF fruits and spices, and
freshly baked bread and pies Lorany ap-
peared in the doorway, with her sleeves
rolled up, and general Thanksgiving
doesn't. acknowledgements air about her.
The sisters were a curious pair. One, as
sharp and slender as a needle, the sign Of
her trade the other, round, smooth and
heavy as one Of her own apple dumplings.
What's wanting, Lodemyi Don't him
der. I'm in hurry to finish up the work.
Seems to me that shall never get through.
The pies are not more'n half baked took
ne pretty much all the afternoon to pin
feather them chickens"
Somebody's come !" breathlessly ex.
claimed Miss Lodemy.
"Here2 Good luck !" said Lorany, look
ing heplessly down at her half.mourping
calico, rather worse for its chicken experi-
ences.
"No, no At the Reds. A man has
Just gone in there. It's so dark that l
can't tell who he is, but s'posc'n it should
| be-"
"John Douglas !" broke in Lorany.
"Well, well !" and, unmindfd of her half
finished baking she sank placidly into the
low rocking-chair, while her sister main
tanned her post at the window
"Tel you what Mrs. Douglas will be
happy woman if John has come home,'
said Miss Lodemy. " Poor woman she's
had sight Of trouble. Wonder if John
ever got the news of his fathers death-f''
"You can't tell much by them Reids and
DougIases," rejoiued her sister. They
arn't very free to talk" She took up the
poker and cave the fire stir This at