Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-02-19

in the old spot under the red bean vines
on the porch, and Miss Wharton's shoes
were made as daintily as shoes could be.
But she did not ride past on Dame Dur
den, nor stop at the gate that day, or
for many days after. A servant came
for the little boots at last, and paid their
price with little air of condescension
peculiar to servants in rich peoples
houses when they are away from home,
and Miss Wharton seemed to have van
ished from the gaze of the shoemaker as
though she had never sat with him upon
the porch, and talked of poetry and mu-
sic, and romance, and thought that with,
out black eyes and golden hair, and
dimple in the chin, no man could be
4 handsome.
Summer went and Winter came
With winter the house in which Miss
Wharton dwelt while skies were blue,
and breezes warm, was always empty
the village lost sight of her, as it usual
ly did; but with the early spring there
came no opening Of the closed shutters,
no preparation for such good company.
Instead, there came one day in the
place dry, dusty looking man in rusty
black, who posted legal notice of some
kind on the walls of the garden, and
who stopping at the tavern to dine, told
the landlord that the property was ''in
Chancery." and Miss Wharton in all
probability a beggar. Why, the land
lord could not tell, but something was
said about a flaw in the old gentleman s
will. That. of course, meant Lilies
grandfather.
The story spread like wildfre. Ira
heard it when the bean vines were only
half way up their support wires. Be-
fore they had blossomed, Stage stopped
before the gate one day, and from it
stepped lady in a very plain gray dress,
| and palmer gray hat-Miss Wharton
: and no other.
5 Ira was at the gate in a moment He
turned pale as he took her hand. She
blushed from chin to brow Then she
: said to Mrs Harlowe, whose motherly
figure had followed that of her son,
Will you take boarder? l have
n come to ask you. | want to be with
o people I know, until | can look about
S me for means to earn my own livelihood. ,
''If our plain way could suit you,
G began the farmers wife,
But Lille interrupted her.
:. Il have no way now, you know.
= am poor girl who must learn to work
May | come 2"
d So it came to pass that Miss Wharton
remained at the farm house.
If She dressed no more in silk attire
'e nor were there diamonds in her ears
Is She went about with the daughters Q
ID the house, and learned of them to mil
+. the cows and churn the golden butte
g and cook dinners for sturdy troops c
e. farm hands.
III Her hands were not so white, but he
at step was as light and her laugh as mel
ry In the evening she sang to thel
le ballads that had filed the hall of fasl
w ion with their sweetness oftentimes; an
ed she told the listening girls of things tn;
p she had seen and heard, of scenes amid'
We which she had dwelt, as sister just IT
id turned to them might. And sometime
r she sat with Ira in the shadow of Il
tn bean vines, and the two were wonderful
ly happy. And summer passed, and a
an tumn came, and winter was at han
or when she said to him:
of Ira, must learn trade, you kno'
We Teach me to do what a woman may
all your business"
'ut He looked at her quietly a momer
be and then said:
l ''Do you really mean it?''
h; Il really mean it," she answered.
zen 'Why not %
y; So he taught her. And the ne
in night he laid in her lap book, new a.
ii; bright and yet uncut, which he h
to brought with him from the city in t
Igh afternoon. She looked at the title a
my smiled.
me ''It is the story all the papers pra
me So, she said. '.The book by the l
no known author. l have wanted to re
be- it very much Is it really good ?"
no ..Tell me" he said and left her.
And at her stitching, all next d;
she kept the book beside her, and re
ion it bits at time wept over it, laugh
zer, over it, and thought to herself, "Oh,
nor woman's heart, what strange thing
elf; is! How one could love the man v
ud, wrote it! p
uld The book lay open on her knee, wi
uld Ira came to her side in the twilight
or They were alone in the great sitti
cad ROOM All was very still and peacei
ich- Within, the freight lay red upon
for walls; without, the pearly gray Of
un- and landscape mingled. Ira bent o
en- her, and looked into her eyes. II
ever met his, quietly and sweetly. He
will down upon the footstool at her side, +;
such took her hand and held it. No W
in was spoken for a while. They he
say, the crisp crackle of the fire, the f;
tinkling of the cowbells from the ds
m yard, the whistle of some homeward
more ing farm hand in the road without
' of within was SO still. At last Ira sale
Il wish were king, Lille, to {
that you my kingdom, but as it is, my d
peak will YOU take me, with the nothing I
y to have besides %
/ IN She answered: elf you love me, l.
sat 4 have always loved you" he S
"You know that There was tim
out never thought that l should ask you
and be my wife. But now [ do not IL
stars you will be ashamed of the shoema
It, or vince at the sound of his crutch.
; the I should hope, that even now-just
| the you feel sure of it, and tell me so
pper Did [ ever vince % she asked.
own "Yes, Lille
t on She put her arms around his neck
the kissed him ut does not matter tc
what whether you are king or shoem
, was now, she said, 'and any step woul
music the dearest in the world to me that
lerry me you were coming.
li1rht qILa+ .a;crL4 Ira told L;c naotho,.