Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-05-09
IN THE BROOK.

Sylvia Dare had come back. This
piece of news, whispering from one to
another, was enough to set all the caps
in Bay brook nodding and. to- stir the
village into % ripple Of Eunusual excite
ment.
/ wish T could make you see Bay
brook as it stood that day, knee-deep
in fallen yellow leaves, and trimmed by
mountain ranges of pale blue which
seemed melting into the pale Novem-
Der sky Hush was the predominant
character of theaplace. The bare and
eongless woods into which the long
street plunged at either end, where it
sought the open country, were no stiller
than the village at its busiest center.
There was absolutely no sound in the
air, no voices, no hammers, no stir of
occupation, only the cawing of crows
in The fields, and one faint shrek from
8 distant locomotive ten miles away.
The closely-shuttered houses looked
dumb and ifeless. There was life
enough going on in back regions
life, and hard domestic trial,-but it
was not visible togthe road. The men
ofthe place, gathered in the customary
circle about the postofice store, com
Tersed, if at all, in low husky tones.
varying their talk with the life and in
IereSI Oh IrSquSH SHk5c4RSetOHAtiOu. y 1A0
side walk was deserted. Once or twice
in the course of the morning a woman
with fluttering garments passed along,
or, lodged into this door OF that, but
her presence brought no relief to the
prevailing sense of lifelessness, or
broke it only with that Hight surprise
Thich we experiences when some bird,
arobin orbelated woodpecker, brushes
by us IN the wintry woods. -
But for all this peaceful exterior,
Baybrooi5 did not. lack its gossips. In
the remote kitchens, where SO much
unseen business was done, great inter-
change of neighborly chat was going
on. At Mis- Wilder's, for instance, old
Mis- Philbrick had run over "'cross
lots" to interview hercrony on the topic
of the day, and Mis- Wilder, taking out
her knitting and banishing the girls"
In clumsily contrived erfand to the
buttery, had fairly settled down for en-
joyment. While Hepsy and Pris, in
dignant at being sent off, and on very
tip-top of curiosity, were doing their lit
tie all to overhear through the chink of
the door.
+" Who's Sylvia Dare 2" asked Pris,
catching the name amid the tantalizing e
hum, hum, hum of the low voices.
at don't know" replied Hepsy, with
wide open eyes. "Somebody awful, 1
guess"
Poor Sylvial 1t was not SO very long
ton or twelve years at utmost-since
she left her native village, and already
her name was q strange one in the ears
of the generation who now usurped her
place. She wasn't " somebody awful"
then. The elders remembered her, q
wiIlful, beautiful girl, carrying all be-
fore her with the insolence of youth
and vanity, flirting now with this
young man, now with that, and break
ing more than one heart. They recol-
lected the time of her brief engagement
to Phil ilThorpe-thO Ekeliest fellow in
the county-and his wretched looks
when, some months after it was all bro
ken off, she vanished from home to re-
turn no more. !" Gone on long visit
to come friends in York." old Miss
Dare said, in a last effort to save her
idarling's credit; but year later, when
she lay dying, the poor aunt confessed
the truth,-she did not know where
Sylvia was, she had never KNOWN
neither word Eor sign had come from
the chilalsince she went away. A dark
cloud of surmise rested thenceforward
over the fate OF the village beauty,
never lifted until now, when, marvel
GUS to relate, she had come back.
"But when did she come back ?''
asked Mis- Wilder.
'' Last night replied Mis- Philbrick,
bringing her cap nearer. "Jehiel For
bes was to the depot with his team, and
he fetched her over. She didn't speak
nor give no sign who she was, and
he never mistrusted at first-she
was SO changed ! Not much of han d
some Sylviel Dare left, 1 reckon. Bu
by and-by he asked where did she wan
to be set down and she Gays, says she
in kind of lhesitating voice, is ole
Miss Dare alive yes?' And then Jehie
he said, Why, no; Mis- Dare died 1
long piece back !, not more'n a year afte
her niece. went off, And at that sh,
kind of choked, and pulled down he
veil, and zthen.sJehiel guessed. So h.
didn't say anything more till they go
real near the village, and then he aske'
again where would she be set down
And at first she didn't answer, and thel
she said. sOh, j dom know drive t.
the house where Miss Dare used TO live
Perhaps they'll take me there to- board
saysishe, and she burst right out crying
,Iehial navs. In fnlt roal had and he too