The Portland daily press., 1872-05-18
In A STAGE COACH.


consequently the billy roads of Maine were in
parlous state-deep mud-holes alternating
with old snow drifts, and treacherous spots
which seemed frozen, but were merely a
crust covering the porous mass below. II
was nine o'clock in the morning when the
stage-coach which connects the little village
of B, on the Kennebec river, with the
railway terminus some twenty-five miles be-
low, drow up before the door of the public.
house, where Harvey Middleton stood wait
ing. That gentleman watched its approach
with some doubts concerning his own char ces
of a seat. 1t was not a coach, but a thing
called mud cart'-a kind OF wide open
wagon set on strong elastic springs, and hav-
ing several low-backed seats, which extended
over the wheels to afford more room. Every
seat was full except one on the elevated
perch of the driver, and thither Middleton
clambered with some difficulty, and wrapped
himself as well as he could from the cold.
He was just recovering from rather severe
illness, which had detained him for a fort
night in that out-ofthe-way place. A busy
Boston lawyer, with an Office full of cases
calling him home, he had not borne the con-
finement very patiently; and not feeling real
ly well enough yet to bear tiresome stage
ride, was just in that state of nervous irrita-
bility to be annoyed at every thing. As he
mounted to his place his ears were greeted by
womans laugh-a hearty, ringing laugh,
too loud to be exactly lady-like, but with a
pleasant sound in it for all that. At least he
might have thought so in more amiable
moment; now, however, he turned, little
disguised at the boisterous outbreak, and,
while settling himself in the fur robes, took
rapid survey of his fellow travellers
They were none of them ofa class likely to
please his tastidious taste. On the back seat
were sharp-vissged Shaker, who had poster
ed him to buy washing-machine at the pub
lic-house that morning, sleepy-looking ell
DERBY farmer, and his wife. The. latter was a
nervous, restless woman, who had in charge
three Baskets bundle, shawl, an umbrella.
and her husband, and seemed equally anx-
ious about them all. Four red-shirted log
drivers on their way down the river to start
big jam at Carratunk Falls, filled the
front seat. They were decent men, though
rough, and rather disposed to treat the other
passengers to a good deal of chaff. On the
middle seat were three persons. The first
was country youth of the hobledehoy age,
but with pleasant, intelligent face, interest
ing in spite of immaturity and freckles. Next
him sat pale, tired-looking woman, with a
sad girlish face, who carried in her arms an
enormously fat and incredibly lively baby.
The other occupant of the seat was a Young
woman OF certainly striking appearance. She
seemed about twenty-four or five, had a tall.
snowy figure and handsome face-very
handsome, Middleton admitted to himself,
after several surveys. A brilliant complex
ion, an abundance of black hair in shining,
satiny bands-it was before the advent Of
''frizzles'-clear, strong grey eyes, a we'll
cut nose, and handsome though somewhat
large mouth filled wish dazzling white teeth.
Plainly it was that mouth from which had is
sued the ringing boisterous laugh which had
so offended Middletons fastidiousness. Her
attire was remarkable She wore a hand
some blue silk dress, a velvet cloak richly
fringed and braided, a light silk hat with
feathers, and a lace collar fastened with
shewy brooch. Gold bracelets on her wrists.
and lemon-colored kid gloves, completed a
costume which, though certainly becoming,
could hardly be called appropriate for stage
coach ride in muddy spring day. Middle
toms taste instantly pronounced it and its
wearer hopelessly vulgar. She talked con-
stantly, not only with the youth at her side,
who seemed to belong to her in some way,
but with all the other passengers. Her voice
was pleasant one, though its tones, like her
laugh, were so loud as to jar disagreeahly Oh
Middleton's ear. Ordinarily it would net
have occurred to him to be thus annoyed in
deed, his sense of humor might have been
pleased by the young woman's shrewd and
often witty comments on the incidents of
their ride; but to-day he was ill and nervous,
and her loud tone, her unpublished and occa-
sianally ungrammatical speech and yulgalIy
snowy dress displeased and disguised him.
He bore it as long as he could, and then his
1mpatience broke out. Not loud enough,
however, to be audible to the object of it. II
was to his companion, the driver, that he
exclaimed, "Confound that woman,s tonguel
Is there no end to its internal clatterr'
The driver looked at our friend with sur
prised and half-ofended glance but in a mo-
ment he answered, in a tone rather patron
lzlng and tolerant, as though the person he
addressed could really not be supposed to
know any better. - r.-'r
well, stranger, Iguess you feel kind O.
out O. sorts this morning. You don't look
well, snum. Been sick, amt YEP"
eyes" rF - FAN afTsf
''Well, it beats all how most anything will
kind O. hector fellow when he don't feel
Just right. Now, for my part, I'd rather hear
Lymp Tucker laugh than to hear preachin' !:
there's something heartenin' in it; would
cheer fellow up if he was blue as Moxey
Mountain" no. :
81 beg your PARDON" said Middleton. 81
did not know she was friend OF yours, and
l meant no harm any way.w
"Oh, well, there's no otfense. Lymp amt
any thing to me in particular; but she's a
girl always like to have behind my horses"
What did you call her ?''
"Lymp Tucker-short for Olympia-Dea-
con Ben fuckers daughter; oldest of six"
care they all like her?"
If there was any hidden sneer in his words
the driver did not perceive it. "Not much"
was his emphatic reply. "They're pindlin'
set. She's as strong as a threshin' machine,
and as smart as chain lightnin."
Indeed What can she do?
''Well, should like to have you mention
anything she can't do.''
Middleton's good breeding constrained him
to express an interest in the drivers theme
which, perhaps, he did not wholly ieel. The
latter went on confdentially. Their seat be-
ing higher than the Others, the loud rattle of
the wheels kept their words within bounds.
"You see, Sir, Deacon Tucker he hain't
never been strong man, and was ALWAYS
rather behindhand with his farmin'. Then
they've had a sight of sickness. Two of the
girls died of consumption, and Miss Tucker
she fell down stairs and hurt the spine of her
back, so she has scarcely done a days work
since. One year the deacon's crops failed.
ond the next he had bad luck with his cattle
dying; and so, what with sickness and all,
he'd had to mortgage his farm, and it had on
ly three year more to run, and every BODY
reckoned he'd have to lose it. Then Lymp
she said that never should be, for she should
earn the money to pay off the mortgage. She
was eighteen then, and had done ali the work
az home pretty near since she could run alone.
She went out to spinning till she got money
enough to pay her fare to Lowell, and then
she started for the factory. l carried her
down to the cars in my stage, and 1 happen
10 know That she hadn't but one gown to her
back when she went aHay. o-
''WeL, she got good place, and she work-
I'd straight along, aud sent home monern
seven hundred dollars-and cleared off Tho
mortgage, and took deed of the place in bar
own name to make sure against accidents,
That was six year ago or more, and TODAY
you would never know twas the same place.
The house is all fixed up, and there's new
furniture in it, and the deacon's as chirk as a
cricket, and proud of Lymp, you'd better be.
ieve.''
he ought to be-" said Middleton, heartily.
Dldnt tell you?" asked the other,
trlumphantly. "And that amt half She
hires girl to wait on her mother. and shes
sent the younger children to school-she nov,
er had any chance for schoolin' herself-a1,,l
then You see that boy back there with
her%' '"'io VIII"
eyes, / noticed him."
"Well, that's her brother John; all the how
the deacon ever had. He's seventeen. an i
smart. Lymp's putin him through college.
gong to make doctor of him, she saws"
she is noble girl,
wen, shes got the grit. You can't dis
courage her. She's bound To Ianob rab,
through everything; and that kind alws We
have good luck. Not proud neither th.noh
she's got money in the bank, and can stFN.d
to have things nice now. Some differenc. ),
he continued proudly, with backward oes-
ture, between that velvet cloak and the day