Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-05-29

sheep fold he had just plundered
Thus it happened that as yet the pow
ers that were, know nothing of the
momentous secret, which they KEEP
between themselves, fearing to divulge
And now Annie, who wished to put
off the ordeal Of avowal as long AZ
possible-at any rate to gain time fcl
one more confidential talk with Davic
on the subject-said hastily in reply
to that stammered query of his with
which we have prefaced this nara
ton.
"Mother is going over to Aunt
Ruth's with father to spend the even.
ing, and she wants me to 90 too, but
| guess | won't I've been working
on fathers new shirts all day, besides
doing the dairy work yesterday, and
I'm about tired out"
Then she added before he could
reply:
"Don't come until s o'clock. shall
be about through putting things to
rights by that time"
OF course David was not too obtuse
to understand that he was specially
favored by this arrangement, and he
so far forgot his bashfulness as peti-
ton awkwardly for parting kiss,
which was at once refused in the most
incxorable manner possible.
"No, you shan't' There now Do
take yourself off, will you? Dye
think | didn't see you fidgeting around
EN- Smith at Deacon Andersons so.
ciable last night? I've not forgotten
that, sir"
ooh, now, Annie! Just one."
But further appeal was broken off
by tantalizing little laugh, and when,
rendered desperate by this, he tried to
revenge himself, at the very moment
when he thought he was secure of the
coveted bliss and stopped his head
triumphantly over his struggling pris-
oner, the rosy, laughing face vanished
suddenly from under his arm and was
off and away up the garden path lead
ing to the house, almost before he
could realize what had happened
For one moment David, who stood
gazing ruefully after her, thought of
pursuit and recapture. But before
he had time to put his plan into ex-
ecution, his tormentress, after stop
ping to give one mocking farewell
wave of fher hand from the front porch,
vanished inside Of the hall door. So
there was nothing to be done but to
turn reluctantly from the gate and
take the road homeward.
If you could have looked into the
family sitting room at Squire Moore's
shortly before eight o'clock on that
same evenining you would have had a
cheery picture before you. The after
supper clearing away was over, for the
sitting room was also the room where
the daily meals of the family were
eaten. The leaves of the old fashion
ed dinner table had been let down,
and the table itself, covered with a
bright oiled cloth set back against the
wall. The crumbs had been carefully
brushed with turkey wing from the
neat homemade carpet, and Annie's
workstand was drawn up in front of
the ample and blazing fire of hickory
logs which cracked cheerily in the old
fashioned fireplace.
A bcuntifully piled tray of red-cheek-
ed apples and a plate full of cracked
walnuts were on it, in close proximity
to Annie's coquettish work basket
made Of pine cones with her own deft
little hands, and daintily lined with
blue silk.
On one side of the fire place sat
Mrs. Moore, fat, fair, more than
forty, and at peace with all the world.
She sat swaying backwards and for
wards at intervals in her low rocking
chair, knitting as she rocked, and re-
freshing herself now and then with a
mouthful from a half eaten apple which
lay within easy reach, just upon the
corner of the table; or touching in a
caresslng manner with the tip of her
foot a sleek, lazy looking grey cat
that lay purring and blinking on the
hearth rug before her.
Annie sat on the other side of the
table deftly drawing her needle in and
out of long piece of white cambria,
and with her head as busy as her
hands with trying to contrive some
clever way of incidentally mentioning
the visit, which she was now moment
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