Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-07-10

airs and affectations, Of her fashionable
city sisters"
Say gave q little impatient twirl tc
the cup in her hand.
Nonsense !" she retorted contempt
uously, "you talk like the hero in q
third-rate newspaper story"
The young man colored, as much
with anger as modification:
"lIow sharp you are, Say" he said
deprecatingly. "You wont allow any
one to express his own sentiments in
his own fashion without making fun ol
him. | do like the country and every.
thing about a farmers life better than
do the city and trade, and as for"
Say interrupted him again In her
most acid tones: "There, there I've
heard enough Of that. No doubt your
parents will be glad to have you al
home with them."
She spoke the concluding words with
q cool indifference that made her lis.
tener's face redden angrily.
I'm not going TO stay at home, now.
shall start for California next week,
he said, with little quaver Of pain in
his voice, that Say pretended not to
notice.
"Doyou think you'll like country
life there better than at homer"
She asked the question with an ill.
concealed smile, that reused the young
mans temper beyond control.
"If l meet with scorn and contempt
there" he said wrathfully, st will be
easier to bear as coming from the
hands Of strangers than from those
whom l have counted upon, all my
life, 40 friends"
Say said nothing, but her face, as
seen by the ruddy freight, was coldly
unmOved, and the young man turned
away with a proud light in his eye
that contrasted strangely with the
grieved and quivering lip.
"Well. SQUIRE" he said, with an ef-
fort at careless ease that did not es-
cape the old mans keen eye, "you
don't need me any longer, l suppose
so I'll just say good night, and be oil
for home" And scarcely waiting to
hear the others cordial thanks for his
timely assistance, he walked hastily
away, and in a moment more was lost
to sight in the shadowy forest beyond.
The old man watched his retreating
figure, with face at once grave aud
puzzled.
There amt finer lookin' young
fellow in town." he said to himself,
and the look of perplexity deepened on
his kindly face as he glanced across at
his daughters trim little figure, clearly
defined against the glowing fire that
she was leisurcly feeding from a stock
Of chips and broken branches on the
ground beside her; "and she always
did think, till lately, that he was as
good as the best. l don't see, for my
life, what's come over her all at once.
Here, Jim," addressing his boyish as
sistant, "this kittleful is billed enough,
an YOU may dip it Off into the pans.
while / see to the rest"
And he walked briskly across TO
where his daughter was still assidu-
ously feeding the fire beneath the 9th
er kettle.
billed most enough!' he asked, and
pouring, as he spoke ladleful of the
boiling liquid upon a patch Of clean
untrodden snow at his feet.
Not quite" taking piece Of the
suddenly hardened mass in hs prac-
ticed fingers. "It'll take half an
hours bilin' yet" and comfortably
disposing himself upon one end Of the
messy log that served his daughter for
a seat, he added, in the most innocent
tone imaginable:
"Ben's gone home"
Say answered never a word.
81 never see such a fellow resum-
ed the old man, meditatively whiting
away upon soft pine chip which he
was slowly fashioning into the form of
probe; ''why, he's as strong as an
OK; he's done one O the biggest days
works, ter day, that ever saw done in
my life. l don't wonder, with his
bones and muscles, that he can't be
contented TO sell salts an SIENNA over
q city counter. all his life."
Say nibbled uneoncernedly at the
bit Of candied syrup in her hand,
Will. her father went on in more con-
iidential tone.
"He's saved enough out of his
clerks wages to pay his expenses to
Californy AN there he'll stay till he
gets enough ter pay off the mortgage
on the old place, stock it we'll, an put
up new buildin's, with, maybe, a nest
egg for rainy day, and then he's
comm back to spend his life with them
he loves, in the old home"
There was bit of unconscious rO-
nance in the concluding words that
Say shrcwuiy mistrusted was but the
echo Of another's words-an echo that
graed harshly upon her stubbornly
unaopreciative ear, and she said short
ly:
Good plans are we'll enough, if they
are only carried out, but it's my opin-
ion that Ben Worth will get as sick Of
California as he has Of city life. He
never knows his own mind ten minutes
at time"
The squire looked gravely reproach-
tul, but Say would not heed the look,
anC as he spoke she held up before her
facs green, bristling pine bough that
serred no less as u screen from her IA
thes keen eyes than from the heat of
the blazing fire.
Say, my girl, what's the trouble I!
Whit have you got agin Ben Worth,
Lately, that you don't treat him hardly
dec.nt? an when you speak Of him,
it's pretty sure to be with a slur. Ev.
erykody else likes i'm, and Pm sure
you won't find steadier, smarter, bet
ter-,ehaved young man anywhere
round than he is. Now, what do you
hats i'm so for?"
Says face changed from red to white
| and hack n, tho rod again hohind her