Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-03-14

not MIR. Cliiiord's or Mr.. Bevil's-proved
strong enough to resist AL Woodruffe's, 80
he had his, and carried of Gena to keep
their still more solemn y.sworn vows.
He was not intentionally severe to his
wife. He was sorry for her; he began to
have restless suspicion that his behavior,
though unbamable so far as roctitude and
fidelity were concerned, had not been free from
fault that he had not dealt quite gener.
ously aud tenderly by her, though he had
sincerely desired to rescue her from full
Aedged worldliness and to promote her best
interests. He wished to be kind to her now,
he purposed to forbear with her short-com-
ings, be yearned to have the old frank con-
idence between them restored. He tried,
but it was not easy to blot out the past, or
to throw down the cold, formal barriers
which had sprung up between him and Gena
Ii vexed him-nay, cut him keeny, that
she was afraid of the man who had humbled
and mastered, while he might have saved
her but how could he draw her nearer to him
With that mountain--as Gepa, with exagger-
ating eyes, had come to view it-of affront
failure, and provocation between them ?
The dull, shady, shabby -genteel poverty
Of the town curste's household was infinitely
more uncongenial than Gena, in her sanguinc
Ignorance had imagined; and she had no
heart to tighten and brighten it beyond cal
culatiou by a happy young brides thousand
and one neutrality-suspicious. articles. Even
Gena herself, in her youth aud natural ele-
gance, began TO subside into the sombre,
dust-colored tone of her surroundings. Gena
would not have been disposed to think the
managtes Of the trading city--who retreated
at the end Of every day to lealy retirement
within sight Of the blue Welsh mountains
on anything like an equality with the last
representative of the oldest gentry in her
shire but no managte gave her the chance
Of Withdrawing into herself in the unques-
ti0nable distance Of her superiority No
body called for the curaie's wife, save a lew
Of the working ladies OF the congregation
who shook their heads over her as over an
empty-headed, indifferent young girl, who
could give herself air., and could do no more
MIR. Woodruff, devoted aud diligent as he
was, had bluudered, like so many young
men, in the choice OF Il wife What Il pity
It was that young clergymen could not de-
vove Il selection, which was really so impor-
tant to their cures. on a committee ladies
committee Of their parishoners
ln minor matters everything was dreary,
depressing, isolated, though the sharp pinch
ing OF poverty had not yet come near the
young people to rouse one OF them to desper-
alton; still, after the first sickeniug for
pleasant sights and sounds and familiar
T., Ia, he Il tl,.K nd
forlorn alienation which prevailed between
the new-made husband and wife, to
poor little Gena's credit, every other trouble
sank into a minor matter indeed. What
would be the end of it2 Would Al Wood
ruffe and she walk separately aud soitarlly
all the days Of their ill-mated wedlock-
which ought to have been in its first flush
when the clouded honeymoon, during which
the wind had blown so chill about their very
hearth, had not been succeeded by many more
moons Would Al and she stiffen TO num-
mics, or ossify into monumental efigies, or
would they drop their mantles of resolute
dutifulness and strict civihty, and take to
hating each other-to leading a cat-and-dog
life, and become a scandal to the community
and to AIS cloth?
The end came suddenly, and in an unex-
pected fashion. Gena was sitting listlessly
in her small, coloTless drawing room, stitch
ing at Dorcas work, which served her for a
constant treadmi task, although had she
put her heart in it and gone blthely and BUSH
y about it, few hours week would have
amply suticed for its satisfactory completion.
But she took it as one OF the penalties to
which she was condemned in the process of
expiration, aud she prolonged it because she
had no interest beyond Her windows, with
their lookout on bricks, bricks, bricks, and
the smoke Of endless chimneys, were without
the hardy flowers which will consent, if they
are cordially asked, to flourish even in such
localities. There was no bird to sing to her,
and break in with its free carol on the me-
chanical drone of the street organ. She had
actually suffered her Clifford Farm grey.
hound to be stolen, and thinking OF his pos
sibe ill.usage under hard master, she would
not further lnjure him by having another
canine companion in his place. The books
aud newspapers were Ais property. Gena
had never been great reader, aud now she
thought it better not to read at all, as Al, in
the dearth of conversation between them,
would read aloud books which she was too
weary.spirited and too heavy-hearted to exert
herself to follow Her piano was a sealed
instrument; Gena shrank from it more than
from any other occupation. Had not her
last songs been practised with Sir Francis
Paulet2 Did not every note recall the deg
radation-not of passion, but of volatility,
and of the hankering after vanities which
was not stIled, and which there was nothing
in Genas present life to supersede ?
While she was bent on her drudgery, Al
came in, and said quickly after pause,
Gena, think you had better 60 hOme-I
mean to the Farm, or to my fathers for a
few weeks; have arranged for you to start
tomorrow"
Gena looked up in utter bewiderment and
rapidly rising CONSERVATION. Why was she
to be sent away? The season was yet late
spring, aud there was no fOrestalling Of sum
mer heat to drive the dwellers in the at
mosphere Of crowded cities TO fresher air and
less confined space. There was nothing so
attractive in her Bristol house, which even
its master did not call home, that she should
griove to quit it for season, hal not the
sending her from it without cause filed
her with chagrin and alarm. Was she to be
further disgraced Had her presence proved
so signal failure that her absence was to
he summariIy requested What had she
done She had, as she believed, tried her
best to be obedient and useful Gena's heart
swelled with cruel sense Of injustice, as
well as with terrible ache Of pain.
She stood up, aud demonstrated with Al
Woodruff for the first time since she had
lost her own selfrespect with his respect,
aud had covered before him-a steadiast,
righteous man, when she had acted like a
paltering, trAing, false woman.
"Why am 1 to go to the Farm or the vi
Garage, All Nobody expects me there, |
never heard of going before | am not pre-.