Litchfield enquirer., 1874-01-29

penetrated to the heart of hrfnbux. Like ali soyereigns, she repelled question ing, and reserved her decision; but Faith full soon won her approval, and perhaps with subtle tact conquered her by 8 shamefaced confession that his educatio Il had been neglected, aud he should like q few lessons Ill arithmetic and writing
 This was an appeal to that hidden desire to be schooimistress which Is said 60 turk in every New England woman $ heart. and it was not long before the altar to butternut-cracking was degraded; it's lamps were put out, it's vestals swept the last shells into tine fire, and table cover ed with green ba1ze, and with huge ink stand in the middle, was erected in it's place. One of the young gentlemen, fresh from the genteel curriculum of the academy, was installed as teacher, and Miranda herself 'set same copies in her own bold flowing English handwriting. think l see poor Faithful now, in the most painful of attitudes, like Mr. Weller signing his love-letters. We were destin- ed to have some interesting letters from Faithful afterwards, and Miranda's .ty's" and ''g's" were always recognizable. He proved @ prodigy of industry, true Yan- kee, doing his work intelligence, but with certain deference 10 hls employers, which has become one of the lost arts |. He aeas coachman!-rendered even more amiable by the black shadow of Be- night Plumstone; we could stay at par ties as late as we pleased; no dashing of the rose-leaves from the goblet, they float ed to the brim. Faithful would 'shitch his horses" go himself into the kitchen, where, I dare say,, he did some robust flirting on his own account with the rosy maids, and await our pleasnre. Did one, more conscientious than the rest, go out to inquire for the horses, she was met by Faithful in sympathetic state of hilari. ty, and received the comforting assurance that "them hosses had two buffalo apiece onto them, and no need to hurry!" Such Q fact in natural history might have alarm ed foreigner, but we ''were to the man. her born,' and were not alarmed. We went back to chase the glowing hours with flying feet, determined to dance while there was life, and, if possible, we left & crack of the door open, that Faith ful might look through and enjoy the scene. After such an evening he would carefully tuck his young charges in the sleigh, and with some more of ''them buff falo, to defend us against an atmosphere which fairly cracked with oxygen, we would drive home under the splendid pro- lection of Orion and the Great Bear, who looked down on us; and we should have been ungrateful to all the starry influ- ences, to Faithful and to fate, if We had not pronounced life success, and Faith full ''hired man" worth having. s
 When the spring came. Faithful found the farm-work not enough to exhaust his energies, and he informed us that he was ''goin' trainin'." Now this meant great deal to us, for the Mossbrook Light h. fantry was model militia compan V. and uncle's great pet. It was, indeed, hand some body of stalwart men. How pretty and brilliant was the unifo rm, how thrill ing the military band! Our ears were as fortunate in their non-critical admiration BE wrre- the monks wfIO s4st sst tie lower end of the table, and who could
 .'.not tell bad wine from good,
 And were much better off than if they could P
 Old Mir. Doolittle's feable performance on the key-bugle seemed to us ''the horns of Elfand faintly blowing" Poor little man! he mended our shoes of weekdays, but on training-days he interpreted the Hunters Chorus for us; we received it with proud swelling of the heart. Where he failed, we assisted with readiness to be pleased, which had something kingly in it's generosity.
 On muster day,-glorious autumnal boys were permitted to go to that portion of the Elysian Fields where Faithful and other warriors had stacked their guns, and were resting on their lau-- rels; but we (oh, the disabilities of wo- menD were restricted to the aristocratic dullness of the family carriage, and only allowed to see the pageant as it passed, not to explore it's glittering myste ries. There was splendid moment, however. when the general (who but uncle?) rode on the field in blue and gold, with a long yellow feather floating in the wind, fol- lowed by his staff, all the best young men of the State and country, 'sthe rose and the expectancy" ,"-our favorite beaux, and those who might become! Hope donned her brightest robe about that time. Shade of Harry Hotspur, Godfrey de Bou- lllon, 1vanhoe, were you like one of these? Napoleon! were you more impressive? Alexander the Great, heroes of romance, days of chivalry, ye were come againl
 We should laugh at the megreness of the details now, which then made hearts beat high. We did not know that the an- gel of the future was watching over this holiday soldering, nor did we know what deep experiences of our own were hang ing on that flag, which idly foated in the breeze. Those men who snatched their training" from the intending toil of 8 farmers life, afterwards went to fields which had no holiday about them the world knows what qualities they showed, our hearts did not beat too high.
 Faithful would return to the framework with renewed zest after training; he was temperate man, and did not supplement the exhilaration of warriors career with cider and whiskey, as I am afraid some members of the Mossbrook Light Infant " did; so he was none the worse for it. But Cousin Miranda, who found out eve rything, suddenly found out a flaw in Faithful's character which proved almost worse than anything we could have imag- ined ..f e-----l.---. ,.-f- .s.,s..--
 Dick, of whom I have spoken as the Columbus of of the family, was more droperly the Dr. Kane, for he was always searching for that open polar sea which exists under the treacherous ice of a run ming river; in fact, Dick had habit of seeking for death by all sorts of disagree able and unheard-of methods. He was partial to high sloping roofs, lightning rods, bridges with only the string-pieces between him and the river. vicious horses, unbroken colts, guns and pistols and edged tools; he had escaped loekjaws,
 mad dogs, falls; perils by sea and perils by land, only by g hairs breadth. when Faithful pulled him out from under the ice. at the risk of his own life. As Dick was a s'neser do weel,"' he was, of course, Cousin Miranda's darling, the very light of her eyes; constantly poulticing and plastering and medicating Dick, she got to love him as the sculptor does his statue,
 -she had worked over him so much. Of
 course Faithfuls heroic effort m saving
 Dick ehdeared him to the boy, to Cousin
 Miranda. to all of us. Personal bravery
 IS one of the most fascinating of all qual-
 ities, and it lent it's halo to Faithful's lit
 tie shock head of red hair and his black
 ferret eyes. Dick wasacensequently al
 lowed to be much with Faithful and the
 confidence felt in him, was periect. r.
 What terrible revelation to hear thai
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