Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-12-14
throat of an evening.

pleasant meeting 2"
well, yes,' quoth the Deacon, re-
fectively, sitting down before the fire
greatly to Mary's CONSERVATION she
had hoped he would have gone to bed at
once, according to his usual custom-.''it
was tol'bly pleasant. Elder Husker was
there, and Elder Hopkins-and-well.
all the church folks pretty much. Why,
how red your cheeks are, Mary Tired,
amt you? Well you needn't sit up for
me, my dear; it must be getting late. -
The Deacon glanced mechanically up
at the clock. Mary felt the blood grow
ing cold in her veins. Twenty minutes
past nine-why it must be later than
that Why, land o Canaan, the old
clock has stopped" The old clock had
stopped nor was it at all wonderful un-
der the circumstances Il wound it up
this morning. | am sartin," said the
Deacon, very much disturbed. ''It nev-
er sarved me such trick afore. all the
years it's stood there Your aunt Jane
used to say it was q sign of death or
marriage in the family before the year
was out.
There was a sound like a chuckle
| behind the clock-case as Deacon Shermer
| fumbled on the shelf for the clock key.
These springs must be out of order
somehow" said the Deacon decisively.
"How scared you look, child There
amt no cause for bein scared. | don t
put much faith in your aunt James old
time superstition. Where in the name
of all possessed is the key | could ha'
declared | left it in the case
Isn't it on the shelf, father p asked
Mary. guilty, conscious that it was snug,
ly reposing in the pocket of her shecker'
ed gingham dress.
mo, nor 'taint in my pocket neither.
And down went the Deacon. stlffly
enough, on his knees, to examine the
floor, lest perchance the missing key
might have fallen there.
well, | never knowed anything ST
strange in ali my life, - said the Deacon
''It is really strange" faltered hypo
critical Mary.
III have reg lar search tomorrow,
said Deacon Shermer. 'It must b
around somewhere
Yes, it must" said Mary, tremu
lously.
Only the Deacon went on, slowly
resuming his place before the fire, ''
kind O. don't like to have the old cloc
stand still single night. When | wax
up, you know, it seems like it was sol
O. talking to me in the stiffness" Th
deacon looked thoughtfully at the fer
back log Mary fdg geted uneasily abor
L
the room, straig tightening table covers, Sc
; ting back chairs and thinking-oh,
he would only 60 to bed !
AS he sat there his eyelids began
droop and his head to nod somnolentl,
Mary's eyes frightened up with spa
'' kle something like hope.
t Child" he said suddenly straigh
ening up in the stiff back chair, 'you
u better 60 to bed. I'll sit up viii
l. longer till the logs burn out"
u ''But father, I'm not sleepy"
e $50 to bed, my child % reiterated Il
e deacon, with good d-humored authorit
u that brooked no opposition and Maj
Il crept out of the room, ready to cry wi
/ anxiety and modification.
IF Tim will only keep quiet a lltt
& while longer" she thought, while sittil
on the stairs while the newly risen mo
streamed in chilly splendor. ''Fath
sleeps so soundly-and he is sure to
l. to sleep in his chair, | could just ste
in and release him as quiet as possible
" She sat there, her plump fingers int
ne laced, and her eyes fxe1 dreamily
W the floor, while all the time her es
CT were strained to the utmost capacity
er catch every sound in the kitchen beyol
Hark was that the wall of the wind,
was it something to her literally me
er and dearer 2" Yes; she could, !
be mistaken now; it was actually
snore.
he Mary rose softly to her feet with
hs newed hope. Surely now was the
us cepted time Noiselessly as the float
ke shadow she crossed the hall. opened
kitchen door and stole across the ere
ou ing boards of the floor. The cand
lat were burned out, but the shifting lus
lot of the freight revealed her father n
"n ding before the fire. with closed e
4! and hands hanging at his sides.
ad ''He's certainly asleep" thought
iie ry.
'ck With heart that beat quick and
not she drew the key from her pocket, ;
as proceeded in spite of the nervous tr,
ner bling of her fingers, to lift it into
nst lool, G. obsorhod vos sho +hot che i,
ar er noticed the cessation of the he
'oe breathing-never saw the deacon ST
up suddenly into wakefulness and |
SUI around him. Love is blind, and it
equally true that he is deaf. The q
u con rose quickly up with shrewd tv