Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-11-17
Wild-HOrSe Farm.
A STORY OF TIE FAR IVES

Jack. L ii 90 IL lOf YOU. on el'tli H't' I
your wish, my dear boy. though I'm sorry
to lose sight of You; and rs for the money,
pray remember that cash makes wings to
itself on one side Of the Atlantic rs on the
other"
And. SO saving. my father took up the
pen that lav beside him. and. in a some
what tremulous handwriting. proceeded to
inditc to his stockholders the necessary
order to sell out conSols to the sterling
value of one thousand pounds.
Times had changed with us sadly within
the last few months. Less than year ago
the name of George Markham had stood
dcstrvedlv HIGH, rs that of Il man of large
wealth and known integrity. The lntegri-
tv-tlank Heaven for that,-remalncd un-
blemishcd, but the wealth had melted
away in the fatal furnace of speculation.
like snow in the sunshine. All WAS over
now. The old firm. after being forced to
suspend payment for awhile. had honor
ably discharged its liabilities by the sacrl-
fee of the fortune of its chlet partner
Bltron Lodge. the pretty conntry-housc,
with some two or three hundred acres at
tached to it. in which my father had hopeG
to end his DAYS. had been brought to tho
hammer. Every creditor was paid to In,
uttermost firthiny. but there remained
very little for the late head of the house OF
Markham, Gravson X Co.. Hamburg
merchants, to live upon in his declining
years.
1t WAS on nv account that my kind
easv-tempered father took the most blame
to himself for the rash investments IN
which he had been led to embark the bulk
of his fortune. He was a widowcr, an,
had no other child than myself, and he ha'
taught me from bovhood to considcr my
self as one who had no need of L protcS
sion or business whereby to i've. l he
LODGE wa-, of course, scarcely qualified tt
take rank among the "placeS' OF even The
lesser country notableS. bat 1t lay IN a DIS
trict where small properties We're the rul'
and great estates scarce ana We nae
always been on visiting terms with lh
neighbOring squlrcarchv. Illus 1t WI
that had known, and learned to love
sweet, pretty Edith Vernon. the daughte
of a landowner whose hereditary acres al
ioined our tiny domain; and although tn
Vernon pedigree was far lengthIer thai
our own modest one. Edith : parents hat
not frowncd upon my suit. But when tn
crash came. and my whole position IN lli
was altered. Mr.. and Mrs. Eernons opin
ion of INV eligibility ;t> a son-in-ltw ais
underwent Il change. Not harshly. bu
firmly. it was intimatcd to me that 1t wa
best for both that, under the circumstance
of the case. the engagement between Edit
and myself should be broken.
Edith. dear girl WAS not infected by III
worldly views of her prudent prrents.
was John Markham whom she had loved
not the money to which he was the rcput
cd heir; and to that uniucky John, in hi
fallen fortunes. she clung still with tn
steady faith of a woman ; affection. Sh
would not di.obev her parents. Sll
would not even write TO me. since 1t wa
prohibited; but she promised. through he
tears, in the last sad interview permitte
to Us, to be true t. me, ever and always
and to live single for my sake And wa
not without hope of winning her yet, {
ing, rs was, young and strong. and we
educated; rs ready to begin the world Il
any other youthful a>plrant- Already
had shaped out for mysclfa plan of actor
Although As vet barely twenty-five
wears Of age, / hal travelled much. an
. had, Ike many other Engishmcn OF ad'
urlate means and leisure, visited no: merel
tie Old World. bat the New. While
America, | spent some weeks IN the I;
West. and had preserved u vivid rccollc
ton of the rapidity with which the vast e.
5 panse of the prairies was being pressed IL
, TO the service of man. | had been Il que
ut handsome ranches and sHmptuouS vi
: las, the owners of which, while entertain
inc me with lavish hospitality, had frank
told me how poor they hal been ut Il
outset, and from what petty bcglnnn:
their pile of hard earned dollars Ii;
) swollen into comparative Opulrncc.
agricultural matters, again, | did kno
: something. having an instructive likiI
| for animals, and Il love for the healthy OF
!, door life of the country. Land, rs | knc'
l was to be chcaply obtained in the Unit
States, and my experiences of anate
: farming were sufficient to protect Il
i against purchasing, rs many emi5ran
y do, a swamp or I pine-barren, whereon
/ begin the difficult art of husbandry.
d 1t cost me some trouble to persuade n
: father to let me have. as my portion
/ what was left, the thousand pounds whi
deemed necdful, and with the residue
buy for himself IN annuity which won
i secure him against the pinch of povert
e His own idea had been that we shou
n live together. and exc out, rs best '
n might, the pittance yielded by some thl
d or four thousands in the funds. But
n conll not bear the notion that Mr.. Maj
n ham, who h,d been married late i'll Iii
l. and was stricken in years, should be pc
Ie and stinted in his old ago because he W
sc burdened with a strong-limbcd loun9
1t like myself, while for the reversion of
id modest fortune l cared nothing. | W
,e too old to offer myself for Il competitl
,e examination: and, indeed, few are t
,e openings in life at home in England to-
b. man trained to no special career Besid
to for Edith's sake. would have faced gre
1e er privations, than, to my fancy. await
i me in the Western World: As soon IA
Id had induced my father to let me have
W sum which required, | took passage
rs New York, and thence. by rail an" riv
I'd made my way to the Indian Frontier.
n ''Yew won't do any better than at
m Smoke Bluff said a good-natured she1
ke who could be siren enough. | daresay
b. horse thieves, and those highwaymen v