Litchfield enquirer., 1876-03-30

EI e'1tEei 5- ''You may well ask where I was my child, y replied the bachelor, cutting his toasted corn-bread into squares with math- ematical precision. .tA most Interesting dfscoyery-most interesting. Not being thoroughly satisfied as to the exact iden- tity of the. first wife of one of the second cousins of our grandfather, lady who died young and left descendants, yet none the less 9 Gardiston. at least by mar. riage, the happy idea occurred to me to l investlgate more fully the contents of the papers in barrel number two, on the east ! sde of the central garret-documents that l myself classified in 1849, as collateral merely, not relating to the main line. l assure you, my child, that have spent there, over that barrel, most delightful morning-mest. delightful. had not
 realized that there was so much interest 1 ing matter in store for me when I shall have finished the main line, which will be, l think, in about a year and a-half-a year and a-half And have good hopes | of finding there, too, valuable information respecting this first wife of one of the second cousins of our respected grand ! father, lady whose memory, by some strange neglect, has been. suffered to fall into oblivion. I shall be proud to consti- 1 tute myself the one to rescue 1t for the benefit of posterity," continued the little man, with chivalrous enthusiasm, as he took up his spoon. CThere was one spoon to spare now; Gardis often thought of this with saddened heart.) Miss Duke had not interrupted her cousin by so much as an impatient glance; trained to regard him with implicit respect, ,and to lis ten always to his gentle, busy little stream of talk, she waited until he had finished all he had to say about this first wife of one of the second. cousins of our grand father (who, according to the French phrase books. she could not help think ing, should have inquired immediately for the green shoe of her aunt's brother in-law's wife) before she told her story. Cousin Copeland shook his head many times during the recital. He had not the bitter feelings of Miss Margaretta con- cerning the late war; in fact he had never come down much farther than the Rsvo. lutlon, having merely skirmished little, as It were, with the war of 1872; but he knew his cousins opinions, and respected their memory. So he earnestly hoped'' that some other site would be selected for the camp. Upon being told that the blue army wagons had already arrived, he then earnestly hoped" that the encampment would not be of long continuance. Cousin Copeland had hoped great many things during his life; his capacity for hoping was cheering and unlimited; hope care- fully worded and delivered seemed to him almost the same thing as reality; he made you present of it, and rubbed his little hands cheerfully afterward, as though now all had been said
 Do you think should have asked them in ?'' said Gardis, hesitatingly. "Most certainly, most certainly. Hos- pltality has ever been one of our charac- teristics, as a family" said Cousin Cope land, finishing the last spoonful of milk which had come out exactly even with the Last little square of rn-bread.
 1. .''But did not ask them." gc. H
 "Do I hear you aright? You did not ask them, Cousin Gardiston ?" said the little bachelor, pauslng gravely by the ta- ble, one hand resting on it's shining ma hogony, the other extended in the attitude of surprise ''Yes, Cousin Copeland, you do. But these are officers of the United States ar my, and you know Aunt Margaretta's feel ings regarding them 2 s.> az
 ''True," said Cousin Copeland, drop ping his arm; ''you are right; I had for gotten. But it is a very sad state of things. my dear--very sad. It was not so in the old days at Gardiston House: then we should have invited them to dinner"
 "We could not do that" said Gardis, thonghtfu1ly, Ion account of the forks and spoons; there would not be enough to go-But I would not invite them any way" she added, the color rising in her cheeks, and her eyes flashing; ''are they not ou- enemies, and enemies of our coun- try? Vandals5? Despots ?"
 Certainly" said Cousin Copeland, es- caping from these signs of feminine dis turbance with gentle haste. Long before he was accustomed to remark to a bach elor friend that an atmosphere of repose was best adapted to his constitution and to his work. He therefore now retired to the first wife of the second cousin of his grandfather, and speedily forgot all about Putting on her straw hat, she went out into the garden to attend to her flowers and work of her annoyance. Was it an- noyance, or excitement, merely? Shealid not know. But she did know that the grove was full of men and tents, and she could see several of the blue-coats fishing in the river. o''Very well," she sad to herself, hotly, Eve shall have no dinner, then ]" But the river was not hers, and so she went on clipping the roses, and tying back the vines all the long, bright after noon, until old Dinah came to call her to dinner. As she w.nS, the bugle sounded from the grove, and she seemed to be obeying its summons; instantly she sat down on bench to wait until it's last echo had died aways ''I foreses that l shall hate that bugle," she said to herself
 The blue-coats were encamped in the grove three long months. Captain Newell and the lieutenant, Roger Saxton, made no more visits at Gardiston House: but when they passed by and saw the little mistress in the garden or at the window, saluted her with formal courtesy. And the lieutenant looked back; yes. there was no doubt of that-the lieutenant certain ly looked back. Saxton was handsome youth, with blne eyes, and golden hair that would have curled had he not kept it so ruthlessly short; tall and finely form ed, he looked we'll in his uniform, and knew 1t. Captain Newell was not so tall "a gTay-eyed, quiet young man. Com
 
 still gave forth it's silvery summons. s.It is insupportable," said the little mistress, daily. And daily Cousin Copeland re- piled, Certainly" But the bugle sound ed on all the same. One day deeper wrath came. Miss Duke discovered Dinah in, the act of taking cakes to the camp to sell to the soldiers! 7
 Well, Miss Gardis, dey pays me we'll for 1t. and we's next to noting laid up for de winter, replied the old woman, anxiousiy. as the irate httie mistress for bade the sale ofso much as '.one kernel of corn. ,sss.aE a esesfs. ss tes4as ess y tss "Dey don t want de corn, but dey pays well for de cakes, dearie Miss Gardis. Yer see yer don't know noting about it it's only role Dinah makin' little money for herself and Pomp." pleaded the faith full creature, who would have given her | lasf crnmh fnr rha faanilr md corfnnt-