Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-08-26
A GREAT FOOL.

over, he looked like his name, or like
the image which the sound of his name,
in a musical ear, would call up in the
mind. For John should be strong, and
quiet, and true, and grave, and John
Holt was all of these. His skin was fair
and his eyes blue, but the hair, which
had been tow colored in his childhood,
had deepened to brown. Ordinary per-
sons would cali him good looking, rather
than handsome, but close observer
would pronounce his profile perfect, and
his mouth and chin models of firm AMI
symmetrical chiseling. The brows were
straight and strong, though smooth, and
his not very high forehead was broad
and open.
John Hollis characteristics were a
womanish gentleness, most marvellous
and absurd honesty, and patience which,
to them, looked only too much like
cowardice. in his family John was
called great fool.
Johns father had died when the lad
was but ten years old, and left his wife
TO bring up her family of five children
capable of doing it, and even wary bust
ness men were on the ir guard when
making bargain with the sharp Yankee
matron. -Four of her children followed
in her footsteps, and knew perfectly
well which was the best cad of the bar
gaiu but John-well, if he was fool
it was not because she had not warned
and talked to him.
John did not grow wiser as he grew
older, and took upon himself the cares
of life. Mrs Holt had large and
valuable farm just on the borders of the
town. Streets had crept gradually
about her fields, and surrounded them
on three sides ON the fourth woodlands
stretched back toward the east. Why
she should give the control of this place
to John, instead of one his sharper
brothers, was puzzle even to her own
mind The only reason she could give
was that John was steady and quiet, and
more likely to remain home than the
others were. But she confessed to her
self to be in continual tribulation with
him.
"My dear" she said, to a crony,
"you know that fifty cords of wood we
hal, good beech, birch and maple, with
not more than twenty sticks of spruce
through the whole9 Well, John must
mention that stoveful of spruce, and so
lose five dollars on the bargain. Inever
did see such fool. Then he wanted to
hurry off our potatoes last fall for fear
of rot. told John particularly not to
own to speck but, If you will believe
it, when Thurlow came to buy them, and
asked if we had seen any signs of rot,
that ninny said Yes, little though
I vow I don't believe there were six
spots larger than the head of pin in the
whole lot. don't know where the fell
low got his shiftlessness. I'm sure I
could always make bargain"
John took all this very quietly, as we
have said. He knew that though his
mother would say such things to others,
she would by no means bave allowed any
one to say them to her. But one thing
he could not bear was that Nellie Ora
mer should talk in the same way. Nellie
seemed to delight in tormenting him.
She would follow him into the gal dens
and fields, hang on his arm with her
curls blowing across his breast, looking
up smiling and chatting into his face, so
soft and sweet as kitten; then sudden
Jy, if he CHANGED to press those wander
ing curls against his breast, or to bend
too near her lovely upturned face, or to
breathe a word of tenderness, off she
went with toss Of the head and curl
of the lip, and as likely as not, some
such speech as: 81 do wish you would
not be so foolish, John Holt |"
He never got angry with her: How
could he2 But sometimes a shadow
would drop over his face, and he
wouldn't have much to say to her for a
time. Then, when she went to him with
her coaxing ways, and laid hel little hand
on his arm, whispering:
"Now, don't be vexed, John; / like
you 80 much, but I don't want you to
talk nonsense" he would look down and
smile, though not very brightly, and
promise to try to avoid nonsense for the
future, ending bis promise with sigh.
"Dear me- wish you wouldn't sigh
80, John |" the girl would say, pettishly.
sit makes me feel melancholy to heaI
you. One would think I had done
something dreadful to YOU"
Then John Holt would smile again
still less brightly, and promise to trynot
to sigh any more.
Such little scenes as this were mere
asides, however. Nellie usually paiC
but little attentionto John, being chiefly
occupied in dancing, flirting, and quar-
reling with his more snowy brother
Frapk, or with any other gay fellow whC
was so unfortunate as to be taken witl