Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-06-12
THE FAIR POST-OFFICE.

fee, and | don't know how it came into
my head to write two letters just alike,
"Meet me at the oak tree if you have
not forgotten the past" and put them
into pink envelopes but we wrote trash
of all kinds, of course.
The oak tree was just outside the
room where we held the fair-the big
room of the academy and there was
nice bench there; so it struck me to
write the notes.
"Give one to a lady and one to a gen.
tleman," +" said l. And Ann Lunn, who
delivered the letters, laughed merrily.
Whoever gets them will be sure to
60 to the tree" she said and, almost
as she spoke, up came DR.. Steelwagon,
the old bachelor in Bluehill, and, put
ting his head in at the window, said
slowly:
Young ladies, are there any letters
for me p
"Yes, sir; one for DIR. Steelwagon,"
cried Ann, tossing me a pink envelope,
and addressed it. He paid a liberal
postage-he was sure to do that-and
away he went.
Watch him for half an hour and you
will see him 60 to the old oak" said
Ann. And sure enough, in less than
that, we saw him make his way out of
the hall and sit down under the tree in
the moonlight.
"Men never lose their vanity" said
Ann.
do women? ? Let US discover" said
l. And l saw old Miss Barnet coming
toward the Office, and directed the 9TH
er pink envelope to her.
In moment up she came, smiling
pretty old lady in black silk with the
incest little rufles of real lace at her
neck.
"Have you letters for me, my dear ?''
she said.
"One, Miss Barnet" said Ann.
She handed out the pink envelope No.
two as she spoke.
"lf l were young lady, l should
think this was love-letter," she said,
as she walked away.
"Will she 60 to the oak ?'' L asked.
1--WE shall soon see," said Ann.
And, though she did not 60 so soon,
it was not long before we saw her glid-
ing out of the hall and walking very
slowly indeed toward the bench where
DR.. Steelwagon sat.
He arose as she came near; he bowed
She cOurtesied. They sat down togeth-
er. After awhile they arose and walk
ed away, arm-in-arm.
Didn't ] tell you ?'' said Ann.
"0f course when they met they had a
neighbOrly chat" said 1. "They are
two old neighbors."
But Ann would joke and say all sorts
of things, of course.
Well, we were busy with the fair and
forgot all about that little incident soon,
and when the fair was over there was
still good deal to do, until one day we
all went up to the minister's house to
count up what we had made, and talk
things over, when, as we were counting
the gains of the post-ofice, the minister's
wife suddenly cried out
20, girls we are to have a wedding
here tonight. And the pOst-ofice bro't
it about, and all because of two letters
that they got at your Office.
"You see, long ago, when she was a
pretty young girl, and he handsome
young man, the two were engaged, and
loved each other dearly. But they quar-
relied somehow, as lovers do now and
then, and separated. From that day to
this they have never spoken to each 9TH
er.
"But neither of them, as you know,
has ever married, and lately. Miss Bar
net told me she had begun to think that
the doctor must have loved her more
than she thought, else he would have
had a wife. Men can always marry if
they please, you know. And then she
knew very we'll there had never been
any one to her like the doctor. She
thought, as she walked about the fair,
how happy the old couples looked. arm
in-arm, and perhaps he thought SO, too.
Indeed, he has told her SO since. And
when she walked up to the Office she was
thinking how handsome he was yet and
when she opened the letter. and read,
"Meet me at the oak tree if you have
not forgotten the past. it gave her quite
a nervous feeling, and after while she
walked slowly along to the door and
looked out. The moon shone brightly
over the lawn, and there. under the oak
tree, in the middle, sat the doctor, him
self. Had he written her the letter ?
She walked on toward the tree, not in-
tending to seem to see him unless he
spoke but he did speak. He arose and
bowed.
Miss Barnet" be said, II hope see
you we'll"
'.And she said