Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-02-10

Wa'al," she said, drawing long
breath, that's either Major jacques or
his ghost. That does beat everything
After all these years-Lord o mercy, if
that don't go ahead p
"And who is Major Jacques ?" said
at last, finding myself the prey to q de
vouring curiosity. "Do, please, Mrs.
Aiken, tell me who is Major Jacques ?"
"Well, child, he made n sight o
trouble here a good many years ago,
but L can't say as it was his fault. You
may blow your lungs out sometimes to
boil kettle, and then, agin, a spark
from pipe II set hay rick in blaze.
Good Lord [ wonder if he's come after
Daisy M'Lean ? He'll find her broken
down humbly critter now, but a purteir
gal than Daisy the sun never shone
upon her skin was as white as milk,
and her eyes like the stars up there,
and the city folks that come out here to
board christened her Daisy, though her
name was Hanner-Hanner Hitchner
and spite of everything she would go
and throw herself away on Hugh M'Lean.
They do say that love II go where it's
sent, but it's pity it should be SO
headstrong. Get up, Mig" pursued the
farmers wife, whipping up her horses,
and, like the dear good body she was,
never halting with her story. "She had
plenty O chances to settle, needn't say.
David Hitchner was a forehanded man,
and there warn't chick nor child but
Daisy. Judge Bates son-he that went
off to Indy or somewhere afterward-
he'd a given his eyes for Hammer and
as for them painter chaps, they just
went wild over her,, and she might a
had dozen o 'em, though to my mind
it'd take bakers dozen O. them idlers
! to make one decent man.
"But she turned her back on the
whole kit aud Doodle of 'em, and stuck
to Hugh M'Lean. It was q dreadful
spite to the Hitchners, for the M'Leans
warn't thought much of hereabouts;
they'd alters lived way up on the top o
the mountain, and Hugh grew up as
wild as young wolf. He raised black
colt up there, that, atween you and me,
Mrs. Smith, was spawn O Satan; fire
used to fly out O its eyes and shake off
its hOofs, and not livin' soul could get
on its back but Hugh M'Lean. AS for
harness-Pd like to see the harness that
could hold Black Dan. It seemed as if
Hugh and that colt was one piece O
stuff, for they was part and parcel O. one
! another, and [ guess wherever one is
tother is now; leastways it seems to me
! only material. But as much as he thought
/ O that colt, he used to cuff and kick it in
his tantrums; and one day, when | was
down to Hitchner's a-quiltin' that star
/ pattern patchwork for Daisy, was look
/ in out the winder, when Hugh rode up,
and he got mad at suthin, and drew his
whip clean across that critters face fit to
take out his eyes, and / told Mrs. Hitch
ner then that if it was me, I'd sooner see
Hammer in her grave than belong to
Hugh M'Lean. But, you see, he was as
! gentle as lamb to Daisy, and alters had
! been since she was little mite o thing,
and he used TO board down in the village
to git his winter schoolin'-for you
might as well be out o the world as up
on the mountain in winter; there's fresh
cts there too in spring that shut 'em off,
and Hugh was down here good part of
his time. And he used to just own little
/ Daisy Hitchner. Itwas apretty sight to see
him skating along, DRAWN that little ap-
pie blossom after him on the white birch
sled he made for her. He was handsome
enough-there warn't no fault to be found
with his looks, only to my mind hand
some is as handsome does, Mrs. Smith.
Wa'al, he put i'll q claim to Hammer then,
all no boy burst stand in his way.
, There was my poor Zekel, he came home
/ with black eye only for sharpenin' her
slate pencil, and Hugh hadn't knife
handy to do it with; but it was alters
word and blow with Hugh MLean,
and he held to Daisy right along through
thick and thin.
Why, he says right up to David
Hitchner, do you s'pose I'd staid around
here if it hadn't been for Daisy? Don't
! you knew I'd a been off to the north OF
the south pole afore this? It's as hard
for me as it is for you, for hate to settle
down here worse than poison; but hate
worse to leave little Daisy. Ican't do it,
and l WON'T
I" So they let 'em get married, for what
else could they do? And for quite
spell there it did seem as if everything
was goin' to turn out right. Old Mr..
Hitchner he made him promise not to
take Daisy fur away, and give him the
old place by the mill, and furnished it
from top to bottom. There must a
been nigh on to hundred yards O. car
pet in that house. / helped Mrs. Hitch
ner sew and color manya pound O. them
rags myself. And the dimity curtains
was the prettiest things, and that yaller
caliker coverin' for the sofy and cheers
made everything look CHEEKY like. Then
old M'Lean, not to be behindhand, he
sot 'em up with no less than thirty COWS;
good mixers all of 'em and / will say
for Hugh that he could get through with
more work in day than any two men I
ever saw. Everything went along as
slick as could be, and Daisy went sing
in about the house like medder-lark.
"But the second summer after she was
married poor Daisy took it into her head
she'd hev some boarders from town
she was naturally thrifty, and had plenty
O help, and she felt somehow as if that
big house was runnin' to waste. Hugh
he let her hev her own way in every
thing then, and was as humorsome az if
she was baby and I shall never for
get, If l live to be hundred, the first
day laid eyes on Major Jacques, when
he come down with lot of other board
ers from town. / was sittin' at Mrs.
Hitchner's front window, and the stage
stopped at Daisy's door, and out got that
man and if it had been the good Lords
will that he'd been tumbled out some
where else and broken his leg, SOS he
couldn't get away, deal O trouble
might have been saved.
"For Hugh M'Lean kind o. scorned
most city folks that come our way, and
had fashion o. smilin' at 'em in sort
O contempt But this jacques was half
a Frenchman, and had deal O. fire in