Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-02-20
Stlttte0 sStorp.
ROMANCE OF A BARN-YARD.

We were all sitting on the pi4zzA. OK
cept those of Us that were Swinging in
the hsmmocks among the trees; the
sea wind was blowing over u, The birds
were dating low here and there, and
the 5suxms acd the spring chickers and
the blg black Cochns were clucking and
picAiag in he grass. watched over by
The old King Charles, who redeemed Us
from vulgaIi,y. and i. was scene OF
domestic comfort. as Aunt Helen said.
Aunt Helen. by -;he way, became q very
pleasant addition 10 The comfortable ap-
peaTAnce OF the scene, as she said H.
She was Just as plump as woman
ought 10 be when her next birthday Is
may be her iorlieth. She had soft flush
on her cheek. where The dimple was yet
Us fresh Us When she was 3 girl, and the
flush deepened sometimes into real
damask; her teeth were ike rows OF
seed corn Tor whiteness. sud her eyes
were jlst as brown as brook water only
her hair-thAt was quite white. Lovely
hair, though, tor all that; she parted ii
eyeEly over her low level forehead and
above the yet black eyebrows; and We
all deciar, eyery day OF our lives, that
Aunt lie en was q beauty. Il used 10
be-" she had replied; but that's al!
gone now. have put my youth be-
hiud ne
Porhaps she had. Bat We young
people used 10 think differently ~hcU
we saw Mr.. Thornton coming up the
ro.t, aud Aunt ileleus eyes reSoiu.eiy
ben, On her work. ou. her color mount
ing aid mounting, Ill the reddest rose
,ha, ever burned in the sunshine was
no, so rich Mr. Thornton saw it 10 o..
no doubt, for be always looked and
looked inieutly al the way by. But he
truth was-I shall have 10 tell you ali
about it il tell you aOy-that when
Aunt lls.en was twenty years younger,
she and Mr.. Thornton were lovers, as
they had been lovers ever since they
could remember. Tney had built then
house n last, aud her wedding diesS
was made II she was q beauty, he was
every iuch her ml,e-I know he was,
because ne IS to-day Que OF tas men II
does yuu .ood 20 see, who lCoa as II
he could bod up the Wo.d il need be-
and II Spire you with confidence in then
power. Now what IN The world do you
suppose that, with their house furnished.
and the cake baked, aud dCz years
of Intimate affection 10 bind them, Aunt
Helen and Mr. Thornton found 10 quar-
rel about? sac declared she would not
keep hens And be declared that then
be wouldn't keep house! That Was the
whole OF il, to cond5uSs the statement {;
one word led 10 another, and another
led to more, and tiually, in a towering
passion himself. he told Alat Hslen that
she had better learn TO control her tem'
per II .he didn't want TO be vixen er-
tirely, aud Aunt Helen took The ring cl
her finger and laid it on the table Will
ont a word. and sailed out of the room
and refused TO see him when be caile
in the morning. aud sent back his letter
unopened. and cut the wedding cake anc
put some OF it on the the tea table and
sent the rest TO the fair. Perhaps, Oh
The whole, Mr.. Thornton might have
been right. Exactly one week IRON
that night Mr.. Thornton was married te
Mary Mayhew, an inofensive little bod,
who would have married any body tha
asked her, and she went into the house
ths, had been furnished according tC
Aunt Ilelen's taste; and immediatel }
al,erwaId heu-houss Of the most ianei
ful description of architecture. will
Oilded yanes and scarlet chantieleeri
bristling all over it, rose on the hill be
biod his house. full of fancy fowl, an'
the little lawn all alive with its oVeIlJw
aud you couldn't go by the place without
meeting a flock OF cropple crown, ol
partridge Cochin, or white Leghorn. ol
black Spanish. ASing up on each sspa'
rs,e piece OF fence 10 crow out Mr
Thornton's lriumph-reversing the old
tradition of the Grower. and crying. "N'
women rule here"
They say Mr.. Thornton grew very oid
ina few years. His inofensive iitlI'
,bins of wife turned on. 10 DO smart