Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-08-13
Our Davie.

III sunset hau uleu uCCerly, leaving no
light save the faint glImmer that came
from the glittering covering of snow
that lay an inch deep everywhere.
Later on, when a clear moon shone
out over the desolate landscape, it made
almost pretty picture of Braer Castle,
with its background of leafess trees and
cloudy sky: but not such pretty pict-
ure as the one you could have seen
through the unsheltered windows of the
quaint old hall, if the windows had not
been too high to be reached from the
outside
Sir David Dewar, the bachelor owner
of this old place, liked light and comfort
and plenty of room to move about in
and as it was nobody's place to inter-
fere with his little whims, he generally
got what he wanted so sitting now
we'll back in his great armchair, with
his kindly face little severe, and his
gray head bent in earnest thought, he
looked as though no wave of trouble had
ever touched his life.
There was another figure in the great
room, too, on which the brilliant light
seemed to have concentrated itself-the
figure of a child-a boy who stood on
the white fur hearth-rug, with quaint,
old-fashioned face raised somewhat
stubbornly, and THU, restless hands
fdgeting with the buttons of his coat.
Little David Dewar, one of Sir David's
orphan nephews, deserves a paragraph
of description entirely to himself, if on
ly for the sake of his face-a beautiful
face, that artists raved about for its per-
fection of form and coloring, but that
mothers looked at with an aching heart,
reading only too clearly in signs of dol
icacy in the brilliant dark-f1nged eyes
and flushing cheeks. Tonight, how
ever, there was something beyond ex-
citement in the shrinking form f; and he
locked so white and wan and miserable
that when Sir David, who had been
hardening his heart and contemplating
punishment, raised his head suddenly,
the sterness melted out of his face, and
he stretched out his hand, saying:
"Come here, my dear-a little near
er."
The boy started when he spoke, and
shrank back, just raising his piteous,
unchildlike eyes, and then dropping
them to the rug at his feet.
"COme here" repeated Sir David, a
little impatiently, for he hated to think
that he was hard upon the boys, and
that they were afraid of him.
The lad shufaed off the rug, half
sulkly. half frightened, and came close
to the old mans chair. blinking his
great eyes in the light like young
half-tamed owl; and when Sir David
said, very kindly: 81 don't wish to be
hard on you, my lad, but l will have
the truth" he said, in low, sweet
voice that trembled a little with sheer
fright and weariness "Yes, Uncle Da-
vid."
81 only want to know about this boat
ing" said Uncle David, encouragingly.
"Yes," in lower, sulkier voice.
"Well, my dear, after all have told
you, were you out on the river last
night" There was pause. Uncle
David, with his quiet, kindly eyes on
the boys face, waited with real anxiety
for the reply; but David, the younger,
made no answer at all he stood first on
one foot, then on the other, with such a
guilty, frightened look on his face that
the old mans heart ached. WELL" he
said at last sadly, "tell me the truth,
Davie, my man, and I'll believe you"
NO." said Davie, very low; and ther
he threw himself, sort of tangled heap
down on the floor at his uncle's feet, and
sobbed out: "No, no, no l'
Uncle DAVID was puzzled and dis
tressed. Il promised to believe you, Da
vie" be said, $50 | must, 1 suppose
but l shouldn't like your mother t,
think I'd brought you up to lie. l dom
quite understand it, all the same. Hev
would have told, think"
"Oh, not Hew," said Davic, lifting
flushed, tear stained face, and speakin,
eagerly: "I'm quite sure, I'm quit
sure, Uncle David" But Uncle Davit
Q silenced him with a quick, warnin,
touch, and they both sat listening to tn
! sound of rapid, firm steps along the Ston
, passage-to merry whistle which cam
nearer and nearer until it paused ab
ruptly on his threshold, in the middl
of bar-to an impetuous hand upo
the lock. Uncle David turned his eye
quickly to the FIRE; little Davie hid hi
face in his white, trembling hands bu
after that mOmentary pause, althOug
they neither of them looked up, the
both knew instinctively that Hew wa
4 in the room.
: "Halloa !" he said, shading his eye
!. and sending his clear, ringing laugh il
!. to tho hall before him; "I've had sue
= jolly time out in the stables Wh'
are you up to here, you two %