The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-16

Why do you listen, you who pretend tc
be my friend?''
Pretend! That's an honest word
between you and me! / listen because
Pm not deaf. If Strathley had you
good at heart"
"Take care, John; don't say any
thing against Mr.. Strathley. You
might be sorry for it some day. He is
he knew my poor brother Ben-at
school, or somewhere 1t does us good
to hear him talk of Benz 1t was hard
for Margaret to dissemble, and she did
it with poor grace.
BLESSINGS brighten as they take
their flight" thought Lorrimer; knew
your brother Ben, did hep and your
grandfather listens?n The time had
been when Ben's name had been for
hidden, and the old farmer had sworn
that Ben's shadow should never darken
his door.
"People ought to be careful how they
speak of their own flesh and blood, -
groaned the neighbors, when the Are
turus was cast away, and the last chance
of forgiving Ben with it. But though
Grandfather Bevis had aged since then,
had begun to have Il halt in his step and
a stOop in his shoulders, and to grow a
| fresh crop of wrinkles, vet even grim
Death had failed to obliterate Ben s
misdeeds-their impoverished condi-
ton was a constant reminder. Mr..
| Bevis saw his more fortunate neighbors
enjoying the fruits of lands he had
cleared with the horny hand of toll,
| 70 81, 1
tables, with good balance in the bank
| for rainy weather, while he and his
Jared scantily, and hardly dared to look
the future in the face. Ben had been
| the apple of his eye, and to have suf-
fered from his selfishness added anoth-
er sting to poverty.
"When Mr.. Strathley first mentioned
Ben grandfather Just groaned and tod
died out of the room. The next time
he shut his eyes and made believe to
sleep; but now, do YOU know? he hangs
upon Mr.. Strathley's words, John,
though he never asks a question. But
the day will come when he will pardon
poor Ben, l know it will.n
"And Strathley, having done mis-
sionary work, will demand his reward?"
said John, bitterly. Margaret, do you
think he means fairly by you? Isn't it
just a seasons amusement to him?n
GO have no fears" she answered
But in spite of what folks might say,
Mr.. Strathley was at Ford, on and off,
all summer
"The mill needs sight of looking
after" they shifted; sit might run
away; he had taken mighty fancy to
Meg Bevis, and p'raps she expected to
be fine lady, anon, and ride in her
carriage and have servants under her;
but there was many hole in the skim
mer. 'Twasn't likely but he'd been
used to women folks as could play the
PLAINLY, and wear the fashions as nat
ural as their own skins. Old Bcvis
ought to be ashamed to allow such 90
ings on under his eyes. High time
o'day, too, for Mr.. Strathley to put
BeviS in overseer at the mill, over the
heads of younger and smarter men,
with no end of wages and nothing to do
but watch the gang-saw! That didn't
look queer, did it? And wasn't Strath-
ley's team stabbed in Bevis' barn? and
didn't Meg use it when she pleased?
and a mighty smart team, too, no one
boss shay. And who could tell why
he d bought the Dean meadow of Bevis,
when it was such barren waste that
the grasshoppers avoided it? He hadn' t
no use for it; there wasn't a stick of
timber on it, but it put cash in old Be-
Wis pocket, where cash was a stranger,
eh?''
Lorrimer was obliged to listen to all
this without the power of proving it
false, and it made his heart ache as that
organ had never ached before, dark
ened the day and embittered life for
him. He dreaded to meet friend or foe,
for fear of hearing opinions which he
could not combat, and they all Won
dered that he would not join in the gem
eral cavil. Had not Margaret thrown
him over for tiashy fellow, about
whom nobody knew anything beyond
what he chose to tell? Wasn't resent
ment the proper attitude for a Tilted
loverP To be sure, he felt very hard
toward the handsome, well-to-do gen
tleman who had stepped between him
and happiness-who slipped so easily
into the position for which John had
served twice seven years.
He could scarcely bear the sight of
him dawdling about Bevis' farm-as
though to the manner born-but he
was obliged to own that Strathley
showed a surprising good nature, an
indifference to his rudeness that was
provoking; and that he was just as
ready TO be civil and friendly to him
afterward.
"Surely, this is hard world, "
thought Lorrimer, :" in which it is nee
essary to love ones enemy, though he
has stolen the apple of ones eye.''
Wasn't it requiring little too much OF
human nature, or, at least, of Lori.
mer nature? Still, if he happened tc
meet Strathley on the highway and
Jared on a piece with him, talking OF
the prospects for numbering the coming
winter; about provisioning the camp
and engaging men, and of that kind Of
rough-and-ready life, Lorrimer could
not deny but he was a pleasant, com
panionable fellow enough, with a dea
of backbone, who knew his work anC
the sort of people with whom he had tC
deal.
81 mean to have taste of this camp
life myself this WINTER he said, by the
way. 81 want to know what it is like,