Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-21

follies!
Letters came rarer, words grow cold and few
Broad leagues of sea and land 'twixt me and
you.
Dear, do wrong you? Life is hard and short
Fortune is coy and chill, time flies so fast;
Wiser, perhaps the passing rays to court,
Nor hoard our all of sunshine in the past;
Women will cling to dying dreams, you see,
And memory keel my Christmas day with
THE STORY OF A LONG FEUD.
CHRISTMAS.
CHAPTER I.
1t was Christmas morning; genuine
old-fashioned Christmas, sharp and clear
and cold. The meadows were covered
far and wide, with crisp white snow, ano
the hedgerows sparkied with crysta
frost-work. The rustic monuments lr
the village churchyard assumed forms
of quaint indefniteness under their feecy
covering, and the ancient yew-trees, dark
and gloomy in summer when all else was
gay, seemed now like fairy fountains
springlng upward in the winter sunshine
Within the church was gathered we'll
nigh the whole population Of our Cor
nish chapel, and with tender eloquence
our good old vicar, bowed with age ano
infrmity, but still earnest, still eloquent
once more preached the message of peace
and good will. Not an eye wandered
among the earnest upturned faces, not 8
sound broke the quiet hush of rapid at
tention as he spoke his concluding words
"And now, my brethern-nay, rather
my children, for my journey has beer
long, and most of those who started with
me have gone one by one to their rest
for we'll nigh forty years have I laborec
among you, and the time is at hanG
when I, too, shall rest, and when YOU
will hear my voice no more. It is but 6
little while, and the silver chord must be
loosed and the golden bowl be broken
God has been very good to me; yet one
gift more, only one, would I ask of Him
that, ere go to my long home, every
soul in this my little flock shall have
blotted out all memory OF former feud OF
ancient grievance, and shall, with love
and fellowship to all mankind, be able
to join in this Christmas song of the an.
gels, 'On earth peace, good will among
men,
All knew for whom these last words
were specially intended, for the feud be-
tween my uncle, Richard Polwhele, and
the only other large landowner in the par
ish, Sir Philip Trefusis, was matter
almost of country history. It had orig
mated many years back, when both were
young men fresh from Oxford. At school
and college they had been bosom friends,
nay, almost brothers, hut $50 the story
ran) both young men had been fascinated
by the wiles of the same village beauty.
Neither would yield to the other. A
violent quarrel arose and in moment of
passionate excitement on both sides Ire
fusis struck Polwhele with his riding
whip across the face. Polwhele raised
his hand to return the blow, but checked
himself, or it would have gone hard with
Tretusis, for he was slight and under
sized, while Polwhele's strength and
daring were proverbial throughout the
countryside.
; eff you value your life,'' he said, con-
trolling himself by mighty effort, "get
out of my sight" ..s~ ,.. --
Trefusis read Alright the warning of
the white face and flashing eyes, and al
ready dreading the consequences of his
rash act, fled away. Richard Polwhele
spent the rest of that day alone in the
woods, and four and twenty hours after
ward was stricken with brain fever. Ere
he had completely recovered his rival had
left the country, and the coquettish
cause of their quarrel, had married rus
tic swain whom she secretly preferred to
either of her aristocratic admirers. Thir-
ty years had passed by, during the great
ec part of which Trefusis had remained
abroad, visiting his native place only u
rare intervals. Three years back, how
ever, he had finally returned, widower
with one daughter, now aged nineteen,
and had taken up his abode once more at
the family mansion, Trecarra Park.
Richard Polwhele had also married., and
was left widower, with five children
Howard, Mary, Alice, Percy and Doro-
othy, of ages, ranging downward from
twenty-five to seven. Uncle Dick would
readily have let bygones be bygones, but
he waited for Trefusis to make the first
overture. Possibly Sir Philip had sim
liar feeling. At any rate neither would
make the first advance. and the result
was that 1.-THE two squires," as they were
called, met, and remained, on terms of
naughty GOODNESS. No communication
took place between the two houses,
though it was whispered that cousin
Howard and pretty Edith Trefusls, who
had met mOrethan once on neutral!grOund.
were not disposed to keep up the family
feud for another generation.
Such being the state Of things, the ear
~ appeal of our good old vicar was not
difficult of application; and many eyes
were turned upon the two Squires to see
In what spirit they received this public
admonition. There was touch of height
ened color upon Uncle Dicks handsome
face as he stepped forth into the church
yard, the very model of gallant English
gentleman, dispensing hearty hand shakes
and kindly Christmas greetings to friends
and neighbor. Close behind him came
Sir Philip Trefusls, his daughter hanging
on his arm. At lych-gate Uncle Dick
stepped aside to let them pass. With
kindly eyes he looked staight at Sir
Philip, and we felt instinctively that
with him, at least, Mr.. Pentreath's appeal
bad not missed its mark, and that at the
slightest answering sign his hand would
have been outstretched with generous
cordiality. Whether Sir Philip saw the
look, I know not; but his daughter did,