Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-09-15
Hester's Love Story.

Miss Payne was thirty-fve if a day,
but she had managed far better than
many of those who were girls with her
to keep some of the old freshness in the
roses of her cheeks, and the old bright
ness and luxuriance in her brown hair.
She was thinking of old times this
morning as she rolled out her faky
crusts.
Fifteen years ago she had been getting
ready for picnic. just as she was doing
now. But there was another in the
kitchen then-a young man with hand
some face and laughing eyes. She re-
membered how saucily he interfered with
her work, and how she threatened to
shower nrm wron Urio 0onr0uU5 vr INC
four-bowl if he didn't behave himself /;
and he had dared her to put her threat
into execution and she had kept her
word.
She could see him now as he stood
that morning looking like veritable
miller, with his eyes full of mischief, as
be begged so humbly for her to dust it
off. And she remembered, as if it hap
pened yesterday, how. when she had
undertaken the job, all of sudden he
took her in his arms and kissed her !;
and when she had shook herself away
from him she was such a sight to see,
with powdered hair and snowy eye
brows and cheeks as white as any
ghosts.
And just then her father had come in
and stopped in surprise on the threshold.
looking from her to John with twinkle
in his eye. And all he said was
"Seems to me you forgot to powder a
spot on your cheek, Hester" and then
he went away chuckling, and Hester had
proceeded to brush herself up, with SUM-
dry threats of dire retribution directed
to the laughing culplit who had retreat
ed to position outside, where he felt
secure from feminine wrath.
And the next day the quarrel came
which had set his feet in paths far away
from that in which she had trod for ff-
teen years, and in which she had expect
ed to tread until the end. And she
thought it all over this morning with a
little sigh here and there.
Her romance was not forgotten if it
was kept out of sight of curious eyes.
Yesterday she had heard that new
preacher was coming to the picnic.
He was to preach his first sermon on
Sunday, and everybody said he was a
powerful preacher"
And his name was Ashley.
"But of course it can't be him." she
said to herself. as she clipped the edges
of her pies "for he was one of the wild.
est, most rattle Drained fellows l ever
knew, and I'm sure there wasn't any
thing about him that could be made into
minister. But he had one of the kind
est hearts in the world, and / was the
one to blame"
"Some one coming here" called Su
san her niece, from the bedroom VI
stairs.
Everything was in baking-day con
fusion and the room wasn't swept ou
yet, and she couldn't attend to visitor
until her cake was out of the oven.
Click went the gate. Miss Payn
busted off her hand, smoothed her shin
ing hair, gave her collar a twitcl
and was ready to answer the visitor
knock.
Something in the laughing eyes whic1
met hers as she opened the door mad
her start and turn pale.
chester Payne. I'm pretty sure," b
said, crossing the threshold.
"Yes, sir" she answered. with littl
catch in her voice, sand you
"Don't you know me ?" he cried, "I'I
John Ashley. I didn't suppose L
changed SO much that an old frien
wouldn't discover some familiar loo
} about me. 1 should know you any
where"
''Im glad to see you. John" she sale
, giving him her hand, with very susp
cious moisture in her eyes. "Pve bee
thinking of you. for they said the ne
? minister's name was Ashley. IT can
,, be that you're the one, can it %
"1'm the man." he answered, with
, twinkle of humor in his eye. 81 don
4 suppose it seems possible to you. or an
f one else that used to know me. that
have become minister, but it is SO.
= seems as strange to me as any one els
but | honestly believe God had a wol
$ for me to do, and I'm trying to do it
best l can," he added earnestly.
]. "I'm glad of it," she answered. :
always said you'd steady down. but
> never thought you'd be ministe
:. John" Fat
d "That's right" he said hearth
n "Don't go making me anybody but Johl
u I'm the same man you used to kno,
= = come back to renew old friendships, al
n do the work I've undertaken