Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-10-21


Green. BY Jovel 'Philbrick Green,
formerly of Greenbrier, New York |
knew the man. l hail from Greenbrier
myself. So he has turned up again, has
he: Woodbridge, Rockland County,
Pennsylvania An excellent place to be
buried alive in. Been in Woodbridge,
Ell? Whatever took YOU there =
''I studied medicine in DR.. Green's
Office. There was an excellent opening
for country practice. "
"Let me see: he had two daughters
Rosie and Posie.
Three"
1.-The third was only an adopted daugh-
ter. She accounts for my interest in him.
Her mother was a distant cousin of mine.
Left widow with three children; utterly
destitute. Sewed for her living The
Greens took fancy to her little lilly,
and offered to take her off her hands.
She agreed rather than let the child starve
The Greens moved away shortly after.
ward. The last time | was in Greenbrer
i run up there every summer to see my
mother found that my cousin had
married a very we'll to do man. Her
other cousin had died meanwhile, and she
had set her heart on retaining lilly.
Her husband had made inquiries for DR..
Green, but to no purpose. He had made
two or three moves since leaving Green
brier, and no one knew where he had
moved to last. My cousin was fretting
herself sick | can't say that | pitied
her as though she had not given up her
little child of her own free will to begin
with. 1t always seemed an unmotherly
thing to me. And here have suddenly
unearthed the girl -
Luckily enough for her, John opined.
Rosie and Posie will lead her a life Of
it, dare say. They'll have it all their
own way now, and very unpleasant way
it Is, as | happen to know
Had old Green, as YOU call him, any
money
"Should say he had l hope he has
left lilly her share of it. She will get
nothing by favor of those two close-fsted
old maids that does not come to her by
right"
"rll write to her mother this very
day"
Aud III write to Tilly,' John added.
He wrote to the mother too; he seemed
so anxious, as Phil said, TO have his fin
ger in every corner Of the pie, that Phil
waived his rights of previous acquaint-
anceship, and permitted his friend to
make the disclosure TO Mrs. Eaton, Phil
coutcnting himself with incloSing few
lines to his cousin-indorsing Johns
moral character-in that young mans
own words
Speedily came the answer. 4 very IN
coherent, agitatcd. short little note from
lilly, so badly penncd and expressed as
to be almost unin,eligible. But John
made ont from it that she was very un-
happy, and would hail any change with
Joy. Mrs. Eaton's miSsive was blotted
with tears. She had evidently talent for
lctter-writing, that is, for the writing of
letters considered as essays. This one
invoked blessings upon Johns head. 1t
referred to the writer's past sorrowful life.
1t was a dirge.
"She always had that whining way
about her Mr.. Ross commented, after
perusing it. Goodies her miseries, you
know"
Not long afterward came the news that
lilly had gone on to her mother in
Grecnbrier. John breathed sigh of re-
lief. He had learned that DIR. Green had
died intestate His property had gone to
his legal heirs. 1t would have been hard
lines for Tilly, shaving all the rest of her
DAYS for those hard task mistresses, the
wicked sisters" The lifelong bondage
seemed inevitable to Johns excited imag-
nation.
So several months passed. Then John
applied for leave on his doctors advice,
who said he needed rest. 1t was prob
lem where to spend it. He had no mother
or sisters to hasten to who would receive
him with open arms, and make each day
he was at home holiday. He had dis
tant relations in England, but none in
this country. He would have gone to
Woodbridge, as being the nearest APP
proach to home, had DR.. Green and lilly
still been there. He would like to see
lilly. She had cried when he had hidden
her good-by. He did not think that any
one else had shed tears for his sake since.
Poor little Tilly. Pretty little Tilly! He
had great notion to 90 to Greenbrier
and look her up. He wanted to find out
whether she would be glad to see him.
He went to Greenbrier. He found the
decent, tidy little brick house where the
Eatons lived. He was shown into dark
little parlor. The woman who admitted
him went upstairs to tell Miss lilly so
noiselessly that John thought she must be
in her stocking feet. And when lilly
came down to him she appeared to have
on list shoes. Everything about the
house was muffied. "Mother had a
dreadful headache" lilly explained; "she
suffers terribly with neuralgia"
1t was impossible not to see that Tilly
was extremely agitated. The hand she
gave to John was like ice, and trembled
at his touch. He almost seated her, still
holding her hand, and she looking up at
him with the old wistful look in her eyes.
John was touched. He always had liked
lilly. And, poor little soul, how thin