Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-05-14

what do YOU mean, Hervey?" she ex-
claimed in tones fuller. Of animation than |
of grief. but come in and get some |
tea; it will refresh you, and you shall |
tell me all about it at your leisure"
And she drew him along gently into a
pleasant little parlor, with tea-table |
tastefully, rather copiousiy, spread with |
fruits and two or three kinds of light |
bread and glass pitchers Of iced milk and
tea-kettle kissing merrily over blaz-
ing spirit lamp.
FNow, tell me, dearest, all your trou-
bles,n she said, with an almost merry
smile, after she had helped him to all the
good things of her graceful board. And
don't for PHYS sake, look so woe-begone.
Pm sure they're not halt so terrible as
you would make them out. Nothing
can be terrible to me so long as have
you with me, and the darling babies"
angel" he said, looking at her wist-
fully, with tear in hie Gre blue eye and
wan, sickly smileoA MS pale lip, IF
it were not for you l could face the worst
in spite of fortune; but now"
His voice faltered, the hyStcrtcG paSSto
of poor Lear choked him-he was 81
| lents
"What is it dearestp Tell me; fear not
to tell me H6rvey. | can bear anything
but this suspense. You do not know
how brave women can be when anything
real is the matter. 1t is only in little
matters we are towards"
1--WE are ruined-utterly, hopelesslyw
he answered. II have been struggling on
day after day in agony and anguish; this
nights post brought me the news that
the anguish and agony are over. A south
ern house has failed that owes me above
sixty thousand and will never pay six
hundred. l have stopped payment-all
is losti
She laid her hand lightly on his arm,
and looked up into his face with large,
earnest eyes, as she asked:
mot honor, Hervey Astonp"
Thank God, not honor" exclaimed
the young man, clasping his hands to-
gether, 81 can pay the uttermost farthing
Of my liabilities, but it will take every
nay, IS sold already; your little for
have nothing left but your five hundred
haps few hundred dollars"
"Nothing is lost-nothing, nothingn'
exclaimed the beautiful woman, her face
| ,JS
ooh, | am so happy-so happy; and we
will go away and live in the beautiful
free country, far away from that hateful
Wall street and its base business. new
er thought business was fit for a gentle
man or a gentleman for business. If you
had not been a gentleman, Hervey, you
would not have failed at all; or, if you
had, you would have failed rich. Oh, ]
am so glad it is all over; so glad, Her.
vey-so very, very glad"
F'God bless you. | believe you are an
angel" And he obeyed her gentle spiri
ting and retired.
From that day Wall street knew Her
vey Aston no more; and though grave
influential rich men shook their heads
when they named him and spoke of ''poo1
q Hervey Aston" | have my own doubts
= whether he was indeed so much to b.
pitied.
i 1t is a glorious afternoon of October
the rich purple haze hangs-like q vel
S over beautiful woman, enhancing th
: charms which it seeks not to conceal
O over the mellow distance and the many
S colored woodlands. 1t is level, cham
paign country and there are no noun
d tains in view yet is the landscape redeem
e ed from the charge of insipidity by til
" diversities of its broken, rolling surface
le and its picturesque intermingling {
u woodland, arabic fields and natural meaC
4 ows waving with rich, unchanged gras
Sc and gay with wild flowers of the gayes
D. and most gorgeous hues.
le In the foreground of the picture lies
small silver lakelet, mile perhaps
V, length, by half that distance across i
le embosomed in a lap of soft green an
W russell hills sloping down to it in gentl
to sinuous declivities. 1t has one islant
ON which grows splendid group of I'll
T. magnificent buttonwoods the plan
ed trees of the western worid-convertC
it. now by the magic alchemy of autumn
lie from piles of shadowy verdure into ma
H. ses of golden foliage-only " more gloriol
than gold-which, aided by the yello
st sunshine streaming over them, cast
nd long, lustrous wake over the calm, tral
", sparent waters, as if they were ther
ng selves the light which they so splendid
d. reflected On the left side of the lax
er, known in that vicinity as the Silv
nd Water" the hill, rather more abru
nd than usual, was covered by luXuria
alf open grove of flourishing young oaks, i
ad termingled here and there with fe
he evergreen jumpers and hollies; whi
er- facing it was long, smooth ascent plar
ed with a thriving vineyard, now pu
ife pie and gold-colored with luxuria
he clusters. Across the lake the land slop
in upward in a long ascent OF unbrok
all pasture-land smooth and luXuriant
rm an English lawn, containing not less tn
nd a hundred acres, whereon there stood,
en- lay together in picturesque groups, fee
iv- ing or Eliminating at their ease, not Il
rht than hundred head of cattle. Arou
law this noble lawn were broad fields, III
ian ling with the sere leaves of the gold
nd maize and deep wheat stubbles and h,
ich and there the ruddy relics of but
W. wheat crop; and beyond all, a hills
trv pastyre whitened by the fleeces of the
sands of sheep.
ses At the summit of the ascending sic
.tlv directly across the lake, backed by
to heavy mass OF oakwood, bearing so
rts giants of the forest, black walnuts 8
ck- wild cherries, intermingled with
the lighter growth, and surrounded by or
ur- mental strawberries, separated from
DIV large pasture by rustic fence of gnar
an branches, stood the mansion of the ru
ect- proprietor.
Ius- 1t was a large, rambling, irregu
building, apparently compound
the many successive constructions put III
her different dates to suit successive en-
hin gencies. 1t had no architectural pl
! he much less architectural ornament.
uid, shape was rambling, and even singul
yide vet it had withal sort of unity of
ow- pearance which took away all idea
his grotesqueness or solidity and rendere
decidedly pleasing and pictures
Iod! structure.
,een 1t was but one story in height, b
vey. throughout of neatly squared logs, "
10 II a shinoled roof projecting with W