Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-10-11

emphatlcally pronounced. cit may De
tina; old love-affair cropped up again
that woman who threatened to bring an
action for breach Of promise when James
married me. Mind you don't let Dinah
Ann find it, says Harry. Or perhaps
perhaps James, has been foolish enough
to let her meet him Harry, not mar
ried man himself, and lawyer, would
lend himself to any earthly thing with
out scruple. All lawyers do"
This rural district, remote from the
haunts of willy men of the world, was
given over entirely to farmers and farm
ing interests; simple-minded and sim
ple-mannered people, who lived out
their uneventful lives in the routine of
daily duties. The small market town
of Northan, four miles distant, was
sleepy and primitive. never awakening
from its slumbers save on the weekly
market day. 1t had its parson; its
doctor; its lawyer-Harry Leete, all
three of them being nearly as simple as
the farmers. Not simple IN point of in
tellect. it must not be understood, but
as to life and manners.
This Thursday was market day.
James Harbury had gone to it in the
gig of a brother farmer, Peter Hall, his
own mare, which he neither rode nor
drove generally, being sick. He was
tall, slender man of nine and thirty
years, very fair, with exceedingly hand
some features and mild blue eyes, look
ing as unlike the popular notion of
farmer as man could look, and present
ing marked contrast to his agricultu-
raj neighbors. So far as appearance
went none of them, poor or rich, could
vie with James Harbury, and his tenn
per and his bearing were alike gentle.
He had one fault-though perhaps all
people would not call it a fault-love
of money. That he was one of the
"warmest" farmers in the district was
universally believed, and the most saw
ing of men. Too saving, his wife would
tell him-and where was the use of it,
she would ask, considering she had
neither chick nor child ?-and every
now and then she would make the mon
ey fly, for she was dear lover of smart
attire, and of having pretty things about
her. James would vince, and bid her
to be careful, but he never went the
length of telling her she had spent too
much. He was fond of her, and she of
him.
Neither chick nor child" In that
fact had lain sharp sting. They had
been married eight years now. and the
sting was wearing itself away. Time
softens all things. He had never given
her cause for an unhappy thought-un-
til tonight. He had never had Sc
cret from her, except that he never
could be brought to tell her what the
exact sum was that he was enabled to
put by at the end of each year. Dinah
Ann Harbury did not care for that /; she
knew that, however much it might be-,
it was all for her.
But she did care for this-this mys-
terious secret which had come to her
hearing tonight. She knew how good
looking James was, how universally he
was liked by man and by woman, and
what kind heart he had-she put it,
"soft'-and something like jealousy be-
gan to torment her spirit.
When James came in again, the sup
per tray was at one end of the table,
and Dinah Ann, an unusual light in
her eyes, sat at the other end, near the
lamp, having taken up her knitting
The farmers general manner was easy
and placid, though he had certainly
seemed restless after leaving the gig
but now he was calm again.
"Well," she said, as he cut himself q
, slice of the cold boiled beef, ..and how
: did you find "Whitc Bess?'
"Oh, she seemed comfortable" he re
e piled looking around for the mustard
pot.
q "You deceitful william! You know
: you did not 60 near the STABLE though
e his wife. "You are sure you think SO {?
she added aloud.
t SAY. White Bess will be all herse]
again tomorrow, Dinah Ann
/ "It's more than l shall be-" though
e Dinah Ann, unless I can come to th
= bottom of this"
J. He ate his supper nearly in silence
k like man who is mentally preoccupiee
e And he enjoyed it, too, for he was yer
l. hungry.
e james, do you ever hear anythin
now of that Emma Land ?'
d James Harbury laid down his knii
e and fork in surprise at the question, an
: looked across at his wife, whose fax
s. was bent over her knitting.
d do l ever hear anything of Emn
a Land J" he repeated. "Wbas can NAL
t, you ask that, Dinah Amp"
K "What can make me ask it ? / don
k know. The query happened to come il