Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-07-09

DAY, JULY 9, 1880.
man. with shrewd capacities as dnancier
and turn for machinery. A great many
at the village had dropped into the habit
of addressing him lately as Mr.. Hexford,
and Eben's muscles commanded respect.
! He had a little snuggery in the barn he
called his workshop, where at odd hours
and on rainy days he tinkered with lathes
and pulleys and edged tools.
! When his farm work had been tidied up
and the COWS had been MIXED and turned
into the green woodlands again, Eben shut
shut himself up in his workshop and pot
tered over his numerous inventions and
! thought of what great possibilities might
i have been his if he had been born some.
thing better than Mr.. Leight0n's farm
hand. He realized sensibly that there
were still possibilities for him out yonder
beyond the dark line of elms and frs which
he could see from his study window. But
! his benefactor had died and left all the
| tangled threads of his affairs for young
! Hexford to unravel, and he could not
have deserted Mrs. Leighton and the girls
Barbara and Theo. 1t would not have
been right or manly. Things we're going
straight now, however; the farm was in
prosperous condition, and even an indH-
ferent manager could have kept the wheels
moving which Eben had fixed in their
| places. But Eben remained on at the
farm while the seasons waxed and waned,
and the girls were growing into fine, tall
young women, with restless warnings for
buster life than was to be had at Lar
borough.
He had expected that a girl SO pretty as
Barbara would be some time leaving SO
dull place, but he nevertheless felt a
wild, savage pain at his heart when he
learned that letter had been sent to a
distant aunt to see if she would not look
after Barbara while she enjoyed the ad-
vantages of finishing school for youn g
ladies The longest summer days would
fade into short summer nights, and by
and-bye, when the first yellow leaves would
be dropping into pools and hollows, Bar
bara would go away-perhaps forever.
Eben was too much of a man to sigh,
and too muscular to do without his sup
per, but he fell into the habit OF taking
long walks alone, or of sitting under the
honeysuckles on the porch where he could
see the moon rise and where he could hear
the young ladies singing rather plaintive
songs accompanied by the cracked strains
of the old harpsichord in the best room.
He had just plucked the first round, full
rose of May, and, twirling it thoughtfully
in his fingers as he strolled down the gar
den path to his workshop, when he heard
the breezy Hutter of muslin robe and
light football behind him on the gravel
walk. He turned with blaze of fire in
his black eyes and the rose extended. His
hand dropped to his side. 1t was Theo
who came rapidly after him swinging a
white sun-bonnet by one string.
Theo was saucy, petulant, provoking
young person of sixteen. whose pranks and
whims had often tried Eben' s temper sore
ly-having him stop the harvesting to sad
die Rulof, her pony, or NEEDLE with his
tools and upset his newest invention. But
Theo's eyes were such lovely blue and her
smile so bewitching that Eben had not the
heart to scold, besides he had humored her
in all her willfulness himself, and there
was the faintest resemblance to Barbara
| in the brow and dimpled chin which tied
him hand and foot.
sob, what lovely thingP' said Theo
coveting the rose and stretching out her
plump little hand. "Is it for me 20
NO." said Eben, rather gruffly. 1--we
had an eye on this bud for some time. l
noticed that your Lady Isabels are in fine
condition. You will have cluster OF
them by the day after tomorrow"
s.Well, you old stingy, suppose you
don't mind running down to the mail for
me; forgot what Barbara asked me to dos
and I shall get scolding from mamma
who can't have Bah crossed in anything,
iyou know" ~
[ II shall have to 60 down and see Nam
son about the wagon gear anyway tonight,
and 1 can just as well stop at the post
office. Is it the letter from-from New
Haven 90 And Eben very thoughtlessly
bit off the leaves of the rose and mangled
them with his strong white teeth.
Yes, it was the letter from New Haven,
and Eben was charged to bring up new
novel, and some pink sewing silk and
eighteen celluloid buttons, by Theo, who
ran after him to suggest chocolate car
amels in case the letter failed.
| ficfa that
the letter did fail. But it hurt him TO see
Barbara's disappointment. lie had re-
membered Theo's womanish little errands,
and he still held the rose, which he laid
now on Barbara's clasped hands. For all
she had grown to hate the old place, she
loved it's old-fashioned big fluffy roses as
fondly as when a child, and Eben had
braided long garland of them for hel
out of the finest and best.
She caressed the rose and tucked it in
among the curling locks, where it nestled
lust against her cheek. Eben flushed and
paled as he remembered how he had laid
his heart in the heart of that rose.
ssThe letter will be sure to be here to.
morrow he said gently, Il am going
down the first thing in the morning. The
young ladies around Marlborough are not
; to be without gallant this season. A
handsome young man from New York has
come down to stay some weeks in the
neighborhood. I met him with DR.. Orms.
by in the glg."
Eben was not slow to note that this bit
, of news awakened faint show of interest