The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-07-29
Babara.

WAS there any mail, Eben? ?'
And leaning over the little wicket
g te, her dark locks falling about her in
rretty, careless tresses, Barbara looked
shfully down the shady street aud
tlen up at the tossing elms, where the
iusy birds were chat e'ing And, sad 10
relate, a frowu OF discomfort crept over
BArhara's low, white brow.
"No, there were no letters for the
L8ightOns," said Eben, in rather a cav
e mood. 81 made special inquiries
i.r you" and EOen's lower lip trembled
s little, and his voice sOfiened wonder
fllly Tor him. 81 suppose you are anX-
ilus to get away from the old place,
rbara ?"
Yes, l sm." said Mrs Leighton,
sharply, with an imperial air 81 am
sIck Of il all. ! should be glad to 90
llywEere away from here"
Eheu made no reply. He ked
down at the tangled curis, the soft, visit
fol brown eyes, the dimpled hands
ciasped over the mesh Of honeysuckles-
then away over the tops OF the snowy
haisams toward the great world where
Barbara's heart was. He was thinking
with one cruel pang which gripped his
heart at that moment of what lif would
be at the farm without Barbara. He
lad tried Of late To live without connect
ing her ia any way with his days and
ghts, his dudes, mis- hariships and his
irvs, but he bad made sorry work Of il.
]. gave Eben a fright 10 know how
much everything depended on this
I'D, spoiled beauty, whose dream now
vas TO get away from such as he-the
t'm mou folks around Larborough.
barbara at eighteen had a great long
.i for that gay world Of which she had
r-fd IN summer evenings when sitting
raier the musky vines Of the farmhouse
p1lehi or when lying amid the cnFslips
lu he meadow, where. under a prowing
gbt Of care, Eben toiled with great
h-1wn bands In the capacity of help 10
tHf Widow Leighton. Eben was as
much part and parcel Of the place as the
l milling hesdstoues in the little
graveyard on the hill, where all the
deaa< 4.eightOns were lying. No one
s~er lCi5eamed Of bis going away, al
shrugh his merits we're acknowledged,
-d8 il was cheerfully admitted that the
10y had cFOwu into a strong, handsome
man, with shrewd capacities As a finan-
eier, aud a turn for machinery. y
gyaat many at the village had dropped
i1tO- the habit Of addressing him lately
IS Mr.. HeXf1rd, and Eben's muscles
commanded respect. He bad q little
znuggery in the barn he called his
workshop, where at odd hours and on
Amy days he tinkered with lathes and
ruileys and wedge tools.
When his iarmw work had been tidied
up and the cows had been milked aud
turned into the green woodlands again,
Euen shut himself up in his workshop
aad puttered over his numerous inyen-
tons aud thought Of what great pOssi-
1liitles might have been his II be had
been born something better than Mr..
Leighton's farm hand. He realized
ssnsibly that there were st,H pOssibili-
ties for him ont yooder beyond the dark
line Of elms aud frs which lie could see
from bis study window. But his hene-
factor had died and left all the tangled
threads of his affairs for young Hexford
to unravel, and he could not have de-
safted Mrs. Leighton aud the girls
Barbara and Theo. Ii would not have
been right or manly. Things we're GO
ing straight now, however; the farm
was 10 prosperous condition, and even
an Indifferent manager could have kept
the wheels moving which Eben bad
hxed ia their places. But Eben re-
n aimed on the farm while the seasons
waxed aud waned, and the girls we're
growing into fine, tall young women,
18th restless yearniDgs for buster life
tnan was to De had at Larborough.
de had expected that 3 girl so pretty