Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-09-10
VICTIMIZED.

to put upon the table in the roomy farm
house, The men had had plenty of time
to come in from the fields, but they did
not appear. Mrs. Stone took advantage
of this fact by seating herself comfortably
in chair, and taking a snatch of the
rest of which her brisk steps in doing
the mornings work had made her feel
the need.
But it seemed to Aunt Maria that the
'men-folks" should be looked after, and
accordingly she took her way through
the wide hall to the front door. The at
mosphere was clear, and as she looked
across the valley she saw the roof of a
newly built house in the far distance
glimmer and glisten in the bright sun
shine like silver star.
In the front yard her flower bed bios
somed gorgeously, but just in the middle
of it, to her great disgust, cleaned pro-
vokingly the shining feathers of Pedro,
the old he-fowl. When Pedro presented
himself at the kitchen door every morn
ing after breakfast and demanded the
usual cold potato granted him, Aunt
Maria treated him with a certain amount
of consideration; but in the middle of
her flower-bed he was uncomfortable.
Watch was lying near the door, and she
tried to urge him to the chase; but lie
persisted in looking up and down the
road, never for moment allowing his
gaze to rest on Pedro, assuming that
provoking air of being really unable to
see what he was expected to run after,
that cunning dog knows SO well how
to feign. After many vigorous shakes Of
her blue gingham apron, Aunt Maria
succeeded in starting Pedro, who walked
slowly away with an untroubled all
which seemed to say, eff l never have g
worse enemy than Aunt Maria I may
count myself fortunate" All! if Aunt
Maria and Pedro had but known! But
let not coming events cast shadows
before.
Pedro once dispersed, Aunt Maria
walked to the gate, from whence she dis
covered that Brother Samuel and his
sixteen-years-o son, Jim, had stopped
to talk with Tom Price, neighbor's son
which she considered waste of valuable
time. So she called in an emphatic toni
of voice, Dinner is ready!'' as a hint tt
Tom to be moving on, which he accord
ingly did.
Jim had hardly set foot within TIT
kitchen door when he began to reliev'
himself o the news just received from
Tom.
"Going down to see your new neigh
borsPn he asked.
New neighbors! Where? There ism
an empty house for mile about"
"Well, this kind don't generally tax
to houses--at least, not when it's warn
weather. But there's about forty of zen
down in the wood. Tom says the
came there this morning, and are a
strange looking crew as he ever saw
dark skins, the blacklist kind of eyes
and the straightest, blacklist hair. An
they wear red and yellow and such brigll
colors more than anything else. An
there's been lots of folks to see 'em thi
morning, and we must all go tonight
after work is done"
Now, in this remote neighborhood,
real, live gypsy had never before bee
seen within the memory of the Oldest il
habitant. Even n tramp was rarit,
and the few specimens who presente
themselves at the farmhouse door wei
questioned with an energy and thorough
ness which must have given very III
' satisfactory returns as regarded the il
: formation received. So there were man
wondering conjectures concerning Il
: dark strangers, and an agreement WI
made to lock up the house and go
= visit them in the cool of the evening.
When little Burt came home fro
0 school in the village, he too was full
wonderful story of q wagon-load
dusky women and children who dro,
e past the school-house on their way
the tavern, where they walked to Il
bar and drank beer until the astonish
landlord refused to let them have al
i more, upon which they swore round
and noisily departed.
The sun was yet an hour high VIII
the Stone family started for the gyp