The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-06-17

"Fully that" said, again wonder
ing how he had endured oil these day
aud nights in this odforsaken spot
lie raised his muscular arm, and will
a blackened finger pointed to the tinj
gables Of house near by.
~ be married since. I've got [,
boy up there, an he'll bo q smithy
reckon, though his mother Is inclined
TO the trade Of shoe strings, tapes, And
the like. hate it, | do. Them b.
all whitc-skinned, creamy fellows, will
no grit in 'ein."
had never deemed Il possibility
that there could be marrying or giving
ia marriage here. La this respect
bloomsbury resembled heaven In my
sacrilegious mind. Perhaps the "old
old story" Of love had made II para
disc 70 the young blacksmith.
gave my horse brief test and q
drink from the good fellows trough, as
| inquired the current news Of the
teWn, though, the Lord knows, nothing
could be further from my thoughts
than 10 care what news there was. ]
had seen but once, for q moment, a
face which even family interested ne
in that horrible place, and try as hard
as l would, could ne, or drive away
that vision.
had strolled into the little yellow
church one sultry day TO escape the
thunderstorm which was rapidly com
ing up frsm the west, and stepped into
the porch just AZ tie first heavy drops
battered Oh the roof, and on the bleach
ed grass about the tumbled-down head.
stones in the yard.
u was ind. - lovely face which >.
peared as pale star in the orgaD-luf,,
among commonplace, tawny, featured
faces, with black aud brown ringlets
streaming around them. She did not
blush or return my gaze coyly, as
young girls are wont to do in country
places, but looked over and beyond me
in pitiful, vacant, meaningless way.
l don't know whether she wore pink,
or blue, or lavender. IL was cloudy,
filmy sort of dress, admirably suited 70
her large gray eyes and rings Of yellow
hair. Her bonnet was = sweet little
thing, tied up with white ribbon. Her
chin was like alabaster, her cheek Was
scarcely less pale.
! fingered on the church porch after
the congregation had trooped out aud
the sexton had shuttered mp the
gloomy little edifice. h.,l stupidity
missed her in the thr1rg. or she bad
gone out At the choir rniit"ec I had
forgotten the incid.-nt .li,.ctly. anil re-.
member IL now only ~ young Jnns.n,
the bniwny Norsr.eian, sin'ks u Lis
wife and iai.y.
fThere ~1' "a rAtler pretty Young
lady here thw- yra.s ng,'. ! sai.I, bit.
ipg bit Of h- straw. aud lo,kiHg
ovor the pollard ~indo" at the church
stecple. "A pale, white girl ia stni~
bonnet"
An understandable lush m1unt.d to
his swathy cheek and stained his brow
lie dropped the hammer With "a sharp
clang, aud let hls iron cool while he
looked at me threatenihgly for an in
slant. The tigerish green faded from
his eye and lefG dull, red glare.
"She was considered handsome then.
| know who you mean"
II hope she is AZ pretty still. That
was face thought man might see
over his tea urn every day for life
time and not tire"
"Do you think 40, verify T. said jan
sen. sending up shower Of sparks.
1T lie all owing to how the face looks
at you. If il be with dead, cold eyes
and icy lips-wby, man, death itself at
times could not match il. IL was a
sweet face to hang in locket.'
With great simplicity be had express
ed my thought.
"Now, your wife," / said in banter
ing way ~ dare say she is smart
girl, given to teasing yon, and coming
to meet you with your son on heI
back, and then ,ou three romp away
home again"
A sigh Of anguish burst from th,
honest fellows bosom, and for the firs
time il dawned on me that in som'
way was blunderingly torturing him
/ began TO talk Of other things, an,
strolled away with my bride on m,
arm until reached a little gritty stone
yard, where gritty fellow with dust.
eye-lashes used TO sing at his work o
making grave-stones. lie was ut !
still, evolving Roman-noscd angel il
smock frock from block Of granite
He was by all odds the merriest fel
low ia Bloomsbury, and the gossip 9
the county.
He had many things to relate rels
tive to mis- trade, and many inquiries I
make relative TO the rascals it was m
business to hunt down. He declares
himself veiy sorry that circumstance
had made stone-breaker of one whou
fate clearly meant for detective. III
had pair of pinkish eyes, deeply sc
under shaggy brcws, and a face briI
full of duplicity and conceit. He coul
climb like a cat, he told me, and conl
scale Iichened wall like a lizard.
Presently he said that he had see
me talk to man for whom he had
great contempt-the blacksmith. TIL
was very droll. l foresaw that til
stone breaker must have ut some tin
injured the Norwegian.
He told me at great length lon
scandal in which Jansen had mixe
himself mp. lie had married hal
idiot girl and fathered her child, who's
father no one had ever seen or hear
Of, and carried around with him po
derous threat to kill any man, wona
or child who should speak lightly
his wife.
"AlI that / say makes him gro
| A. lT.-l..-..tk AL. -. ,..,, ~. 4,