Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-06-06

suckles trailed, and the scarlet poppies
looked like drops Of blood. The old
garden of Ripple Grange was like a hor-
ticultural show gone mad at midsummer.
And even now it was sweet with tufts
of crocus, blue-velvet iris and daffodils,
while at the rear rose up the silent hem
lock wood, still and scented and emerald
green in the twilight.
Miss Briggs, with her terrier dog. her
handbook, and her poor little hair trunks
studded with brass nails, had got there
early. She had opened the windows to
let in the yellow glow of the April sun
set, kindled fire with straight sticks
on the deep-tiled hearth, and was sit
ting on starch box turned upside down
drinking cold tea, and feeding her dog
with occasional scraps of corned beef
and bakers bread.
alt seems rather lonely here" said the
little old spinster to herself, "and the
rooms are very large and dreary-looking,
but l dare say that l can hire little
furniture in the village. and the garden
is really superb. | never saw such tu-
lip roots in my life. And the little
brook twinkling at the bottom of the
hill is an idyl in itself"
Miss Briggs, who had great deal of
poetry in her starved soul, set down the
can, and reached over to look out of the
window at the golden western sky.
$50 quiet, too;' said she, $50 seclud-
ed I"
But, to her amazement, even as she
looked, she perceived the figure of a
stout old gentleman, bald and spectacled
and carrying an immense fat travelling
case under his arm, who was picking
his way among the rose-briers that lay
prone across the path, stopping here and
there to examine the growth of silver
green house-leeks on the garden wall.
Miss Briggs, who was somewhat near
sighted, jumped at once to the conclu-
sion that this interloper was a tramp.
She hurled tin can recklessly down in
to the currant bushes.
"Go away!" she cried.
Mr.. Hyde peered upward with one
hand back of his ear. "Eh?" said he.
"Or I'll set the dog on you," squeak
ed Miss Briggs. encouraged by the shrill
bark of the terrier.
Woman" said the scientist, "who
are you? ?"
"I'll let you know" said Miss Briggs,
waxing more and more excited in her
indignation. "How dare you trespass
on my premises %
"How dare you trespass on mine 2"
retorted the old gentleman curtly.
"He's madman,'' thought Miss
Briggs; and she remembered with a
thrill of terror that there was no key to
the front door, and the bolt was rusted
in two pieces.
At the same moment the sound of
whooping voices was heard through the
wide, echoing halls, and three chubby
lads rushed hilariously in, tumbling over
one another as they came.
"Hurrahl" !" they shouted, 'hurrah !
Amt this a jolly old cavern of house
My here's fire and here's an old
woman 70
Boys" said she, severely. "what are
doing here?'
why" said Master Bruce Bellairs,
etat eleven, ''it's our house. And pa
and ma are helping unpack the cart at
the south door. And I've got redbird
and Johnny's got brood of Brahma
chickens in basket, and Pierre has got
monkey"
But boys" said Miss Briggs, with a
little hysterical gasp, ''this is my house. -
mo, it ain't," said the three Master
Bellairs in chorus; ''it's ours. We've
rented it for year. and pa and ma are
unpacking down stairs
'Is that your pa ?" said Miss Briggs,
with a sudden inspiration. as she point
ed to the old gentleman in the garden,
who stood stock-still, like the Egyptian
obelisk.
"No," said Pierre.
| Nothing of the sort" said Johnny.
sour pa amt such a guy as that.
chuckled Bruce.
81 think must be asleep and dream
ing" said Miss Briggs, as the door
opened, and stout, blooming matror
entered upon the scene. with a kerosene
lamp in one hand and basket of care
fully packed china in the other. while
from her finger depended a bird-cage.
"My good woman" said the Rev. Mrs
Bellairs, 81 suppose you have come tt
see about situation. If you can bring
good references as to character"
"You are entirely mistaken, madam.
said Miss Briggs with energy. 81 an
here because"
But at that moment, Mrs. Ripple her
self, accompanied by Dorcas. her maid
entered the room. She was tall, hand
some woman, dressed in elegant mourn
ing, and she used an eyeglass when she
| talked and somehow sha snemed IN ia T.