Connecticut western news., 1881-03-09

"Id like nuthin' better'n to take you. But tn ain't no use sayin' word till pa gifts home. He ain't no hand fur strangers.
 "Well, I won't be stranger longer'n I lean help," said the agreeable peddler. "My name's Pond, Marcus Pond Nashville boy but rollin' stone, you know. I've peddled books an sewin' machines, an no end of lot of traps ginerally. Fond O travel, you see; but jest s steady as old Time. Never drink when travel promised my mother l wouldn't"
 "'Tis a good thing" said mother Rleylock, with energy. "I do despise to see fuddled man. Whisky ain't fit fur nuthin' but ter fatten hogs on."
 Father Bleylock came home, and be- yond stare and silent nod, took little notice of the peddler. He was 8 tall man, thin, taciturn, and yellow, and with neck so small that his head pre- sented the appearance of being stuck on with pin.
 He lighted his pipe, and after sooth- ing interval of smoking, Peddler'd like to stop over period," said his wife.
 Puff, puff. "Don't see no objection. " Puff, puff.
 And gentle hilarity agitated the bosoms that yearned over the peddler's pack.
 MT. Pond, as he had promised, soon ceased to be a stranger. The old man discoursed on the grievances of taxes, and the old woman, after the manner of mothers, talked about her daughters.
 The Bleylock boys, easy, rollicking fellows, treated the peddler very much as if he had been harmless though un- necessary cat about the house, and were surprised when Dick Oscar, dropping in one evening, informed them that they were all pack of fools for "takin' in a stranger so free and easy,''
 "'F you'll take my say so, you'll git quit of him." said Dick Oscar.
 "He's got such beautiful taste P sai d mother Bleylock. "It's as good s go- in to tn city to look at his things"
 ''I see he's been a-dressin' you up" :" said Oscar, with sheer at the new rib bons the girls wore round their necks.
 Janey spraDg up. Her face reddened In an instant she had torn off the ribbon and stamped her foot on it. "That's how much care for him an his rib bins p she cried.
 "Don't fly quite off the handle" said MT. Oscar, coolly. Evidently he shared her mothers opinion that Miss Janey was a spitfre.
 Poor Janey! She had hoped to please her lover by her scorn of the peddler's gift, but she was comicg to the conclusion that he was a hard man to please. She was a passion ate ani- nal, and she had thrown herself into his arms with readiness that robbed herself of her graces. He liked to sting and stroke her alternately, and was about as unsatisfactory lover as Janey could have found on the Cumberland. But she liked him, saw with his eyes, thought with his thoughts. Naturally she turned against the peddler, and from this time set herself to watch him.
 That harmless yo1ng man in the meantime was doing what he could. He wandered about the country, selling such little things as the people could buy, pumping" the Bleylock boys, and making love to the Bleylock girls. The pumping process was rewarded with about as much success as would attend fishing for soul through the eye of g skeleton. In the love-making there was more hope.
 Janey was accessible to fattery, and encouraged him with little looks of fire But there was something in her eyes he did not trust, and he was 8 wary man the peddler. Besides, she slapped his face when he tried to kiss her. But ht soon grew to believe that Eliza-simple unsuspicious, serious-would be as cla, in his hands.
 Chance favored Miss Janey. She wal bathing, one warm day, in the creel that ran out from the spring, when sh saw Eliza and the peddler coming, lik Jack and Jill, to fetch pail of water Janey could not get away but she sll along to a cool inlet overhung wit tree branches, and so hidden, waited fo them to do their errand. Of cours they stopped to talk.
 "That pink ribbon becomes you
 black hair nightly" said the peddlel
 Eliza blushed. "We're just countr
 girls, you know, MT. Pond; we don
 have many pretty things. Seem s the boys don't have any money le
 after buyin' the sugar an flour an mo lasses an things.'
 "Meat, s'pose," said the practic peddler.
 "No; we raise our own meat. I
 has powerful lot O hogs." "Soi''
 "But I expect you don't take muc t interest In country life, MT. Pond?" l "Why, my dear, and MT. Pon
 slipped his arm around Eliza" I s like the best in the world to settle dow . in country just like this. A feIlo ? gets tired trampin' around. But I l want two things to make me happy. y Eliza looked at him with happy con dence.
 r "First, little wife at was gentle
 her ways, an good girl, an one wi l. black hair to set off the pink ribbons l u buy for her, an fleet foot, and r, : mouth."
 3 Horo NF,. Do-1 oo~oo 41 a c--11