Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-01-19

HhHHnt Hhp Wp"" '"'s WV" ""' "
sight II her dress had not caught Of
one of tho branching STANDS aud hel'
her iast,
"Amy |" aud John Dare, with a ho
flush on hia face, caught her hand ant
so detained her. Amy Egber', have
! found you At last =
The girls face grew white aud rod
by turns, and tho words she spoke
came 40 low :and broken that only
John could catch the meaning.
Uncle Abel pushed his spectaelo'
up on his forehead, still holding his
hat In bis hand, looking open-moath
cd from one TO the other
~ gucss you must have knowed
this young woman atore, didn't you =
no said, but John was too busy with
eager questions, and Amy was tremb
ling and flushing as she tried to speak
calmly, and 20 his question waa I'M
answered. Pretty Josie was dividing
her attention between u new customer
and the strange scene beside her, aud
between anger aud modification she
looked in no need Of help from rouge
as she tossed her head aud muttcred
various uncourteous remarks in regard
to "that Amy Egbert and her beau"
Uncle Abel held the bonnet while
longer quite patiently, but at las, des-
pairing Of tho interview being ended,
40 he coughcd and then said:
M'll take this bunnit. Twenty
dollars is q good deal. Be'Scy's
worth it, amt she, John ~
John need not have stated so, OF
said "very,' which wasn't a sensible
answer at all but Uncle Abel laugh
ed a li,tlo to himself, and said, softly,
ooh, boys will be boys |" and he was
obliged to tell Miss Egbert the d;rec-
ton over twice, too, and felt quite
uneasy lest it should not arrive at his
hotel in time.
"Outside the door John turned to
leave his uncle, and looked as shy as a
girl, as he said, "It's all right, Uncle
Abel. You've found new bonne;
and I've found an old friend
Uncle Abel held his hand fast and
looking moment without speaking,
in the young mans eyes, said, 'She's
motherless girl, John"
"Uncle Abel - and John turned
angrily away, or would have done so
if the detalning hand had not held
him with a grasp which sixty years
had not weakened. "Look here, my
boy, I meant no offence. None OF
my blood turn villains" he added
proudly "but you see she's young
and purity and forlorn. and may be,
| if you see too much of her, she might
get to thinkin' more of you than
would be good for her, and it you
amt in earnest J guess it would break
her heart. Shake hands with your
uncle, my boy, mean no harm but
| I promised Liza wheG she was on
her dying bed that | would alus try
to give you good advice, and the last
words she spoke, says she, abel,
watch over my boy
"My dear, kind uncle, l thank you
indeed do-for all your kindness,
but I could not bear to think that you
should misjudge me. I knew Amy
long ago, when her parents were both
living, and she had all that wealth
could give. loved her then in a
quiet way, but I was too poor to tell
her 80. Then came reverses and
death, and in her poverty and pride
the girl hid herself from me until
now. She tried to earn her bread by
her accomplishments, but failed, and
gladly took this meana to do do so.-
Now, if can win her for my wife, l
shall bring Mrs. John Dare to see
you some fine day. this summer, may
I, Uncle Abel'"
So they parted, and the passer'by
little dreamed OF all that had been
said. .. = "t
"Wa'al, wa'al, if things don't turn
out queer |" soliloquized Uncle Abe,
homeward bound, with bandbox
placed on the seat before him. "To
think how near l come to getting one
Of them, gypseys tor Betsey. Why,
1 she would have laughed a week about
| it. And then to think that painted
pictur Of girl was making game Of
me all that while. And the other one
with her gentle way, taking the
trouble to tell a stupid fellow like me
what was the right thing to buy.
| guess she would make our John q
GOOD wife and after Betsey and me