Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-17

loo0lnR NE nOT6e ana taking PGO ISdChoi,
and John fell behind. When they came
, to the corner, Mahlon and his wife were
already there, aud Absalom renewed his
request. Rachel made no demur, for Mao
mi said it would relieve their horse with
ono less in. John smiled to himself. The
aunt favored the counting.
The summer months came and WENT
Absalom Browning came and went once
| week and sometimes twice, and John Paul
| remained on the farm. He grew to be
favorite, and his activity and physical
strength, with his great good nature, made
him popular with the young men around.
Absalom did not like him. however. With
Rachel he got along fameusly. She had
been his FREUD from the first, never for
getting his opportune championship. Then
he read 30 beautifully, aud was full Of tales
of adventure, for, according to his OWN ac
count, he bad Travelled good deal. In
his wanderiDgs he had picked up deal
Of knowledge, too, as leaked out bit by bit
and he bid fair to make a good farmer, SO
the farmer liked him too. But Mahlon.
whose spirits had been getting lower and
lower, at length grew quite gloomy. and
his gloom was shared by his wife, and even
infected Rachel.
The cause of this trouble John Paul
learned one day from the talkative clerk
at the store where the Stacys dealt, and
with it got some of the family history. 1t
appeared that Rachel Taylor. the younger
sister of Mahlon's wife, had eleped and
married with Gordon Forsyth, a gay and
wealthy young gentleman from New York
who had accidentally met and fallen in love
| with her. Rachel had been 'disowned"
for marrying ''out of meeting" but worse
followed. Forsyth, who was on the down
| ward course. soon got tired of his pretty
| wife, resumed his dissipation, and was
drowned while drunk two years after
ward, leaving his widow with one-year-
old child. Rachel Forsyth did not long
survive Der husband, who proved to have
been at his death bankrupt. He had man
aged to get Mahlon Stacey; who believed
in him, to become bondsman IN case in
volving, it afterward turned out, a ,ques-
| tionable transaction. Mahlon paid the
judgment, but was obliged to mortgage
| the farm. which had been III the Stacy
J family for four generations. He adopted
little Rachel, sent her to the West Town
school to be educated, and bit by bit ac-
cumulated money sufficient to discharge
| the mortgage. The bank in which he
| kept his savings broke, and he not only
lost his store, but was unable to meet the
interest for a year. The mortgage was in
other hands, rich New Yorker held it
and proceedings TO foreclose had been be-
gun. If Rachel married Absalom Brown
ing, who was himself a rich mans son,
there would be no difficulty. 'They say
that Rachel hangs back,'' concluded the
clerk. II rayther guess she'll give in at
last. That's the way Mahlon'll pull
through, in my Judgment"
John came home after hearing all this,
and found Absalom Browning there. The
young Quaker was got up quite smartly-
in plain clothes, to be sure, but his shad
bellied coat was of the finest colored
| broadcloth, and his broad brimmed hat of
the very best beaver. He remained to
supper, and was treated with marked CON
sideration by the farmer and his wife.
| Rachel seemed to be acting little curl
ously, but she avoided his eyes.
| The next morning John went out early
to see to the horses and cattle. When be
returned to breakfast he observed that
Mahlon was curt and monosyllabic of
speech. Naomi gloomy and Rachel dis
| tressed. John ate his meal silently and
| then went to the field with Mahlon. But
he soon made an excuse to return. Rachel
was alone there, seated with her face in
| her hands, and so intent Oh her thoughts
that she did not hear him come in.
"What is the trouble, Rachel?" he
asked.
| The girl started up, and the blood rushed
| to her face; but she made no reply.
''Is it to be wedding ?" he continued
''John Paul, thee's-thee s."
''Or did you send Absalom Is. about his
business last night ?''
"What is that to thee, John? Uncle is
! displeased with me. Aunt is sorry and
now thee must What is it to thee
| whether have or not ]"
'sRachel" said he, taking her trembling
hand. and retaining it in spite of her effort
to withdraw it, sit is everything to me-
for I love you dearly"
| The eyes of the girl filed with sudden
| light. "Thee! Thee love-me?"
John read the answer to his question be-
fore he put it, and he drew his sobbing
Rachel to his breast.
How long they stood there neither could
tell, but at the sound of Mahlon Stacy's
heavy step on the veranda, Rachel made
her escape.
"What keeps thee in the house, John ?"
inquired the farmer, entering the room.
1--WE have work to set through with"
"Let that pass for moment, Mr.. Stacy,
I have something to say. Who holds now
the mortgage on the farm"
"Why does thee ask p
From no idle curiosity. What is his
name and where does he live ?"
Ellis name is Frobisher, and he lives in
New York. 1t is lawyer Woodford who
has the business in hand"
"Woodford! Not Charles Woodford
SOL In that case make yourself perfectly
easy. can arrange all that for you"
SIS thee serious John Paul? Does thee
think Frobisher would do it for thee 20
"Why notY He never refused nae any
thing wanted yet: from the time we went
to the same school,"
"Thes must be out of thy mind, John.
This Frobisher, they say, is worth q mil
lion of dollars. Does thee expect to influ-
ence himY II didn't know thy habitslI
should say tbeed been drinking"
tsTha man Won sneak of ia worth mora