Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-10-30
His Answer.

per as sleepily as the wind in the
leaves. Still, a long sojourn IN
Bramleigh teaches one that it is new
er by any means as sleepy as it seems
that every shut up, drowsy-look-
ing old building had wide-awake eyes
and ears on every side, and even
the lank- haired, drawling juvenile is
on the alert for happening.
My landlady, Mrs. Bragdon, lives
mile away from the village, but
nearly every whisper which is breath
ed there finds its way to the farm.
AS she expresses it, "She does like
to have something goin' on" And
when, last fall, all her summer
boarders had taken flight with the
exception of myself, the cows had all
been sold but two, and the light har-
vest was being gathered in with as
sistance of but two hired men, she
declared that she chad too much spare
time and was blue as whetsun,-
that the village was duller than moth
in at all; she was never SO put to it
for news in her life
"Spare time hain't what alls me, "
grumbled Alfonso, the two-headed
son of the house II kent git a
minute ter sit in the store; that's
why you don't hear no news
Goats foot! you don't git no
news when you do go ter the corner
evenin's. You don't set in the store,
noway. You jest dangle round Cy-
rus Parker's gate, to see if you kent
git a glimpse ov Mirandy. But,
Lor' if you ken find out about eny-
thing that's a-goin'on in the world,
you might ez well 90 down along to-
night. There'll be pumpkins to cut
evenin's by N by, N there won't be
no gittin' off them
So, making himself brilliant as to
his feet and very much perfumed as
to his head, Alfonso sets off down
the road as soon as his evening
chores are accomplished.
"Well, l domino as | shell be ker-
ried through eff that boy don't bring
no word of enybody or enything,"
says his mother, seating herself by
the fire with her knitting-work.
/ looked up, and, catching a
glimpse of Mrs. Bragdon's woe-be-
gone face, am touched with real pity.
L know with what delight | may fill
her soul if I choose to reveal a secret
which | have piously kept concealed
since my first years sojourn in Bram-
leigh-a delectable tale, which, for
a wonder, had not been whispered
around the hearth-sides of the village
nor discussed under the "dim, religi
Gus light of the one lantern which
hangs from the dusty rafters in the
store.
l put aside my book, and say
rashly, before l have really decided
to tell, ''Mrs. Bragdon, did you ever
know what broke the engagement be-
tween Miss Matilda Jane Snow and
the minister"
The sudden frightening of Mrs.
Bragdon's face is something amaz-
ing. She drops her knitting-work at
once and clasps her hands in a touch
ing attitude of expectation. "No; l
couldn't never find out for certain.
Everybody thought was proper
strange, after they'd been goin' to-
gether for so long. Parson Whit
comb wanted Der fur her money,
they say. He was younger'n she,
n a picture of a man, with red
cheeks and curly hair. But, Lor'
she hain't got much money; she let
that good-furnothin' brother oy hers
waste a good pile that belonged to
her on his eddication. He was a
lazy soul, but was called, as he said,
to be a missionary; n eff he kin
make himself agreeable to the heath
en-, 'spose its as well as he could
do. His room is better'n his COM
pany here" Mrs. Bragdon pauses,
quite out of breath, and regards me
with earnest appeal.
II can tell you why she didn't
marry the Minister" says /, with the
true air of profound mystery and
deep Importance which is charac-
teristic of the real Bramleigh gossip.
Whereupon, after the usual pre-
liminaries, the exhortations to etern-
al secrecy, the hesitations and delib-
erations which, somehow, seem to
heighten the enjoyment of the eX-
pectant listener, began my tale:
''The first year l visited Bran
leigh, l used to go and see Miss Ma
tilda Jane very often, you know. ]
went past her house on my way te
Morrill's meadow, where the orchids
grow, and stopping at the gate tt
admire her flowers one day, she came
out and presented me with lovely
little bouquet of spice-pinks and Law
ender. Then, one day when | was
heated with my walk she invited m'
into her house to have glass of he
raspberry shrub, and | accepted th
invitation with pleasure, for it look
ed very cool and inviting inside th
wide, breezy old hall.
ssGood gracious !" said Miss Ma
tilda Jane, 4 shouldn't never get m,
breath again if | walked as fur al
Morrilps meadow. / wish you'd al
x,-ore dro,, in bara ,o' ract auhil