Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-12
WHAT THE SHEPHERD SA W.
A Tale Of -Four Moonlight Nights.
ny THOMAS HARDY.


lIRsI MONT.
The Christmas moon shone coldly upon the
upland and the upland reflected its irradia-
ton in frost.sparkles 80 minute as only to be
discernible by an eye near at hand. This eye
was the eye of shepherd lad, exceptionally
young for his occupation, who stood within a
wheeled hut of the kind commonly in use
among the sheep keepers during the early
lambiug season, aud was abstractedly looking
through the loophole at the scene without.
The spot was called Lambing Corner, and il
was a sheltered portion of that wide expanse
of rough pasture-land known as Nerncombe
Down, which you cross in its lower levels
when following the turnpike. road from Cas-
terbridge eastward before you come to Mel
chester. Here where the hut stood, the land
was high and dry, open except TO the north
and commanding an undulating view for
miles. On the north side grew a tall belt Of
coarse furze with enormous stalks, clump
of the same standing detached in front Of
the general mass The clump was hollow,
and the interior had been ingeniously taken
advantage of as a position for the before. men.
toned hut which was thus completely screen
cd from winds ari almost invisible evceut
through the narrow approach. But the furze
twigs had b6en cut away from the two little
windows of the hut, that the occupier might
keep his eye on the scene.
In the rear the shelter afforded by the belt
of furze- bushes was artihcaly improved by
an enclosure Of upright stakes, interviewer
with boughs of the same prickly vegetation,
and within the enclosure lay the renowned
Nerncombe breeding flock Of eight hundred
ewes.
To the south, in the direction Of the young
shepherds idle gaze, there rose ono conspicu-
Gus object above the uniform moonlit plateau
and only one. II was a Druidical trilithon,
consisting Of three oblong stones in the form
of a doorway, two on end and one across as a
Intel Each stone had been worn scratched
washed, nibbed split, and otherwise attack
ed by ten thousand different weathers but
now the blocks looked shapely aud little the
worse for wear, SO beautifully were they sill
yered over by the light of the moon. The
ruin was locally CALLED the Devils Door.
An old shepherd presently entered the hut
from the direction Of the ewes, and looked
around in the gloom. "B1 ye sleepy = he
asked in cross accents OF the boy.
The lad replied rather timidly in the mega
tive.
Then" said the shepherd, I'm get me
home along, and rest for few hours. There's 8
nothing to be done here now as l can see.
The ewes can want no more tending till day
break its beyond the bounds of reason
that they can. But as the order is that one
Of us must bide, I'll leave you, dye hear. You
can sleep by day and can't, And you can
be own to my house in ten minutes If any
thing should happen. can't afford ye can
die but as It's Christmas week, aud the
time that folks have hollerdays, you can en-
JOY yersef by falling asleep a bit in the chair,
instead of biding awake all the time. But
mind not longer at once than while shade of
the Devils Door moves couple of spans for
ye must keep an eye upon the ewes"
The boy made no definite reply and the old
man, stirring the fire in the stove with his
crook stem, closed the doQr upon his com
panion aud vanished,
As this had been more or less the course of
events every night since the eason's lambing
had set in the boy was not at all surprised at
the charge and amused himself for some time
by lighting straws at the stove. He then went
out to the ewes and new born lambs recntor-
ed, lat down and finally fell aslsep. This was
his customary manner of performing his
watch, for though special permission for maps
had this week been accorded, he had, as a
matter of fact, done the same thing on every
preceding night, sleeping often till awakened
by smack on the shoulder at three or four
IN the morning from the sheep crook Of the
old man.
1t might have been about eleven o'clock
when he aVoke. lie was SO surprised at
avaking without, apparently being called or
struck that on second thoughts he assumed
that somebody must have called him in spite
of appearances, and looked out of the hut
window toward the sheep, They all lay as
quiet as when he had visited them, very little
6leating being audible, and no human soul
disturbing the scene. He next looked from
the opposite window, and here the case was
different The frost facets glstened under
the moon as before an occasional furze bush
showed as dark spot on the same; and in
the foreground stood the ghostly form of the
trilithon. But in front of the tTilithon stood
man.
That he was not the shepherd, or any one
of the farm-aborers, was apparent in a mo-
ments observation, his dress being dark
suit, and his figure OF fslender build and grace
ful carriage lie walked backward and for
ward in front of the trlhthon.
The shepherd lad had hardly done specu-
lating on the straugeness of the unknown 8
presence here at such an hour, when he saw
second figure crossing the open sward toward
the locality of the trlithon and furze dump
that screened the hut. The second parsonage
was woman aud Immediately on sight of
her the male stranger hastened forward, meet
ing her Just in front of the hut window. Be.
fore she seemed to be aware of his intention,
he clasped her in his arms.
The lady released herself, and drew back
with some dignity
"You have come, Harriet-bless you for i'll
he exclaimed fervently,
"But not for this she answered, in offend
ed accents. And then, more good naturedly,
'I have come, Fred, because you entreated
me SO What can have been the object of
writing such a letter feared might be do
ing you grieyous i'll by staying away. How did
you come here 2
81 walked all the way from my fathers"
"well, what is it2 How have you lived
since we last met r
''But roughly you might have known that
without asking. I have seen many lands aud
many faces since last walked these downs,
but have only thought of you"
SIS it only to tell me this that you have
summoned me so Strangely"
A passing breeze blew away the murmuI
of the reply and several succeeding sentences,
till the mans voice again became audible in
words "Harriet-truth between us two!
have heard that the duke does not treat you
too we'll"
"He is warm-tempered, but he is a good
husband"
''He speaks roughly to you, and sometimes
even threatens to lock you out of doors"
"0nly once, Fred On my honor, only
once. The duke is fairly good husband,
repeat. But you deserve punishment for this
nights trick of drawing me out. What does
| il mean ?"
Harriet ia this fair or honest Is it mol
notorious that your life with him is a sad one
that, in spite of the sweetness of your TEN
per, the sourness of his embitters your days
l have come to know if l can help you. You
are a duchess, and l am Fred Pentridge bul
it is not impossible that may be able to helE
you. Heavens the sweetness oi
that tongue ought to keep him civil, especial
ly when there is added to it the sweetness ol
that face 7"
Captain Pentridge" she exclaimed, will
an emphasis of playful fear, chow can such {
friend of my youth behave to me as you do
Don't speak 80, and stare at me so Is thit
really all you have to say ! see ! ought no
to have come. Twas thoughtlessly done !"