The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-21
I" THE BUG MAN."

The proverbal straw had broken
the metaphorical oamel's back. The
patience of Charlotte Brantome,
usually equal to the exigencies of the
OCCASION, was exhausted. The twins,
as matter Of cours', were the cul-
prit', They, however, W tn the COM
placency natural to boys of six or
hereabouts, were Indifferent to the
tempest of despair which ragged in
their listers breast. They had con
siderately refrained from adding deceit
to their guilt, but had confessed, fully
an unreserveGly, to ritling the canary's
nest. to tearing Jacket, and losing a
hat down the well, to eating the straw
berrie; that were saved for supper, and
to Catching their most faithful hen
with tishhoOk. That fshhook repre-
scented the straw; Charlotte the camel.
She could have lorne anything better
than downright cruelty developed 50
early in one of her own blood. She
never was boy.
And man was here" went on
Popsey; "a big man." volunteers |
Wopsey, the other twin. "And he
asked US about everything, and we sai
our mother wasn't very well and our
sister was a old maid schoOl-ma an"
Charlotte win ed. Where had he
picked up that expression? And had
it come to that?
You must not talk to strange men
bout mother or me. What did he
want?'
He wanted to see YOU
"Me?" Visions Ct tramps, of spy
ing burglars, only they had nothing to
"burgle," as Popsey had said one day,
came into her mind
How did he look?
"He was beautiful" "He was
dreadful" said the twins in duet.
Further questioning elected these
facts: He was young; he was old ;
he was short he was tall he wore
spectacle5 he had a mustache, and
was a bug-man. In the last and
GROWING fact the boys agreed.
Practice had made Miss Brantome
tolcrable clairvoyant, so far as read
ing those two small minds was con-
cerned. She jumped at the conclusion
that some wandering naturalist chasing
an elusive bug had CHANGED that way
and gave the subject no more atten.
ton. She had other things to think OF
than "bug-men" or any men, and
the problems of how to provide new
hat for Wopsey and how to instill
rem5rse into the hearts of her charge;
drove other thoughts away.
Sitting down on the low doorstep OF
the house that had been home to hel
for six and twenty happy years she
tried to reason it out. The sun was
yet high, the days were at their long
est. Behind her flowed the tireless
river; in front Of her, across the
prairie, the hills were green. In the
field of rye over the way cleaned ;
large white wooden cross. Her grand
father, in whose veins flowed some Of
the blue blood of France, had bought
home in this Western country wheI
the remnant Of an Indian tribe haC
still property to sell. The deed of salt
provided for the preservation of theil
little burying ground. The graiI
grew thick around, but the tiny vii
lage of the dead was never disturbed
by spade or plow.
Old Pierre, however, had never pros
pered. Neither did Pierre the younger
and enc night, when riding home, hi
horse SHE'D in the moonlight ant
threw him with his head against
stone; he left no legacy but the home
stead and debt to his wife and chill
dren. There was gap of twent
years between Charlotte and the twil
babies, and she really had a third in
FAINT on her hands, for the mother wa
nothing more useful than that afte
her husbands death. She was no
Predetermined exactly, but painful
gentle-strange and unaccountable.
Charlotte shouldered her burden