Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-08-24
THE NORTH FARM: NOW.

THE NORTH FARM: NOW.
Now for it does not do to think of it as
then.
Then it was quite different place albeit
not one inch of ground has altered, and but
few trees have fallen since those days, fifteen
long years ago when we saw it first. Yet
perhaps it is as WELL ere painting the picture
as it is to-day, to pause for moment, and
raise the soft grey veil that hides the sem
blance of those dead hours, when all seemed
joyous enough, and we were all too oblivious
of the presence of the tiny rift within the
Lutte, that, like that in the poem, has widened
until the music is indeed mute and mute for
ever.
How could we perceive it when from every
window streaued the hospitsble CLEAN of
light that, frightened by the warm crimson
blind through which it came, seemed to say
to us hurry, hurry out of the wild January
storm into the quiet haven of rest and peace
on which ! am now shining.
And what a night it was The tiny sta
ton where we got out, stiTened and wearied
with our five hours journey from town,
seemed to shake and shiver as the great north
wind tore up the valley and threw itself in all
its fury on the building that is but an atom Of
"A wooden structure. Great swishes Of rain
swept past US, and We were in despair, until
CHEEKY voice called to us through the dark
ness and revealed tho whereabouts of our
host, who was buried out OF the storm in
surely the queerest vehicle ever invented by
man, and that seemed like cart with head
on, in which we sat sideways and which was
driven through the window at the extreme
end.
Into this We got and then plunged down
head first, as it sc, med, into the black night.
The wind howled and rayod, and the rain
pelted down on our carriuge roof, sounding
like perpetual shower of peas falling from
the loose grasp Of child. We bumped over
stones and ratified round corners, and seemed
to undergo various and many imminent es-
capes of sudden death and all this time our
host talked galy, expounding TO US his plans
for our amusement, and conhding to us, with
jolly chuckle, his wife's mental agones and
perplexities gs to what she should possibly
do with company from London" and the
squire coming the very next day, dear, dear
to shoot the home coverts.
We drew ousrelves up (and then we were
not very high and thought ourselves equal
to any amount of squires, pensiyely wonder
ing too, what the squire would say to our
gun, the first We had been trusted with, by
the way, aud which we had carefully carried
with the tenderest care from Waterloo Sta
tiOn until the present moment, and which
very best specimen of a weapon that surely
was ever possessed by youth. Aud that drew
forth from our uncle long account, given to
US as he held the gun aud gazed at it, specta-
cles on nose, and head on one side of how
he usedto 60 shooting, making his prepara-
tions himself, punching out wsds out of old
hats, and getting gunpowder and shot.belt
ready, and starting as soon as the sun was up,
with his dogs and one man walking miles
through dank turnips, and then through blaz-
ing hot stubble fields, returning to eat his
brace of birds at six o'clock dinner, and then
sleeping like a top in his armchair, only
reused to read prayers and tumble into bed,
rising again at early dawn, to carry on the
same process as long as the shooting season
lasted.
THAT was sport" said he now tbs very
different, but the world goes too fast nova
days, and there is no time for anything
Even when you youngsters go shooting you
are all too lazy to find your Birds but require
them brought to you; I've no patience with
such ways; not l."
As we heard what the squire generally did
| for our hostess, We felt constrained to believe
that for once old folks knew more than we
| young ones, and that our uncle was right
| Yet we looked forward to the morrow, and,
| ere We went to rest, flattened our faces against
the many -psned window, and wondered what
we should see outside it when the dawn came
and the darkness fled away.
Surely never was there such a room, or such
a heavenly place for perfect slumber not
dead, heavy sleep, mind you that is not in
| the least perfect but warm, genial, tired
feeling; when We were just conscious that
| outside the wind raved through creaking
trees, and that the rain flung itself wildly
against the window, that later on we dreamed
of lavender and rose leaves and a slow walk
in an August garden, and then once more we
heard life had begun again, cart creaked
away down the lane carriers called to then
horses, and presently, we heard the curious
sound of the handle of the pump, and the
ring of the pail on the stone paved yard
then came the voices of children; a CLEAN
of sunshine told us it was late and the rob
ins singing down in the garden seemed tc
call us to arise and make the most of ouI
time in tho heart of the sweet pure, distan
country.
Naturally the great event of that day wal
the visit of the squire, who was much more
like squire in book than any real living
man strange enough stories were told o.
him to be sure; farmers who had pretty
daughters never allowed them to be at hom'
when the squire wRH coming, for his charac
ter was as bad as his language, and that wa
of the good old fashioned kind, and insteaC
OF the adlecuVes tnat are lawful, was sea
soned by wild, strange words, that were hearC
all over the farm should things be not quite
as he liked them at the moment. He was
thoroughly typical specimen of a thorough,
bad landlord, and in those days used hi
shooting solely as a means of asoertaininl
what improvements were done on the land il
each place he went to if the land did no
satisfy him the tenant had notice to quit, AM
if all were in order, gates up and the Ian,
yielding its utmost, owing to the expenditur
of the farmers time and money, up woult
go the rent and the farmer must either b
prepared to pay or go.
No wonder our pretty, smiling, agitate
hostess quiyered when she heard what wa
expected no wonder we shared her indgnH
ton at having to prepare her cosy rooms 70
au incursion that would result in either raise
rent or a fiercely expressed repimand to &c
ready meal that would be eaten to the az
compartment of great oaths, that would sen
the servant-maid shaking from the room an
to a coarse volley of chRd directed at his hos
/ who could afford such luxuries as were pr
) before him, and yet objected to slight ris
in the rent.
1t was curious experience for Londol
or Neither our host nor ourselves was o.
! pected to shoot nay, indeed, we were NJ