Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-07-30
The Governors Story.

" y "NAO 'J HAs -
Governor, 'smy mother and [. We.
lived in little cabin on Gen. Lin
toms farm, and it was hard time.
NV father had died when [ was six
teen years old, leaving us nothing.
but an honest reputation; and al
though / was stout and healthy, my
wages were very low, and / had to-
toll late and early to provide the
necessaries of life. But / suppose |
would have been happy and content
ed enough that is, as much as we
unsatisfed mortals usually are, if it
hadn't been for q wowan. / don't
know why it was that Helen Linton
had made such an impression on me,
for she had by no means those great
and noble qualities by which men as
a general thing are attracted toward
the opposite sex. On the contrary,
she was proud, arrogant and over
bearing, and / was confident if she
thought of me at all, it was with
feelings of contempt and disdain
alone.
Not on account of my personal
appearance, it is true, for though |
was rough and uncultivated, and my
hands were hard with incessant toll,
T and my face Drowned by exposure
to the sun, still | had wonderful
strength and great agility, and my
hair and eyes were as dark as mid
night, and many said I was hand
some. But was poor and she was
wealthy. I was Gen. Linton's hired
hand and she was Gen. Linton S
daughter, and it was the old, old
story. 1t must have been her be-
wildering beauty that drew me more
and more toward her, for she was a
queenly looking girl, with flashing
eyes and magnificent dark brown
hair, and a form tall and magnificent
and stately. But whatever it might
have been, | am certain of one thing,
and that is / learned to love her with
a maddening, painful, consuming
passion that seemed about to devour
my whole being. | tried very hard
to smother it and to drive her image
from my heart. l knew | might as
we'll think of plucking down the
moon or the stars as to have dared
to aspire to her hand.
But it was of no avail the more /
struggled the more / became entangl-
ed. In the morning, noon and night
there was but one face that / saw
and but one voice that | heard, and
that was the face and voice of Helen
Linton. What was the worst of all
to me, in some way she discovered
my secret. How / can hardly tell.
They say murder will out, and the
same can most assuredly be said
about love. | had not spoken about
it to anyone, not even to my mother,
and as to Helen, | had scarcely spok-
en- to her on any subject. 1t is true
that sometimes she would give me in.
structions in regard to the flower
garden, which Gen. Linton had Sc.
lected me to manage, having, as he
said, more opinion of my taste il
such matters, than any of the rest Of
the workmen; but she never con.
descended further. | worshiped hel
like star afar off, and knew the
distance between us to be as wide as
impossible.
, One day she came into the garder
when | was at work there, and, i'm
PEELED by some unknown power, az
it were, [ gathered and presented t.
her choice bouquet of flowers anC
whether it was from my guilty looks
that she then discovered all, and de
, termined to check me in the very be
, ginning, or whether she had alread,
t probed to the depths of my heart anC
thought was presumptous, I know
t not; but certain is it that she neve
spoke to me after that. She ha(
| been in the habit of giving me not
of recognition whenever she met IN
before, but after this she passed M
+ by without even glance; disdail
e within her naughty eye, and contemp
upon her scornful lip. You ma,
know that my life was as wretche'
, as it well could be. [ used to 81
down by the fire in our little cabin
after my hard days work was done
and curse my wretched fate, and cal
God unjust in what | considered tn
distinctions he made in the human
race; but / little knew then what tn
n sequel would be.
Crowds of company, gay ladies an
gentlemen, came every summer fron
the city to spend the season at Lin
, ton Hall, and it so happeded tha
j one summer there came among th
rest young gentleman named Al
D thur ST. John. He was reported t
n be wealthy, and handsome be certain
n ly was, and it was not very long be
> fore he commenced paying devote
attention to Gen. Linton's daughter
: and it was easy enough to see ths
n she was as infatuated as he was. The
: used to ride out by our little cottag
o on the bright summer evenings, O
W the Forest road as it was called, O
their prancing horses, he bendin
: fondly above her, whispering word
q of love and tenderness, and she list