Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-07-21

"
which makes me almost afraid
"Of course" ] said sshaving once
imagined that the dead branches re-
semble skeleton arms. and associated
them in your own mind with the idea
of graveyard, you will be haunted
with all sorts of dismal thoughts and
fancies in connection with the tree.
But since you don't like it, Cecie, |
will have this bugbear removed and
we will build pretty summer house
on the spot. I will speak to the men
tomorrow, when they come to take
down the wall.
The portion of the wall to which |
alluded separated our garden from
that of our next door neighbor. 1t
was of stone, but the mortar had
! fallen out and left it little more than
| pile of loose stones, which feared
might at any moment topple down on
the children, as they played about it.
So 1 concluded to have it pulled down,
and light wooden paling placed in
it's stead.
| Over there, in the next house, lived
an old gentleman and his wife, who
passed much of their time in their
garden, cultivating flowers and small
garden fruits, in which they appeared
to take great delight. They had
called on us, a cheerful and kindly
old couple; and when the old wall
was pulled down, and before the new
one was up, the way lay open to a
more familiar intercourse.
One evening, by their invitation,
we stepped over into their garden to
see a collection of roses upon which
Mr.. Warren prided himself. These
duly admired, the old lady expressed
to Cecie her pleasure in having neigh
bors who were neighbors. She had
lived ten years in her present abode,
and in that time had only twice seen
Mrs. Gage!
"She wasn't always such recluse, .
said the good lady. 81 remember
that when she and her husband first
came here young married couple Il
was a child then), they were merry,
gay, and fond of society. 1t was
their daughters fate which so sadly
changed them. You have heard the
story?" ae4 95 iH .a o
We had not been long in the town,
vet Cecie remembered to have heard
something about daughter of Mrs.
Gage running away to join a lover
at distance, and being never after
ward heard of.
ssHer name was Emily" said Mrs.
Warren, ssand she was the handsom-
est girl in town. She was an only
child, and had been all her life petted
and indulged, and allowed to have
her own way. Such children don't
generally turn out as well as they
should do; and Emily Gage rejected
many good offers to fall in love with
handsome and dissipated fellow,
who made his appearance here for a
short time. Being unable to give q
satisfactory account of himself Mr.
Gage forbade his visiting his daugh.
ter, and the two then agreed upon ar
elopement. This was put a stop to-
and the young man shortly afterward
left the place. The girl, however
was closely watched, the parent hav.
ing cause to suspect that she was il
secret correspondence with him. And
one morning she was nowhere to bt
found-only note slipped under the
door of her parents sleeping room
informed them that she had gone tt
ioin her lover-that she had taker
with her all her jewelry with five hun
dred dollars which her father had lief
in his writing desk; since she woult
need money for travelling and othe
expenses. And that was the las
they ever knew about her,
ssBut could they not find the youns
man?" asked Cecie.
"They found him, after a lons
search, but he denied all knowledge
of Emily and her intended fight
They had corresponded, and she hat
assured him that she would yet flint
means to join him, but her letter.
had then ceased, nor had he eve
since heard from her. This was hi
story. Some believed it, but others
though nothing could ever be proves
against him, had dark suspicious o
him. And the strangest thing was
that having once passed the gardei
wall, every trace of the girl was ut
terly lost"
, 1.-The garden wall?'
81 forgot to mention that it wa
| in that manner she escaped. Sh
mounted the sloping trunk of the oil
tree at the foot of the garden walk
) the same under which you so ofte
: sit-and then stepped along its hor1
, zontal branches to the top of the wall
; This was rendered evident by tn
: broken twigs and scattered leaves a
{ the foot of the tree. On the gronn
t outside the wall was found her shawl
: which she had doubtless dropped Q
forgotten in her haste. That was all
To this day the mystery of her fat
, remains unrevealed, though undouht
/ edly there was foul play somewhere
: The jewels and the money were grea
temptations to crime.'
n That evening nv wife said to me