Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1884-08-23
AT PORT CARADOC.
lChicago Tribune

which George Randolph sold and de-
livered to Mrs. Sanders, who kept the
boarding house on the hill There were
five boarding houses in Port Caradoc,
not TO mention the great white hotel on
the cliff, and Mrs. Sanders was the best
Even in dull season, which came occA-
sionally to Port Caradoc as 1t does TO
other places SANDERS" was nearly
always full, and from the first OF June
till the beginning Of September Mrs.
Sanders herself was, ~ she expressed 1T,
most run off her feet" Every one
knew that at Sanders were to be
had the brownest of new-laid eggs, the
sweetest of homemade bread, the richest
of cream, the reddest and ripest of
tomatoes Mrs. Sanders knew "how
to lay her hands on the best of every
thing, she would tell you as she helped
with generous hand the golden eobs of
sweet corn, and a: the same time
watched over little Tommy Dibs, whose
ina was kinder sick and didn't get
down to meals regular, pore thing" to
see that he didn't make himself i'll with
BURBERRY pudding.
And so it came about in the natural
course Of things that Mrs. Sanders Laid
her hand' on the earliest of John Ran
dolph's early pearches. Randolph owned
not much of place-only a hundred
acres, about . mile away from the vii
iage on the shores of the lake. He was
tall, well made young fellow, with a
crop of curly brown hair and clear, dark
gray eyes-rather a stern mouth and
habitually somewhat grave expression.
He tied his horse-a bonnie little bay
at the gate that evening and came strid-
ing up the gravelied path to the house,
slowly swinging peach laden basket in
his hand. 1t had been frightfully hot
day, and most of the boarders were
lounging about on the wide veranda-
some in an exhausted sort of way, rock
ing backwards and forwards in the big,
red-painted rocking chairs. They were
nearly all ladies and children belonging
to Oshawa, the big, busting city across
the lake, whose husbands and fathers,
unable to leave business for longer, con-
tented themselves with running across"
to Port Caradoe by the Saturday even
ing steamer-it was only a three
hours trip-and returning to Oshawa on
the Monday morning.
Mrs. Sanders came bustling out of the
house to meet Randolph.
why, you've bin and brought the
peaches yourself, Mr.. Randolph she
exclaimed. well, I'm powerful glad to
see you; do step into the house now;
we've just got through supper, and
guess it's all cleared away, but I've got
some very nice raspberry vinegar, and
Sarah shall fetch you some ice for it.
You Look downright wilted up, and not
much wonder neither; it's bin powerful
hot to-day" Then, with a confidential
dropping of her voice to a lower key:
you're just the person l wanted to
speak to. Step around to the back
stoop minute; there amt no saying a
word here, with all these blessed chill
dren round. You see, she continued,
as she rounded the corner of the house,
1--WE got some new boarders as came
over last week from Oshawa-real
elegant folks-and I'd do anything
to please Mis- Drayton-that's her
name-shes real sweet little thing
and as l was goin' to say, she's set her
heart on the children learnin' to ride
there's three of them, two girls and
boy-and they're all just Wild about it.
They don't give their ma nor that pretty
little governess of theirs no peace from
mornin' till night. So, Mis- Drayton,'
she says to me says she, couldn't you
ind some nice, reliable person, Miss
Sanders, as has quiet horse and
would spare little time every day
teaehin the children-some one,' she
says, AS they wouldn't learn no harm
off an told her no, didn't know of
no one, an myl they was all so disapI
p'inted. Well, then, Mr.. Randolph, as
! was thinkh' about them peaches this
mornin' it just seemed to pop into my
head like to ask you about it, l know
you've got a nice, quiet pony-it amt q
very busy season with you just now, an
Al l. -
mad be awful obliged, an-sakes alive
I've talked myself clear out O. BREATH
Come, now, Mr.. Randolph, do say you'll
do iti'
Aud so Mrs. Sanders ratified on till,
almost before Randolph knew what was
happening, he was being triumphantly
led back to the front veranda and intro
duced TO pretty little dark haired
woman, who thanked him gently for his
great kindness" to her children, and
promised that the said children should
be at his farm with Miss Howard" by
10 o'clock the next morning. And then
Miss Howard herself was called and APP
peared suddenly at the corner
of the veranda. Randolph never
forgot that first sight of her-a slight.
girlish figure in white gown. clearly
outlined against the background of
green creeper which screened one end of
the veranda- A few last red rays from
the setting sun streamed through the
crevices in the network of leaves and
lighted up her brown hair and
clear, gentle eyes. 1t seemed to
Randolph that he knew her-that
he had always known her. every fea-
ture in her delicate, thoughtful face was
at once we'll known to him; everything
that happened during those few min
utes seemed to him like only repiti-
ton of something that had happened
long ago. Even the touch of her hand
as il lay for an instant in his, the sound
of her voice when she spoke few COM
monplace words, seemed strangely IA
miliar to him. He was as one in
dream. All that evening, driving home
along the sandy road and afterwards GO
ing about his accustomed work. he was
unable to shake off an odd conscious
ness of that interview Each word that
had been spoken repeated itself over and
over again in his mind until, ashamed of
his weakness though unable to conquer
it. he threw himself upon his bed, only
a IL. srrh$ s.,y ,f