Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-11-02
A Queer ElOpement.

| Brown. lhelr TWO farms joined,
but for sixteen years neither could
be induced to set foot on the other S
land, and during that period they
have been continually at sword S
points, so to speak, and for the great
er part of the time not on speaking
terms with each other.
How this deadly feud originated [
doubt if any one in the neighborhood
except the parties Interested
could have told precisely, but that it
existed every one for miles around
was aware.
The squire was man of perhaps
sixty years of age, but who appeared
to be at least ten years younger than
that. He was a widower, and his
sister, Mrs. Robbins, meek, feeble
looking woman, who never showed
| that she had mind of her own, kept
house for him. HIS only child, an
infant daughter, had died when she
was but three weeks old, and her
mother, fortunately for her, poor wo-
man. had few weeks after, joined
the 'silent majority herself. And
so the squire would have been left
alone had not his sister, widow,
and like himself, childless, consented
to come and make her home with him
and look after his household affairs.
All this had taken place years be-
fore, and now the squire, although
hale and vigorous, began to realize
that he was getting along well in
years, and to feel the need of some
younger man to 60 ahead and man.
age the business, and one to whom
he could at least leave his broad acres
when he himself should have no more
use for them. 1t was at this point
that he remembered a nephew of his.
a brothers son, who was engaged in
some kind of mercantile business in
Rio Janerio, or some such outlandish
place, and to whom he wrote an6
made an offer, which was gladly ac-
cepted.
AS have said, Miss Browns farm
joined that of the squire, and from
his door could be seen her old-fash.
ioued but comfortable farmhouse
Here in the same old house Miss
Brown had been born fifty years ago
and when her father died he left her
then girl of twenty-five, sole he'll
to the fine old place. and with nc
relatives except younger sister
who was married and lived some five
hundred miles distant.
Why Miranda had never married
no one but herself knew, but tradi
ton had it that in her youth she ha(
been engaged to certain Captain
Atwood, and that her father hearing
of the affair had promptly vetoed th'
bill, and had flown into such violen
passion when his daughters fianc'
had asked his consent to their mar
riage, and had used such harsh ant
insulting language to him, that th
young man had become enraged also
and had given back about as goot
Cor bad) as the old man had sent
and the upshot of the matter wa
that the captain had left in disgust
and had not been heard from since
Of course do not say that thi
story was so, but certain it is tha
Miss Brown had lived the life of
spinster, and had always great an
tipathy for those of the opposite sex
In fact, old Peter Martin, who super
intended he1 farm for her, and VIII
boarded the hired men at his owl
house, was about the only one of th
despised sex with whom she held an
intercourse whatever.
Here she lived her lonely, unevent
full life, until about ten years befor
this little story opens, when she hat
adopted her sisters daughter, chill
of eight. With the advent of the in
nocent little prattler there had com
into her sombre life CLEAN of sun
shine hitherto unknown to the lionel,
woman.
Now, at the age of thirteen, Mar,
Allen was a sweet, sunny-tempere'
girl of unusual beauty; and so, whel
young John Smith came to live witt
his uncle, he, as matter of course
fell in love with the niece of his un
cle's enemy, and to make matter
worse, his love was reciprocated
This, instead of reconciling the oil
folks, had the opposite effect, o
course, and only added fuel to tn
flame of their hatred.
'Mary marry that old skin-fint'
nephew p remarked Miss Brown t.
a confidential friend, Miss Wattles
"why, I'd ruther she'd marry tn
king of the Cannibal Islands Z,
ruther see her dead, now 'Phrony,
would indeed !''
But the king of the Cannibal Is
lands, whoever he may be-didn'
happen to come along, and as Mar,
showed no signs of dying just then
and as John Smith was dangerousl
near, and seemed not at all to shar
in his uncle's animosity, this declara
tion of Miss Browns seemed to hav
no particular beneficial effect, an,
firmer measures had to be adopted
And so of late the young folks ha'
not heen allowed to see each other
as Miss Brown had kept strict sur
VeiIlance over her neicp. not ALLOWING