The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-05

their own with any wives you two fellows ever had. don't want this thing to git round in Northampton any wuss'n you do." said Deacon Pyncheon, speaking behind his hand.
 "In the boiler, where the Bemis road turns off," said Deacon Toles in a tragic whi. per.
 Deacon Crowfut blew out the solitary imp which had lighted their desperate preparations. and the gray-haired cul- prits stole guiltily forth one by one, each laden with his basket, and were lost in the darkness of the chilly November night
 The "Bemis place" was a shingled messy old house, with a steep, short roof in front, and very long roof in the rear, reaching nearly to the ground {; it had little windows with panes hardly larger than ones hand punched in its sides here and there, and the door-sill was rotted half away above the fat stone which served as a step. The Benises had gone a generation before; tenant had suc- ceeded tenant-each poorer than the last until the walls of the once we'll kept little farm had become mere long, pic turesque stone heaps, overgrown with dew berry, grape, and rasp 1erry vines All traces of cultivation had disappeared, and save for the chestnuts and butternuts and blackberries, and the fall asters and
 une daises and autumn banks of golden rod there had beeu no crops raised on the Bemis place for many long years.
 For six months of the last winter the place stood empty. The owners were in New York, withou: an a gent in Rockh amp ton, and great was the surprise of the good gossips of that much be-spired town, when someti me in the last May, smoke was seen to issue from the wea ther-eateu chimney of the Bemis house, and trim, plump figure in black, was seen about the place Where she came from, who she was, or what she was, save that she was city dressed, and by long odds the most beau iful woman dwelling in Rockhamo- ton, no one knew. She had Andrew Slo. cum. the carpenter, at the place for few days work just enough to make the old house habitable, and through him it was learned that she called herself Mrs Rose bush. and was widow, and didn't know hay long she would stay there, and didn't know whether sue would buy the place or not, and in fact did not enlighten that worthy as to her past or probabl future ia the least. She had a washer wom An at irregular periods, who gave minute de. tails of the wardrobe of the widow Rose bush to the danes and maidens of Rock hampton; and she bought necessarles at the store of Deacon Crowfut, and had occasional parcels by express. And this was all. There is but one sentiment in the Puritanic female bosom stronger than curiosity. and that one, Prudery, folb Ade the ladies of the pretty village to call on the new mistress of the Bemis place.
 Gradually there were whispers and ru mors, which were given point by the re- port that man had been seen leaving the Bemis road-a mere grass-g grown lane, leading oH the highway, a scant qu Arter ot a mule to the solitary house- near midnight; and now, when the pretty widow walked down to the post-ofi e, or stepped into Deacon Crowfuts store. the eyes of all female R ,ckhampton were turned aside in holy horror, and not a good gossip of the town but would aver that the widow was something too horrible to mention.
 The road to ruin is ofteutimes very smooth and easy-going at the start, as the three deacons found it iu this in- stance neither met individual or mis. hap on his way to the hollow, and they stole silently along the Bemis road, fitted open the tnmb'edo ~n gate, and in secret silence, unoroken save by the puff log ot the rotund groceryman, they stealthily prowled along the grassy path from tue gate to the door. stone, and were g lthered there betore the dire necessity that some one ot the three must lead the haz Ardous assault occurred to either of their minds
 " Hadn't we better jest put the baskets on the stun, an gin knock, an git away kinder quiet like 2" whispered Dea. con Cro~fut between his puffs as he mopped his face with red silk handker- chief
 "Beyou afraidp" asked D .acon Toles, Tn horse SC Afaring undertone.
 "Mebby we d better kinder peek through the winder an see what the widder's up to-" suggested Deacon Pyn- cheon. We don't want to break in onto no one, Je know.
 The white curtain of the one lighted window was up six inches or so, and to thus point of esplal the party be ook taemseves, and g4zed in upon the un. conscious object ot their plot The low room was nicely carpeted, and held few pretty pieces of furniture there were pictures, large photograph worked in crAyon, in a gilt frame. some punches of autumn leaves and branches of bitter. sweet, cosy little stove with shining windows, and over all that dear hone look which only the gentle hand of wo- man can evoke, and betore the stove, with apetty little pair of b,ots resting on the fender, sat the ~ido~ R ,seoush her self leaning back in large armchair in au attitude of weary waiting. Sue was very lovely, with dark hair and eyes. family pink cheeks, crimson lips, and corsage cut square in the neck and trimmed with swans down, and one round arm hung down by her side, milky white where the lace-edged sleeve felt wpifh lA,&~. A~ I