The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-07-11

Phyllis do? So it was arranged then anC
there that she should resume the role o
Phoebe but in earnest this time; and Rutl
undertook, before leaving Knowecroft, tc
make her such an adept in poultry-rearins
and Cumberland dairy-work as would leave
nothing for her mother to teach her.
CHAPTER VI
Winter time in the country is not the
most CHEEKY of seasons, and the evening il
particular, even although ten o'clock i
thought a late hour to be out of bed, are
apt to lag rather drearily But there had
never been such merry winter at Knowe-
croft as this one. Ruth's piano had not
been used much Of late; but when it was
found that Phyllis could both play and
sing, Joe soon had tuner out from Car
Isle, and it was marvellous how swiftly the
nights sped by listening to her Beethoven
and Mendelssohn were perhaps just little
bit too abstruse for her audience-at least
for two of them-but Joe would have
thought any music celestial, if played by
her.
Then to hear her sing plaintive old bal
lads, with now and again merry ditty, OF
a reel or jig to enliyen matters why, it
was just like having little concert all to
themselves every evening. And to crown
all, to Mrs Martindale's intense delight,
Phyllis set to work, under Joe and Ruth S
tuition, to learn some of the vernacular
songs-so dear to the hearts of Cumbrians
all the world overland now she would
conclude the evenings performance with a
lift of Sally Gray, or The Recl6reast, King
Roger, or The Impatient Lassie. To vary
the monotony, they would sometimes have
little dance, in which they would be
joined by the neighboring farmers sons
and daughters; and so with one thing and
another, the winter was over almost before
they knew it was there.
But before it came to close, Dick
Braithwaite had taken possession of Rigg-
field, with his sister Mary as his house
keeper; and they were pretty frequent
visitors at Knowecroft in the evenings.
Dick and Ruth generally managed to get
ensconced in corner by themselves; and
as matrimony seemed in the very air, and
Mary Braithwaite bad been spoken for by
bluff yeoman of Westmorland, Mrs Mar
tindale considered it to be for her good to
give her matronly advice whenever occa-
sion offered; so there was only Joe left to
give undivided attention to Phyllis-to
turn over the leaves of her music for her
and suggest what they should have next.
! IF loo ha1 ham hoo1
with Phyllis, to begin with, no other con-
clusion could have come from this state of
affairs; and as it was, every day riveted
frmer the chain that bound him. But he
dared not tell her how dear she was to him;
the risk seemed too great IF she had
showed any signs of meeting him halfway,
he might have ventured on a declaration;
or if she had been an inmate of another
household, he might have broached the
momentous question, and "put his fortune
to the touch" But he surmised that a
premature declaration of his love might
drive away from Knowecroft this fairy
creature, who had changed it from mat
terof-fact farm house to bower of bliss;
and so he waited, with all the patience he
could summon to his aid, the arrival of the
time when he could, with some certainty
Of success, ask her to become his wife.
Had he known the secrets of our dear
Phyllis's heart, he need not have been so
wary; for Phyllis was just as much in love
with Joe as Joe was with her. She had
taught Joe enough of music to enable him
to follow her and know the right time to
turn over but sometimes he was so much
taken up watching her nimble fingers as
they slid over the keys as to forget to keep
his eyes on the music, until brought to a
sense Of his duty by her pausing to turn
the leaf over for herself. On such oeca-
sions, when their hands met, she would
tingle and blush all over; but as he was
behind her, he could not see this. And
when he returned from ranging the fields
or from his other outdoor vocations, and
his light springing step was heard in the
passage, accompanied by the stately tread
of his faithful collie Yarrow, her heart
would go pitapat and her rosy cheeks would
grow roster; all which signs told their tale
plainly enough to Joe's mother and his
wide-awake little sister, but scarcely so to
him, although he had his hopes as well as
his fears. What love could live without
them?
Then spring returned in, all her glory.
First, her hardy pioneers and snowdrops,
fearlessly advancing into the enemy's coun-
try; then in their track appeared an advance
guard of purple and yellow crocuses in
irregular order, closely followed by her
standard rd-bearers, the daffodils, their golden
banners waving in the breeze; after while
her futers aud ffers, the thrushes and
blackbirds, were heard in the tall ash trees;
last of all came her fairy court-violets and
anemones, wild wood hyacinths, cowslips
and buttercups, with all the myriad wild
flowers; and her full orchestra Of feathered
songsters filled with melody the hedgerows
and brakes--nay, the very sky itself. The
swallows came back to their nests in the
caves, and the chafinch piped his love-song
to his mate in the apple trees in the
orchard With all which Springs de-
lights" Joe had been familiar from his
youth up; but such delicious spring as
this had never blessed the earth since Adam
ate that unfortunate apple. Joe was sure
of that.
CHAPTER VII.
Mary Braithwaite's matrimonial arrange