Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-06-10

again some more and here he ISL"
Charlotte was speechless, but in
some way she found herself rising to
her eeet to greet gentleman who was
t9king off his hat to her and bowling
with a grace which even Grandfather
Brantome would have approved.
"Miss Brantome, l believe"
She acquiesced in silence.
81 am gathering materials for an
historical work, and was directed to
you for information concerning the
antiquities of this region. And l
might as well say now that have ref
erences and all that sort of thing
"Tben you are not She stopped;
he smiled.
"No, l am not exactly bug man,
as these little felo ows have called me,
although must plead guilty to a
slight leaning in that direction. Yet
just now l would joyfully part with
the biggest bugs of my collection if in
exchange might examine your grand
fathers papers"
lie was so gracefully genial that one
could no more be absurdly digniied
with him than with the golden robin
singing on the Indian cross.
"Will you walk in?"
81 will sit out here instead if you
will permit me to do so"
So Popsey and Wopsey dragged a
chair and then stood mOtionless and
wonder-eyed listening to the talk of
discovery and adventure. They did
not understand it very well until the
conversation turned to Indian lore.
Indians and bears they could compre-
hend. Then the mother, attracted by
strange voice, drew near the door in
her melancholy wavering way.
"The postlnaster's wife thought that
La Sale was an Indian chief" Char
lotte was saying, "and she had heard
of Father Marquette, but supposed
him the priest down at La Paz."
81 met woman the other day who
thought herbarium was bug" re-
marked Mr.. Duncan. Then they laugh
cd.
But everything comes to an end.
The boys began dumb show behind
the strangers back to Indicate to their
sister that they were peri5hing of hun
ger; so she let the conversation lag in
order to end the call.
"Come tomorrow and see the papers
if you like" she said at will be Sat
urIay, and shall be at home to answer
questions"
lie thanked her and withdrew,
jumping over the rail fence which
skirted t he field of rye, in order to get
a nearer view of the cross, on which
not one but dozen, golden robins
were holding vesper cOnclayc. And
the tea-kettle was soon singing in the
Brantome kitchen song as gay as
that of the robins, and Charlotte was
not her careful self as she picked the
strawberries for tea.
"Half of 'em green" said the dis
gusted Wopsey. aspect she's think
ing of the bug-man."
4 Il X 4
1t certainly was astonishing how
much consultation the Brantome man
uscripts needed. And. too Mr.. Dun
can required so much assistance. 1t
was Miss Brantome, will you kindly
read this list while | copy it3" or,
Miss Charlotte, really | can't make
out whether this is an or an j." all
the while. Grandfather Brantome
would have begun to inquire as to
marriage settlements and Scotch pedi-
grees had he been alive to see those
chestnut locks. innocent of bangs, and
that dark mustache in such dangerous
proximity. 1t was the old story-two
young heads bending over the same
page. No word of love had passed.
All was on a strictly business basis
the history of the missions of the
Northwest the objective aim.
But at last there was no excuse for
lingering any louger. The hills across
the prairie were red and gold, the rob-
ins had fled, and the grain around the
little burying-ground had been cut and
slowed away.
Charlotte was walking home as usu-
al. Far away in the road two moving
dots appeared. which developed into
the twins as they came nearer. Tears
were cutting briny furrows down their
not very clean cheeks. Hysterica sobs
alone came from their mouths as they
tried to speak, but finally the sisterly
intuition eliminated these words from
the chaos:
"Mother has runned away She said
she would if we didn't stop pounding,
and we didn't, and she has runned"
That poor motherl She had made
! the same threat a hundred times be-
fore, but had been pacfied
(Which wayr Tell me quickly"
thinking Of the river, so tireless and sd