Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-12-06

/
come in for it's share of attention.
cit is mighty power" said
Frank. Zone of those unseen fore
es which is more real than things
seen. / have read somewhere, in
Mrs. Groves Night Side of Nature
/ think, that there is certain mes
meric power in simple, strong emo
tion."
While we talked, the long northern
twilight gave place to night. Mann
ma, who is rather old-fashioned in
her ideas of woman's sphere, grew |
tired of argument and went into the
house; hut Frank and remained
and talked of ghosts until 1t seemed
as if the very air were alive with
them, as perhaps it was.
l was a primary school teacher,
making the most of my eight weeks
vacation at the foot of Mount Mans
field. Frank, head clerk in large
dry goods store in Boston, was spend
ing his two weeks vacation here,
also. We were not avowed lovers,
but old acquaintances, and had an
idea that he had followed me to I'm
derhill to ask mammals permission to
| NOV mo b;c oddroccoc
The next day misunderstanding
grew out of the merest nothing. It
was pity to waste a single day of
that lovely summer weather in any
form of unpleasantness, but thought
1 was right, and Frank thought he
was land each was too proud to yield,
and too young to be wise, so the
quarrel ran over into the second day.
In the afternoon I started off for
ride on horse appropriated to my
use while at the hotel. / merely
mentioned to mamma that | was 60
ing out for my usual exercise, and
called Fido, the great Watchdog,
who always accompanied me on my
solitary expeditions as guard. | rode
slowly at first, hoping with all my
heart that Frank would start out to
overtake me, but too proud for the
first mile to turn my head to see if he
were in sight. Too much pre-occu-
pied to notice the direction in which
l was riding, l lost my way; my at
tempt to find it only resulted in still
further bewildering me.
1t was one of those soft, gray
days that come sometimes, late in
summer, as sort Of premonition of
autumn. l knew that the night
would be overcast and moonless.
> judged myself to be at least ten miles
from nome just as sUrucK fnuo a
most depressingly lonesome road,
without sign of cultivation or habita-
ton. Rocky pastures stretching
away in dreary levels to the east, and
n, ascending in gloomy hills to the west
were partially overgrown with clump:
of pale green ferns, betraying the
e, poor character of the soil. My little
mare dropped into slow walk anC
hung her head in discouraged man
ner, as if my own despondency hat
affected her.
Suddenly, turning little crook il
the road, l came upon two-stor'
house which stood in slight depres
de sion, and which brilliant thlcket o
lis sumachs had prevented my seeins
until this moment. 1t was weather
a' beaten and evidently deserted. /
gave me the impression, peculiarly
ee almost humanity pathetic, from th
us fact that, although old, it had neve
IN. been finished. Several of the uppe
easements were windowless one ent
of the house had never been clap
eat boarded, and | could look throug
- the broken Stats of the blinds to wild
life cracks on the opposite. side of it
through which showed the pale twi
= light sky. The poor little mare cam
g. to a dead halt in front of this forbid
ON den place, as if, in her opinion,
:, had ridden far enough for that day
and it would be wise to accept a
'w' once such shelter as Heaven provid
20 ed, and make the best of it unit
fo' morning.
I glanced up at the smokeles
" chimney, the black windows and th
de cheerless sky, where twilight wa
rapidly giving place to dusk. Their
was no time to waste, for it woul
soon be dark. | gave one Quic
o. thought to the dangers of an IN
10 known and lonely road, and anothe
or to my chances IN this uncanny hous
n. through dark night, and dismoun
h. ing, led the mare round to the bac
90 yard. | tied her under the sheG
bo thankful for even that partial Pre-
Id lection from night that threatene
be rain, and made her as comfortable 9
10 | could by pulling several armfuls {
,e- the long grass that grew near tf
as fence. Then l opened the back doc
oo of the house and found myself in tt
nd kitchen. To my astonishment it We
N. furnished, although meagrely. A
on first thought had entered hous
I'D whose inmates were temporarily al
he sent, it being not an uncommon cu
sic tom, in that part of the country, ft
people to have their doors unlocke
,ts on such occasions. / ucceeded pre-
rs. emily, in finding some matches and
m small kerosene lamp, which / lighte,
s.Who's there ?" called a woman