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

"Did ye, now? My man used to
ride horseback a powerful sight; but
that's good many years gone" she
added, as if to herself.
She went slowly about kindling
fire in the little cracked, rusty stove
that stood at some distance in front
of the hearth; that done, she put on
the tea-kettle and began to prepare
supper. She declined any assistance,
saying that / would only "fuster''
her; she was used to fdoin' things
alone" My long ride had given me
a sharp appetite, and the coarse, poor
meal relished better than many a
better one had done. There was
only some wretched boiled tea, some
brown bread, fried potatoes and ham,
the latter hard and almost bitter with
salt-a most indigestible meal, and
one which | long had cause to re-
Lsensber.
The hot tea seemed to set the old
woman's tongue in motion; she lived
in the past, as all old people do, and
rambled on from one uninteresting
subject to another until she dropped
remark that excited my curiosity.
sit gives me curious feelin' to
have woman settln' at my table,"
ssWhy?" / asked, little mysti-
fed.
"Well, it's little uncommon"
she answered slowly, looking at me
in way that l began to fancy lit
tie unpleasant. ''It's thirty years,
or more, since I've had company to
tea," and she began to laugh that
cracked and dreary laugh that made
me wonder, with a thrill of sudden
terror, if she were insane. At the
same instant / remembered to have
heard that one must never lose ones
presence of mind when in the cOmpa-
ny of crazy person, and by supreme
effort of will, l pretended not to no.
tice anything peculiar in her look
or manner.
:sHow does it happen that so aged
a person as yourself, who should
have some -one to love and care for
her, lives here so unprotected? 2? l
asked calmly, and in what / endeav-
ored to make a soothing tone. /
looked quietly in her eyes.
"You're pretty cretur," she said,
"and your brown eyes look soft and
kind. Mebbe 'twould melt some O.
the frost in my blood to talk with
you Bit
"Tell me if you have always lived
in this lonely place" l said.
mo, no, child! When / was a
young girl, l lived on the biggest
farm it the country. My father kept
hundred 6f.y oaows-I was 8
gay young thing, fond O dress and
good time; an, though you'd fine
it hard to believe now, / was the
prettiest girl in the country, and
'spected some day, to be the richest
one.
One day in August-how plain i
all comes back to met was forty
years ago this very month-the su
machs was just beginnin' to turn, ,an(
the oke-cherries was gettin' ripe
/ was in the kitchen pickln' over :
great pan of black berries for supper
! when somebody knocked. My hand;
was all purple and drippin' will
juice, but | jumped up and opened
the door. A slim, good lookin' youns
man of twenty five or six stood oil
t the steps, and in a wagon, out in tn,
hot, dusty road was another feller
) The man on the steps wanted drinl
+ of water. l got him dlpper ant
r told him where there was a spring
| back of the house where the waite
: wss alwus cold.
! He said he didn't b'lieve he coult
e find it, and asked me to 60 alons
, with him. While he was drinkin
the water. little at time, and no
bit as if he was real dry, he KEEP
: a-talkin'. He said he had been
| studyin' too hard in college an wa
!, all run daown an his doctor had or
t dered country air an rest, and plen
ty O. good, rich milk. Wanted t
i know if | thought our folks coul'
take him to board while. / tol,
s him we took summer boarders on
e year, an mother said she'd never d.
5 it again-it didn't pay; but the,
e was a lot of fussy women folks
/ Perhaps, if he didn't want muc
< waitin' on, he could fix it up wit
: mother. So we went raound to tn
I kitchen an [ called her, an sh
e agreed to let him come the next day
: Well, well! I've forgotten bigge
K things that have occurred since, bu
!, | recollect everything that happene
: that fall same's if twas yesterday
d The young mans name was Albel
$ Baker. He had queer way of max
i in everybody do iest's he wished
e n yet everybody liked him 'xceI
II father. As for me, he hadn't bee
e IN the house a week before he wa
s maxim love to me with all his might
t Father saw it, and that's what sc
e him agin Albert, for he was deter
J mined ! should marry Arson Woo6
y worth. He was an old bachelor, an
n his big farm fined aours. 'Twasn
q so much nv marvin AnSOn as 'tWa