The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-10-25
ONLY A DEAF WOMAN.

ItE ulnF IL especially motter wDetner
was or not, as Blue Station was one G
those s'lodges IN the vast, wilderness
wheretlme was not reckoned accordln
to the Wall stFeet standard and wher
people took things easy.
The stage for Hemlock Hill was wait
ing there-a clumsy conglomeration O
rnusty leather, faded paint, and ancien
wood, drawn by two sleepy horses an,
driven, by'a Jehu so old that one in
stinctivsly wondered yhow he ever 20
up and down. from his aerial perch OIL
the box seat.
Mr., Richmond aud his friend Colone
Jones took their seat, packed their va
Uses snugly under the seat, and fastened
their natty silk umbrellas in the Iacl
overhead. There was only one othel
passeDgrr-a woman in a brown water
proof cloak and green veil aud ldded
mar ket basket in her lap and tre-
mendous ear trumpet in her hand.
"Only deaf woman said Colonel
Jones. glancing toward her. =
Il see" observed Mr. Richmond. eve
need put no particular restraint on our
conversation"
Are we all ready, driver 2" shouted
Colonel Jones, who was unused TO the
leisurely methods OF fife in place like
Blue Station. The driver appeared to
rouse himself from sort of doz".
II be if you be T. saId lie. Git up,
Kate Look out, thar, you Sorrel y
And away they rolled.
YES" raid Colonel Jones. rubbing his
neatly glpved hands. lit will be gen
uine surprlsp. And | meant it to be.
want to see for myself how things are
"CcrIainly," said Mr.. Richmond,
urching from one end Of the seat to the
other, az the wheels took big stone on
their way.
The lad is oyer head and ears in
love-" SAID Colonel Jones.
Young men will be focls,' observed
Mr.. Richmond, cynically.
But a school teacher; district
school eacherl' r. sighed the colonel, who
was tall and portly aud clean shaven,
with very black eyebrOws and hair just
dashed with silver.
"A good maDy nice grls take 20 thai
business" remarked Mr.. Redmond. Mr,
r chmond was gaunt gentleman, win
hollow eyes. u parchment-coiored skin,
and a general dyspeptic air.
1T isn't that desplse the trade, SAID
C, lionel Jones. "YOu know that as vel
as do, Richmond. II the girl Is good
AMI pretty, Id as soon she should be a
school teacher as anything else. But
want my boy to have real home-l'ke
home. My wife gave one, ,and solemn
ly believe 1t was the making Of me. And
VIctOr's wife must be no mere book
machine or wsarer of fine clothes. Ii
she can't sew aud sweep aud cox, she's
no fiji male fer my son. Well, you see.
have been studying the mater over.
II see" said Mr. Richmond, holding
desperately to the leather strip above
his head las the driver guided the wheels
over a succession o! stumps on the side
ut the road.
Il give them no time for preparation,
said The colonel, chuCkling. Il drop
down upon Miss Allen like wolf on the
fold. see Just exactly what she Ia.
Judge for myself. wouldn't give fig |
lor all the Latin and guitar music aud
china painting in the world II woman
can't make loaf of light, sweet bread
and cook a steak ! En- | am sure
beg thousand pardonR, ma'am, ss
sudden swing Of the coach precipitaled
his head against the basket and sent the
ear trumpet rolling to the floor.
Allow me Did you want to gel
Out r
For the woman " ith the green veil
was making vehement gestures with her
hand to the driver. She put up the
trumpet with IN lrquiring expression OF
face.
"D!d-you - want - to - get out 2
roarrd Colonel Jones into its cOhvoluIed
depths, the veins starting out on his
forehead as he did so.
Yes sir, please" said the woman
and the courteous colonel himself got
out to expedite the removal OF the
ha-kct. the trumpet and the sundry
brown paper parcels which constituted
he belongings Of their follow passenger
The grrrn-vriled head bobbcd ac-
knowledgemrntP, the colonel nied his
ha: like modern Don Qd'x"te, and the
stage, envpIoppd in c,uud OF dus', roll
ed away toward the brightness OF the
Wes'ern sky, The green velled pasaen-
ger caught up her parcels, skipped over
the stone stile with amazing alacrlty Tor
80 apparently feeble a personagP, and
fl w like a deer across the wooded s"l'-
tudes until .he came to n low, red form
house, and entered IA Cosy kitchen, W here
middlC-aged woman was making
blackberry pies.
Here's your trumpet I'll menIed,
Aunt Roxannn." said she. And here's
the alpaca dress and the three yards OF
flannrl and he baskct with the tea and
sugar and spices, What are you going
to have for supper 2
Spring chickens" said Aunt Rnxnn-
ma in the soft, subdued voice peculiar to
deaf people. They're on the buttry |
shelf, all dressed and ready And baked
potatoes; and calculate TO have them
pies ready to gn into the oven right off. =,
"Splendid d !" said Laura Hopkins. 81
want one of them, And | must have
the chickens and that Loaf Of ginger
bread"
LA me p said Aunt RoxanDa. "Is
the girl crazy ?"
Its Tor the schoolma'am, Aunt Rox-
anna, explained Laura, with her rosy |
mouth close to the ear trumpet. Her
beau's father came up from the train
with me in Z,doc Hawley's age, and
he took me for deaf woman, beCause
of the trumpet. suppose, and talked
before me to bis friend real free. And
he's come OUT here to surprise the sc hool /,
teacher, and find out whether che is Il
good housekeeper or not. And IL she
isn't. he's going to set hmself dead
against the match T.
Il never heard nothing Ike, It in my |
life," said Aunt ROKanna.y~
And she isn't-you know she isn't =
said Laura. "She just lives in half OF
the Widow Skerrilt's house, and boards
herself on bread and milk. But she is
as sweet ss a peach, and people can't
have all the accomplishments at once"
mo, to be sure not" said Aunt Rox-
anna, her slow vita fofleYIng Lurana's
rapid speech YfSh considerable diff
And she shan't be cheated out OF her
lover, not il l can help it, said Lurana,
hurridly packing the broilert, neatly
wrapped in a napkin, into her basket,
and supplementing Them with a loaf Of
spicy smelling gingerbread, ,.yo unbak'd
blackberry pies, pan OF biscuit and
glass Jar Of honey. "Now, little CAMS
ter of coffes,n said she, N"and some Of
those pick les, and ] believe that's all
You must hunt up something else for
supper" ~,
And once more Lurana eped across
the fields, crossing a noisy brook on the
perious span of fallen tree, picking
her way dslftly through the hummocks
of a swamp, and reaching the Widow
Skerrittb cottage, while, the Blue Station
stage, travelling the regular road, was
still good mile apdyA quarter away -.
Alice Alden, The district schoaI teach
er was Just putting IN the last stitches
to blue checked gingham gown that
she was making when Lurana rushed in