St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-05-03
l.
ADERNIER RESORT.

l NGAo - AAS S."o hO' -
street, and the man as he walked along
with jaunty, swinging step, seemed
: wonderfully in contrast to it. He was
dressed in a gray suit of fashionable
cut and wore his silk hat slightly tip
ped on one side of his abundant, brown
curly hair. This brown, curly hair
was very lightly touched with gray
. here and theresa lightly, indeed, as
to not be perceptible to the careless
observer. In his right hand, which
was firmly held against the small OF
his back, he grasped a heavy, gold
headed cane. He glanced from side tC
side as he walked at the windows OF
the cottages with the air of one who
had been used to and still expects to
catch the admiring glances of peeping
women. And in this expectation he
was not wholly disappointed, for from
at least half a dozen doors and as
many windows he caught their chances
though they were really more of won
der than admiration albeit, he chose
only to admit the latter.
"By Jove ~ said he to himself, in a
drawing tone, as, the last cottage
passed, he emerged in the highway
again and came in sight of a pictur-
esque old blacksmith's shop, before
which stood an immense weeping will
low, Chow little the place has changed.
What a sleepy old town it is. l don't
believe there have beer twenty build
ings added to it since L left here, near
ly a quarter of a century ago. And
there's the smithy just the same as
when l worked there in a grimy apron
-paugh !" And then he stepped
across to the shop where Il man of
about his own age-a stout, round
faced, merry = looking fellow was
welding a hammer with mighty force,
striking brave sparks from the horse
shoe he was f%ashiOning and singing
loudly the while to the musical clink,
clink, clink hat answered his blows.
"HallOw! jim Farlow," said the new
conner in a louder and quicker tone
than that in which he had spoken to
himself but it was not until Jim Far
low was touched upon the shoulder by
the gray-kidded hand that the loud
singing and musical clink ceased, and
the blacksmith turned slowly about
and gravely regarded his visitor with
no hint of recognition in his honest
blue eyes.
"Why, Jim, don't you know me 2"
asked he of the gray suit. "Surely
you haven't forgotten Jack Palmer"
"Jack Palmer ?" repeated the black
smith. abe you Jack Palmer? If you
be you don't look much like the Jack
Palmer that used to work aside of me
at this very FORGE"
"But l am, all the same," said Palm
er, "though L fancy city life has re-
moved all traces of the country youth /;
that is, all traces of his rusticity.
fatter myself some of his good looks
still remain. Hey, Jim 2"
To this speech, made with a self
satisfied smile, Jim replied by another
question 81 s'pose you invested that
money SOS you made a heap out of
it 2"
"Well, l did-at first" answered
Palmer, "but the heap soon dwindled
away. 1t was only thirty thousand in
the first place, you know"
"Only thirty thousand !" replied Jim,
with a grim chuckle. "W'y wen you
first heard of it l thought you'd go
clean daft, 1 swan l did. Thirty thou
sand = says you to me, a-tearin' off
your apron thirty thousand fur me
that never got thirty dollars together
since the day L were born, an that's
six-an'-twenty years ago. Thirty
CnOuSanu says you-
eyes, yes" interrupted his compan-
ion, hastily "I suppose it did look
like a large sun to me then, but when
one lives in a great city and associates
with wealthy people it 500 begins to
Jove it and all [ made by it got less
and less as the years went on, until |
am actually down on my last hun
dred."
"Down to yOur last hundred !" echo
ed Jim Farlow. "Well, you must
have lived high. And now, if may
make so free as to ask, what have you
come back here for2 You surely Amt
a-lookin'"-and looking at the kid
gloves he broke into Il loud OUTLAW
''you surely amt a-lookin' for Il job at
the old smithy again 2"
"Pshaw! Nonsense" replied the
other half angrily. Then he resumed
in his former drawing tone, "Old Cor
belts dead, | hear, and left Ruth all
his property. Must be worth a tidy
little sum ?"
at is worth a tidy little sum and
she's a tidy little woman" asserted the
blacksmith with emphasis.
"Plainer than ever, though, | sup
pose Naturally such homely girls
make still homelier old maids"
81 never thought her hOmely, nor
neither did anyone else but YOU, |
guess, Palmer, and you didn't think so
till you got amongst them city gals.
You treated Ruth ALFRED mean, you
did," and Jim Farlow turned to his an
vii again.
ooh, look here, jim don't go to
work for a minute or two more. Does
she live at the farm l know / didn't
finds ones self surrounded by hand
some, fashionable girls one can't help
forgetting the rustic maidens one
son to think L can make it all right.
Better late than never, you know. She
has remained single for my sake, | am
sure, and L have come here to reward
her cOnstancy at last-in short, to mar
~ her,"
"TO marry her I"
"Great heavens! what a parrot you
are, jim. Yes, to marry her. She is a
dernier resort"
"What's that ?" asked the black
smith.
ga last resort. l can't live any
longer in the city. I'm over head and
heels in debt there-owe for this very
suit l have on. So I've made up my
mind to return to the home of my
childhood, marry my old sweetheart
and settle down into a quiet country
gentleman. Not a bad thing to do
when one can't do anything else, is it?"
"Well, l swan, you are a cool card"
said Jim. "But you won't find her at