St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-01
pHGBE's LOVERS.
By Emory j. HAYNES.


farmer, Seth Downer, the first speaker,
full in the face. 81 guess that's bout
it. Seems as if it was the right thing
to ask you; she said SO, Mr.. Downer,
and said she loved you SO truly that
she'd never cause you, her father, who
had sent her to school in Montpelier
and done so much for her, a single pain
of heart. SO / must ask you, which is
right, of course, sir, though" and the
youth pulled off his straw hat and wiped
the sweat from his brow, sit comes
mighty hard to say it."
'Look O. here" growled Farmer
DoWner from his wagon, light vehicle
in which the wealthiest farmer in old
Orange county used to ride about his
broad acres each morning to inspect
the work. ''What are you, anyway?
Nothing but day laborer-that'S to be
conceded. eh?' For he saw the rich
blood mounting high On the proud
Young fellows brow-a fine brow it was,
too, and white where the hat had pro-
tected it from the sun. Don't be
angry, Tom Keeney. You are the
stoutest workman | ever had on the
place. But you are no match for my
daughter"
With that Downer had had all to say
that even he thought prudent. He
whipped up his horse and went bump
ing off over the green meadows across
lots to the barway, and disappeared up
the dusty highway toward his line
buildings amid the apple blossoms and
maple green.
Tom Keeney stood stock still, leaning
his arms on the hoe handle. The rest
! of the gang of six were at the farther
end of the row by this time. He was
| all by himself.
The insult stung more than the heart
wound of disappointment ached. In
fact, he was not so very much dISap-
| pointed after all. His fine blue eyes
roamed up and down the best farm
| acres in all Vermont.
'Of course, that's what | am; a no
body. Of course, he would not take me
into his family. My father was nothing
but Scotch immigrant, though he
| lived decent life in the village, thank
| God. And he gave me, again thank
| God, good strong body. There's
| mother and six to feed. Mother Was up
at Downer's helping houseclean yester-
day. Heaven help me. 1t made me
cringe. l wish l knew how to make
money and relieve her. But wasn't
Phoebe pretty to my mother, though, all
| couldn't have treated her better, even
mop in hand"
At thought of the girl the boys blue
eyes lost something of their fire; a
softer look, dreamy and love-lorn, as is
mans habit, came into them.
"She's an angel" he solilOquiZed
aloud. with all her education and
her winter in Boston, don't see but
she's the same dear, kind, beautiful
girl. But her uncle's the lieutenant
governor of one of them states down
there. Of course, of COURSE" and his
sOlilOquy died in his throat as he pict-
ured the black-eyed. black-haired. trim
and graceful little person, nut-brown
and roseate, high-spirted, yet kind to
all, the young creature that had made
slave of this tiaXen giant in the old, old
way since the world was.
IF only could do something some
thing to deserve her, and-sOmething
task with powerful strokes Of the hoe
| in the warm and fragrant earth, tossing
off hill after hill of the young corn till
| in no time he was at his place again
leading the gang. AS he worked he
grew bitter in soul and complaining;
silent amid the men when he was
usually the very soul of animal cheer,
with his fine surplus of health.
So he worked on till the dinner horn
sounded in the hot noon. His
hotter zeal and anger had made
| him lead them all in such a
half-day's work as had not been
pone on the farm fields that spring-a
fact that tickled the owner as, from
the shaded back Stoop, he scanned the
job. and said still growlingly to him
self, ''Why can't the fellow know, and
keep his place? I'd give him $40 a
month to lead my gang except for this
fancy for my gal. As 1t isl and he cast
his eyes down to the pnmp, where the
men were washing for dinner, Il must
discharge him s'pose. Wife would be
crazy if she knew what he said to me
i'll the field. Foreign blood in him too.
| No, thankee. We are Yankees of five
| generations. Though heaven only
knows if there are to be any more
Yankee generations! This war! HullO,
| Dillingham;"
At that moment a smart buggy and
colt whirled and danced into the farm
yard, and good-lOoking young fellow
| in brand-new volunteers uniform,
shoulder straps with two bars and
everything else belonging to captain
except the sword, sprang to the turf
with, "Well, Mr.. Downer, my COM
pany's full; and, thanks to your $500,
all uniformed. We leave next week
| for the seat of war"
| This was the rival love, too. Every
| thing in his favor-of good family, of
| wealth, as the villagers counted riches,
being storekeeper and postmaster. A
downright good fellow, too. in every
way. was Phil Dillingham;, if only
| Phoebe could have thought so. Per
haps she would had not the flaxen-
| haired, blue-eyed giant crossed her
path. Nothing is so ineXplicable as
| love, however. So far as character was
| concerned, for my part, / would have
| taken one as soon as the other.
Well. 1t was told all up and down the
hay fields of that summer-in the valley
being "tedding boy'' behind the
swarthy mowers, l heard much of the
romantic goSsip-that Phoebe DOwner
was actually beaming and smiling on
| Tom Keeney, when her father shouted
to her that capt. Dillingham; had
driven into the yard" The country
| boys and girls were never tired of tell
ing in neighborhood tradition how sad
she looked as she answered: Eyes. IA
Their, as soon as the men are seated at
the ia ble," and how she threw kiss,
with her Shapely arm outStretched. to
Tom and FASTENED in to pour the iced
milk into mugs; how Tom stood, rolling
down his shirt sleeves, there by the
pump just where she had left him; and
the opinion was that he caught sight
| through the grape arbor of Phil Dilling-
hams blue uniform and brass buttons.
But that was the last seen of Tom
Keeney. Every one of the gang was
too hungry to notice at first that he did
not enter the wide Zephyr-fanned eat
ing room. When they began to inquire
where's Tom?" with every man bit
of banter ready on his tongue. Tom
was gone. Nor was Tom in the group
the next afternoon when wedding
took place in the great front room. The
next day9 The very next day. There
were so many of those sudden we'd
| dings in a.! 81
For Phoebe and her faith had long.
and weary argument after the work.
men had gone back into the field. l re-
member them under the grape arbef,.
as ! saw them when | came up for the
iced molasses- and-ginger vinegar
in, doft hn