The Springdale news., 1889-01-04
1Copyrgated, 1887, 6y Frank J. Martin, and noU first putiiSaed 6y erciusios nrraa5ssaeat
 Uih tte duthOra.
CHAPTER VI.

The Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday at Mill Hill came round i'll due time, and the little church presented beautiful appear anee. The decorations were profuse and were tastefully displayed to the best ad vantage. The rector himself had superin- tended the work of arranging the flowers and fruit, but the actual work had been carried on by Maggie Wilson and Rachel Foster, assisted by some of the school children. The church was crowded at morning prayers, and among the congrega- tion, which included all the farmers of the parish with their families and laborers, were Lady Caroline Ogilvie and her son. Lord Richard, a youth of about eighteen. Lady Caroline had taken a great fancy to Lawrence Lovejoy. and, being patroness of the living of Mill Hill until Lord Richard should come of age, had presented the same to her clerical protege And this, too, knowing well his "Reformn and Anti Corn Law" tendencies Indeed, if the truth must be told, her ladyship had given d handsome subscription to the funds of the League, and had in other ways encouraged the Reverend Lawrence. To-day tho rec tor, emboldened by the support he could now count upon Tn Lady Ogilvie, Rachel Foster and Tom Wilson, preached a sermon from the words of our Lords Prayer: -sGive us this day our daily bread,' and put in many q good word and strong plea on behalf of the poor and needy Only few of his hearers paid much attention to what he sad, but young Lord Richard took in every word and never forgot them. Not that he had the least idea of being influenced for good by what the rector said. No, no. Lord Richard was, though so young, too selfish, too mean and too bullheaded for that. But he remembered the sermon, and we'll
 The morning service over, the rector joined the party at the Manor farm for din- ner, where the diners consisted of Matthew Wilson's family and their young neighbors, George and Rachel Foster and Mr. Lovejoy.
 The Fosters resided on the farm adjon- ing that of Matthew Wilson They were twin orphans, having been left alone in the world while yet barely eighteen years old. George Foster, Sr., had been Matthew Will sons own especial friend and he was, with the late rector, appointed by his deceased ncighbor joint executor and guardian of his children. By arrangement it was agreed that George should reside with Farmer Wilson until he was of age, when he would be installed on farm of his own, and dur ing that time Rachel was to make her homo at the rectory with Mir. Laurie. George Foster and Tom Wilson became great 'cronies, as their fathers had been before them, and, more than that, as Maggie Will son slowly passed the boundary line be- tween girlhood and womanhood George found that he was loving her with some what more ardor than he would a sister, i'll which relation he had been taught to re- gard Maggie. When young Foster com pleted his twenty first year the Brook farm was taken by him, and at the time of our story he and his sister had been located in their own home a couple of years. An un- informed stranger would have found it a rather difficult task to determine, so far as the young people were concerned, which was their home, for every evening, in the summer especially, they were always to be found together, either at George Fosters or Farmer Wilson's. Mir. and Mrs. Wilson encouraged the young folks in their close companionship They already regarded George and Rachel as two of their own chll- dren and rather cherished the idea of a probable real relationship by marriage. For it was pretty well understood that Tom Will son would marry Rachel Foster and that Maggie Wilson would become George Eos ter's wife.
 Rachel Foster was genuine, loyable woman; such woman as any man might be proud to win. She had received finishing touches to her education while under the care of the old village pastor and his wife