Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-11-11

! ! ! : !.
MxN 4 III by q few sharp re-
torts to persons
Esh ~ who were tnperti-
"K nentiy inquisitivs
w 4a,I 4JyJt about the New
fD A&Y1A/ York Developments
A HA Of Pills acquainr-
N snee With Lucia.
1SX%AN There wax no inck
ME- N&A~ Il stories, however,
~ regarding the eou-
pie, In any part q
the civilized world no matter how sfolld tine
inhabitants, there il Imagination enough To
replace the absent links in desired chain Of
sar,A
All that Haynton and Its vicinity really
knew about the supposed iiayn framiay affair
was that the Tramiays had BEEN at Hayn
farm, that they had daughter nnned LsiciA
whose age did not differ much from Pills,
that Phil had ts-en ia View York for more
than a fortnight, that be had gone direct
from Sol Aantrings sIoop 10 Tranaiay Office,
that he haI been ssseu in New York in store
clothes. and that he admitted having seen
Lucia once or twice Out Of these few facts,
xhissh would have he~n us.sis1s 10 even a de
tective were he unable to treat them mere
clsws ~ W followed carefully the epterpris
Ing people Of Haynton constructed q number
Of stories, each Of which hung together admir-
ably That fheY differed radically from one
another was not tie fault Of the local ro
naicers. they had honestly done their best
with the material at hand.
Phil did not regard the matter in this light
When day by day his little brothers returned
from schopl with tales they had heard from
class mates and wondered greatly that they
had not tir-, heard them at home. Pills tenn
per broke loose 50 Suddenly that the boys al
most feared To repeat all they had heard
The wrathfui young man learned that he had
proposed TO Lucia and been refused that he
Bad been .eespted, apparently at the same
interview, that Tramlay was to build a hand
some house on the winter front Of Hayn Farm
for his daughter wedding present, that
Phil took his refusal so seriously to heart
that he was going TO study for the ministry,
and that while in New York he had fallen
into drinking habits 50 deeply that Tramlay
had been Obliged to write Farmer Hayn to
hurry To the city and remove his unfortunate
son from the scene Of temptation
Phil grumbled and storned; he even vowed
that IL gossip about him did not end he would
go % yea He thought seriously Of publishing
. list Of deniais in the weekly paper edited
In the county town. which devoted a column
or two to Haynton news. Then he wondered
whether be might not make confidant OF the
minister and beg that sermon he preached
ON the sinfulness of gossip, but this plan dis
appeared abruptly when the statement Of his
approaching marriage was traced almost
with certainty, TO the minister himself
But the worst trial OF all remained. On
Sunday he met ut church and in the young
peoples Bible class ali the girls who lived at
or near Haynton. Some of taem belonged to
l.. tt.
Hayu family among its members, but for once
they waived UNCONVENTIONAL preferences and
went to the First church, and not only to see
Phirs new clothes and cane. Of which Sol
Mantring had brought such astonishing re-
ports.
They we're as good and sweet hen ted, those
Haynton girls, as aly OF their sex the face
OF the earth, FASHIONS rifle Oil and lack
of professional advice ns 10 how best to en-
hancp their natural charms 10y borrowing
from art could nut disguise the fact that
soms of them were qrite pretty. II was not
their fault that ph:rs heart had gono else
where Tor a mate, Oct that the young man
niinseh was gres'y 70 u awe ior shcn
co'le was tne general op'niol among tneh,
and 'hey ""uii nave at Least the consolation
OF seeing how he had lN'en affected by step
70 uhusa"i among hayntou youth. Ana
what que ions those girls eyes did ask
There was 40 need that they should put any
OF them into Words ihil understood them
All, win the result that never before on Sun
DAY mai he heard 40 little OF sermon, hymn
OF prayer, or betrayed SO feeble u grasp OF
the topic OF TIE day IN the Bible ciaM
80 seriously was his mind disturbed that he
ned himself sharply to account, examined
ms evidences IN the time honored and ortho-
dox manner and resolved that lack OF occn-
patton was at the bottom OF his trouble lie
would ts'sin bright and early Monday morn
ing an extension OF the big ditch In the
marsh land II the mud and stones and roots
and qnicksands the tugging and straining
and perspiring, sure to be incident to the
work would not cure him. be grimly told
himself, then his case was hopeless indeed
Gravel. he kept his word AT sunrise he
WIS airea''y on his way to the marsh, and by
the mi,iile II the morning single sensation
encompassed his entire mind; it was that
dttching was the hardest, dirtiest, forlornest
work that ever fell to a farmers lot He
dragged one heavily booted foot after the
other from the ooze, leaned on his spade and
offered himself tive minutes rest
He looked YEARLY along the prolongation
of the line OF the ditch already completed,
and wondered how many hundred days the
entire Improvement would require. Before
he decided his calculations were disturbed by
the sound OF the family dinner BELL He
looked at the sun, which was his only time
piece while at work, and wondered what
could have befailen the hitherto faithful
family clock. Again the bell sounded, and
when he looked In the direction of the house
he saw. on the brow of the hill behind the
orchard, bis mother waving her apron to
him Something was the matter: what could
it be' trampi-a persistent lightning rod
mani He hurried toward the house, and soon
saw that his mother was waving also some
thing that looked like handkerchief and
then like II piece of paper, little nearer
and he heard his mother shouting:
Fathers writ We've got a letter.
Phil ran nearly all the way up the hill, he
had not performed that difficult feat since he
and another boy had raced up, in eoasting
time, in wild strife a. to which should capture
popular sirl and take her down on his sled
A letter from his father was indeed an UNI
sual event. for the old man had not been
away from bone before, except when on jury
duty in the county town. IN many yeara YET
from the old lady's manner 1t seemed the let
ter must contain something unusual. As be
reached the bill top hts mother placed the
sheet in his hand. saving
81 thought mebbe you'd better see it At
once"
Phil took it and read aloud, as follows:
DEAR OLD Girl our husband is about
as usual. though the well water in this town
amt fit for decent cattle to drink. I've seen
some of the sights. aud wished more than
once that had YOU along. If things turn ont