Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-08-18

serves me up in sauce piquante. /
l think 81 has made a lucky escape
in getting a mo instead of a yes
from that damsel. | never suspect
ed him of cherishing tender feeling
for Miss Penelope's comely cook.
Unable to resume reading, he went
to large mirror and surveyed him
self, seeing a stalwart, bronzed man
in his prime. Truly it wasn't an
even battle, the money, influence,
and popular opinion all belonging to
him, and pitted against pale, splr-
ituelIe little woman, having the odds
against her. He hadn't really cared
for that 80 feet in dispute, only it
was his right to have it, and without
it his lawn was narrow and contract
ed. Being stranger in the village,
he had never known the Becks, and
the last scion of the family, Miss Pc
nelope, had not proved a pleasant
neighbor.
Digby Hale's battle in life had
been long one before success came,
absorbing the days and nights, too,
leaving none for social duties. Moth
erless and sisterless from boyhood,
he knew little of sweet home ties, or
the influence of a tender womanly
woman for the betterment of man
kind.
'.Come to dinner Doc,' called
'Siah, from the kitchen, and obeying
the summons, he noticed as he had
never done before, the "need of wo-
manly hands" in his bachelor abode.
In silence 'Siah served the very pal
atable dinner, repenting in meta
phorical sack-cloth and ashes, bis
rash vow, to "never step over that
80 feet of ground until asked to do it. %
''Temper made me say that, The in
WarQly COmInuHeUs NOW VIC hAOo
things in fine style, leavin' myself no
chance to win her at all by sayin'
that. I'll never be asked to come
over if the house catches fire. Sa-
briny's grit to the backbone. I'll
never have any other woman for my
wife, an Pm gittin' tired of Twin
alone
The day set for the "triaP' was ap-
preaching DR.. Hale said it must be
settled this court term, as cit had
dragged along too long now" Miss
Penelope sat in her closed bedroom,
gloomy and silent the greater portion
of the time, and Sabrina's loud:
"Here stands couple jined heart an hand
He wants wife and she wants man;
An they will git married fthey can agree
Then they'll march down the center as happy as
can be-
as she deftly turned off the work, no
longer delighted the music-loving
soul of 'Siah, who in turn, ''drooped
around" too dispirited to hum slow
ly:
ssThere's rose in the garden for you, young man..
to a tune and time of his own con-
struction.
He really hadn' "sposed Sabriny'd
carry matters so fur as to go around
with her split board bonnet pulled
down tight over her face, refusin' to
speak to Teller, all on count of that
pesky 80 foot"
DR.. Hale no longer whistled ia
vorite strain from "Little Tycoon"
A feeling of pity stole into his heart
when he caught (by watching through
drawn blinds) glimpses of the de-
iected little woman, who, paler and
thinner than ever, sometimes came
to the $50 foot and surveyed it
sadly.
Time wore on, until the twilight
of the evening before the trial came.
Miss Penelope, really i'll, lay upon
a couch in her own room, shrinking
from the publicity which awaited her
next day. thinking what suffering
temper had brought her. eff he had
not seemed so high and mighty, l
should have given over at once, she
sobbed out, contiding in the faithful
Sabrina, who, though secretly deplor-
ing the GOODNESS between herself and
81, had kept up hrayely ga stiff up
per lip having only half an hour be-
fore deliberately refused to accept a
peace Offering, a basket of great
golden pears, timidly reached her by
Josiah.
"Oh, WE'LL" returned Sabriny, con-
solingly, ''you hain't wrong in want
ing to protect your own, that your pa
left you. Now don't you go to weak
enin' at the last minute.
Twelve o'clock came, and still DR..
Hale courted sleep, when suddenly
there sounded loud and quick rap,
rap upon the kitchen door, and Sa-
briny's voice called
ss'Siah', 'Siah' wake up! Call Doe
Miss P'nelopy's dyin'. Tell Doe to
come, an not stop for nothin'."
eyes, coming, Sabriny," respond
'Siah. and shortly Miss Penelope's
castle was invaded by the enemy,
who Immediately set about restoring
the little woman who lay in an in
sensible condition, to consciousness.
Miss Penelope required the COM
bined efforts of the three, DR.. Hale.
sabriny and 81, and continued un-
unconscious so long that her faithful
attendant wept bitterly, giving it as
her opinion that "Miss Penelopy' G
GOT bop Joath blow ON would SOOr