The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-09-04
MISS MINroN,s MASTER.


pretty, with red-lipped, hazel-eyed, ros
prettiness that admitted of no question
her temper was admirable, but her inte
ligence fair, her family was good, an
her fortune comfortable, though not III
wieldly.
Then, too, as daughter, neighbol
friend and hostess, she was allowed
even by the most captious, to discharg
the whole duty of woman-latterly more
for after her father was stricken wit
paralysis of his right arm he woul'
trust his business to none but Grace
who, having a clear head and read
pen, proved herself an efficient substi
tute, and won golden opinions from al
with whom the arrangement brought he
in contact, and they were not few no
simple, for Minton bred pure bloo'
horses that went pretty well all over TIN
south country; in fact his six hundred
acre farm, with its velvet pastures ant
sleek-limbed, glossy herd had reputa
ton almost national, and was quite th'
pride of Rowan county, where it lay; so
first and last, Miss MintOn saw and knew
much more of the great outside worlC
than falls to the lot of most home-keep
ing, provincial maidens.
MaplewOod lies in region of softly
swelling hills, well wooded and watereC
by small, clear creeks that run down tC
the near river. The country is three
fourths cleared and largely set in grass
In fact blue grass grows there quite as
well as in the "Blue-grass region" A
fair and smiling land, full of roomy
handsome houses, big barns, and tall
clear fences, with hard, white turnpikes
winding through and through. One OF
them ran past the gate at Maplewood
cutting off from the main farm a hun.
dred acres of pasture, through which a
thread of bright water wound its laugh
ing way, under the shadows of elm, ash
and sycamore, past banks of clean peb'
bles or green. howery turf.
Hither in mid-May come the glossy
yearlings from the home pastures, there
to develop strength and speed, and stay
on fair water and lush grass, throughout
the bright, hot summer; and hither
Grace Minton, riding on her father s
steed, slowly, with rein well in hand, and
bright, close-looking eyes, found an ami
NAL that, after his fashion, showed fairly
beside her thoroughbreds.
A tall, young man, 1.-THE and well made
with wet golden hair and look of pa
tient hunger in his well-cut face, sat
bareheaded on gray rock i'll the full
sun blaze, wet shirt SO clinging to
chest, arms and shoulders rs to show the
physique of an athlete. On the grass
back of him lay wide, soft hat, a coat
well cut and of good material, but frayed
and won, and small Russia leather bag,
open and empty save for few papers
peeping from the inner pocket A tramp,
evidently, whose nomadic life had not
obliterated the intincts of cleanliness or
deccncy, as he had deemed it safe i'll this
solitude to wash himself and his clothes
and who at sight of the young lady
sprang up hastily, and flushing through
all his sun-tan, flung his coat about him
and looked with dumb apology into her
face.
Graces first impulse was to ride away
iu silence, as though unnoting, but some
how the look of those deep blue eyes ar
rested and held her, and pulling up
sharply, 81 said, with an uumistakable
proprietOrial accent:
"IIow came you here?"
The man bent his head and answered
literally:
Through the gate on the turnpike. 1t
was unlocked, and it looked so cool and
pleasant down here, and was so tired
and dusty, was tempted into trespass-
ing. Pardon it, please; and let me stay
until the sun gets past noon, and VIII
go away without harming anything. The
road is blistering now."
81 know it," said Miss Minton, cutly,
'but that is no reason for you to stay
here hungry. Come on with me to the
house and rest there. Have you had any
breakfast?"
He shook his head, with faint smile,
and she continued severely:
THAT is very wrong. You should
have had it three hours ago, You insult
the country you are passing through
when you thus slight our hospitality"
He looked straight up into her eyes
and answered:
"Dig cannot, for no man will hire me;
and to beg am ashamed. Can you give
me work?n
"What can you doT'
Anything indifierently, nothing
we'll"
"Can you handle horses?"
"a little" with the shadow of smile
behind his long fair moustache.
"Can you ride colts?"
81 have done it; think might do il
again"
every well, will get my father to try
you for week; if you suit he will kceT
you all summer, though we have never
hired white hand before"
"What shall | have to dO?'
| Anything you are told to; chiefly
break horses to the saddle. Uncle Ned
our head groom, is too rheumatic for il
this spring, and his boys are too impisl
to be trusted You will work undel
him?'
Certainly, if / can thereby earn my
bread.n
"Of that there is no doubt. My father
will pay you well if you are only compe
tent"
eyes, if only | can be competent; ant
as you are SO kind, let me tell my nam'
Kenneth West, once an Englishman
now citizen of the world"
Three months later this was the sun
total of what MaplewoOd and vicinag'
knew of Kenneth Vests past Of it
present, it knew very well that thu
Minton's had in him a treasure; as, fol
breaking, training and conditioning
horses, his equal was not in all thu
countryside. Then he gave himself M
airs and at hard work, though evidentl!
unframed, made muscle answer instead
of skill.
1t soon came not be required of him.
Uncle Ned, the coal black stable boss
after watching him master and control !
powerful young stallion, declared to hi
old master, "'Twas er shame to pu
plow er hoe handles in dat mans hand
he ought to be holdin' dc feathers from
mornin' twill night" and always there
after addressed his subordinate al
"Marse West" And Squire Mintoi
himself soon found that his new employ,
had such intelligence as made him no
merely welcome companion in his leis
ure hours, but also doubly valuable il
his own sphere.
And Grace, too, soon developed cor
dial liking for the young man, who, sh'
discovered, was too years her junior, ,anC
for whom she delighted to do, unobtru
sively, small womanly kindnesses, TO
which he showed liveliest gratitude
though he never presumed on them il
the faintest degie In fact, it angeret
her somewhat that he never seemed II
forget his place as hireling and strange
within the gates, though but two peopl
ever tried 10 make him conscious of il
namely, Hecter Highland, the most irri
tant of the brother-in-laws, and his cOus
in Jack Bell, who for six months o
more had laid hot seige to Miss Mintol
and her money.
1t was under the hunters moon, shin
ing round and full through the soft DC
tOber air, that Grace at last heard tn
story of her founding.
Though unusual, 1t was not startling
with only the pathos of dead hope, am
the tragedy Of crushed ambition. II
was, in full, Kenneth Westmoreland, Sol
of a generation of younger sons, who a
twenty-five years beforehand come ou
to the Rugby Colony full of youth
high purpose, and after the stranding 0