The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-08-05


He hesitated q moment, and then
looked wistfully at Cynthia.
"Thee will come, will thee not?" he
asked.
She only smiled in answer. 1t
seemed to satisfy him, however; for he
made his adieux and rode away as /
stepped on to the porch.
81 have an invertation to a weddin'
for you, Miss Katharine" cried the old
farmer, gayly.
"1s that young Nimrod TO be mar
ried?" l asked.
-" His name amt Nimrod; it's Rich
ard Rolfe; but he's to be married to
the prettiest girl in thirty miles, to-day
week."
The prettiest girl in thirty miles l
looked at Cynthia's delicate beauty,
and wondered where were his eyes.
CAS- pretty as a picter," he went on.
"She's town-bred, and not bin here
long. Her mother was a Quakeress
from the Settlement, like our Cynthia
here; but she married a city man, and
out o. the faith; so they cast her off.
But las winter she died-the same
week as her husband-and then her
people, they went up to town and got
Dora, the onliest child, and brought her
down here TO upset ev'ry lad in the
Settlement. All of 'em were buzzin'
round her; even Richard, who allays
was a stiddy chap, sort o. got crazy
about her, and bein' as he has the best
farm round here-the Quakers think a
heap of them things-they do say her
uncle, Frien' Moore, gave the thing a
shove along. They'll make a fine
looking par; but Cynthy can tell you
more bout it than l can-they're her
frien's, all belongin' to the Settle
munich, Cynthy?"
81 think thee has told all thatI know,
father" said Cynthia, with gentle in
difference.
81 amt got but one thing agin'
Richard" continued the farmer, refec-
lively. He's too Quaker. He don't
be thee-ing eu'rybody like our Cynthy
here-only his kind; but, Lord he'd
better be a-thee-ing all over the place
than bein' so sot in his ways about the
movin's of the Sperit. l never see no.
body believe in it like Richard Rolf"
GA fanatic?" 1 asked.
uOu u huOW WudI yOu ClIy lOlhS
calls it. calls it fool; who's to say
which is a-movin' folks to speech, the
Sperit or the flesh? But Richard, he
believes it's allays only the Sperit, and
nothin' would shake him."
How old is hep"
Twenty-seven, and Dora Just seven
teen. don't believe in man marryin'
so young, myself. It's too big a risk for
the lady-too big a risk. 1t takes a
long time to be sure mans settled in
his ways. Now / married at thirty
seven, and l doubted then but l was
too young. / KEEP feelin' anxious for
some years on Mary's account. 1 might
"a broke out any time. A lady can't
be too keerful"
So saying, the kindly old man wan
dered off intent on his farm duties,
leaving me with strong desire to be
present at the Quaker wedding. Sun
day had come and almost gone. 1t was
so like any other day on the farm, that
had 1 not been told of its presence by
my calendar, and observed a palpably
clean collar on the master of the house,
and one less layer of dirt on old Sam,
| should not have known any difference
from the weekdays. The early supper
had been eaten, and the "men folks "
were sitting on the back porch,
wrapped in clouds of tobacco-smoke,
and talking on that eXhaustless topic,
d" the wa-ar." 1t was here as present a
theme as if still raging around the
pretty homestead. 1t seemed as if the
feeling were to be bequeathed to chill
dren's children.
All l could not wonder. On the
hillside at the back of the house was
the family graveyard. There lay the
sole mistis," with her husband beside
her. They had dropped as the sere
leaves, not before their time. About
their deaths hung no bitter memories
but who can comfort Rachel mourning
for her children! In one corner of the
graveyard found a slab of marble
carved on it in rude letters were these
simple words, which told their own sad
story: