The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-12-18

them. But there was one person who
wasn't afraid of Miss jamie, and that
was Harrison wilkins, whose mothers
farm joined her fathers, and who took
her out in her little cart on the first
journey she ever made in this world,
when she was six weeks and he was six
years old. 1t was Harrison who carried
her little shiny dinner pail to school
when she went to learn her A b C's;who
taught her how to steer the sled and sail
the boat; who buried her kitten when it
died; who helped her break the spirit of
the fractions mare, snd showed her how
to sit in the saddle firmly and hold the
bride well down in her firm, little hands,
1t was Harrison who took her where the
first May flowers came in the spring
time; who showed her where the first
strawberries rIpened in June, and who
shook the first chestnuts down for her
in October; who helped her with her
sums in arithmetic and fought her bat
ties, and who never feared her or needed
her pretty, imperiops ways at all. Per-
haps it was the care that his fathers
death brought to him as a child that de-
velOped strength and firmness and fear
lessness; perhaps it was only the dignity
of his great love for jamie that made
him her master. The day they buried
the kitten he told her not to cry, for she
would be his little wife some day, and
when she Indignantly lisped her vow
never, never to be anybody's wife, he
only laughed and said: CHATS all right,
jamie, for now, but you'll change your
mind some day."
Every one in Wilton thought jamie and
Harrison were to be maIried-that is,
everyone but Janie-when there came
upon the scene Adolphus Comstock from
distant city, who was the son of her
fathers oldest friend. He came for the
fishing and sketching, but he stayed for
something else.
He knew women only through the con-
ventional formal medium of society, and
was such an exasperating and Indifferent
cynical creature that he piqued most wo-
men into displaying their frivolous and
least attractive characteristics to him.
He cared more for his pointers than for
his sisters chattering friends; for a
trout brook, his rod and flies, than any
moonlight excursion OF picnic, with a
galaxy of pretty girls who must be
waltzed with and talked with. But
jamie knew the favorite haunts of the
speckled beauties herself and could give
him points on the fishing question be-
sides. Harrison had taught her. She
could pull her skiff steadily and still to
where schools of bass hid in the cool
waters of the lake, and land the gamiest
of them without scream, and when she
cleared tive-rail fence on the wicked
little pony which he had seen her saddle
and mount, his respect grew into won
dering, piquant interest. He liked the
proud reserve with which this little
rural beauty met his advances, the pretty,
scOrnful curl of the red lips at his finest
compliments, and naughty pose of the
small head as her eyes flashed charming
negatives to his proposals. He fancied
what a wonder she would be once she
learned her power; what a queenly
beauty in the apparel which his wealth
could give her; what a strong, tender
woman once her spirit were broken and
her heart melted.
HARRISON looked on grimly at all this
woOing, ground his teeth sometimes as
she rede by with the handsome stranger
on the horse lie taught her how to ride,
but always smiled at last in confident
content, and said to himself: "She will
tlirt with that city chap to the end of the
chapter, but she will he my vile at last"
He told her SO the day of the husking,
when he was helping her to fasten the
cedar festoOns. Her face was temptingly
near his as she raised it to lift him some
more greens, and they were just beneath
the kissing wreath, too, but when he
"Oulh llthNt SlllluIA LID JuSJ Lawful
dues she stopped him. with pretty pro-
testing please" and as she turned her
flushed face away lie could see the full
white throat culver little as with a
sudden contraction, and the lips trem-
6led strangely. They were alone in
big, fragrant place just for minute, and
he stopped suddenly and caught her
with moose of the green rope he was
draping and asked if she had forgotten
that she was to be his wife some day,
and, when, instead of the usual spirited
protest, she only laughed and told him
softly that when she was qul sure she
was ready she would give the kiss she
owed him, he freed her and went on with
his hammeling and whiting.
That had been trying day for jamie.
She had helped her mother with the bak.
ing and helped her father with the barn
decoration. She had ridden twice to the
village for some forgotten ingredient
needed Tor the mysterious processes
going on in the big, sweet pantry, and,
worse than all the rest, Adolphus Com
stock had proposed to her in the little
parlOr, where she sat polishing the scar
let apples for the supper 1t was all 50
sudden, and everything was in such a
tlutter that sine didd't know what she
had told him, but was dimly conscious
OF turning away her face when he would
have kissed her, and faltering out some