Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-15

..yyaal. now," exclaimed Mark IN well
fsiyned surprise.
She looked searchingly at him. put
MARI, looked as if he had simply received
an interesting piece of information,
DO you like poetry she asked chang
ing the subject.
some at.
MY fayorite poet is Tennyson. Is ne
yours too: ~.
This was dangerous ground for Marx.
He had u special fondness for poetry, and
was more likely to betray himself on
tbi, than on any other subject.
mo" he said; Il love Shelley best.
"Why. Mr.. Slack, how can you under
stand Shelley: can't
..Waal. he is kinder obscurelike.
$40 YOU remember any of his poemsf
If Won do. wonld like to hear you re-
peat it."
'Waal. I nought give you Few lines
of the Ode to the Spirit o Nature.
"Please do"
Mark would have done well to let the
.sOde to the Spirit of Nature" alone; but
with a beautiful girl beside him, the
half moon sinking in the west and all
nature in repose. he momentarily forgot
his assumed character entirely. He be-
gan, intending to give only a few lines
and not to forget his dialect; but the
spirit of nature was in him as well as
in the poem. and by the time he had re-
cited a few lines he was as oblivious to
the character of Slack, the farmers son,
as If he had been the poet himself. Sud
denly he aw0ke to the consciousness OF
having given the whole poem in his nat
ural tone and with his ordinary accent
stMr. Slack" said his listener when he
had finished. did you learn that from
a man in Jasper
''No-no-l-waal." he stammered, Il
read it in book
He stole glance at his companion,
but failed to detect any unusual express
sion on her face He took courage.
"What do you raise on your planta-
tom She asked
"Oh, we put in some potatoes and
corn and straw this year"
straw"
No, no: not straw" Mark was as
little conyersant with the farmers art
as he was familiar with the poets. Il
mean hay
The girl looked at him and smiled.
The wheat was all gotten in early
this summer am told" she remarked
casually.
,Yas. we got in ourn early. We jest
finished up before | KEN away"
"Why, Mr.. Slackr'
Mark knew that he bad blundered
again.
wheat is gathered in july" she in
formed the young farmer
u mean the corn, he said wildly.
The corn comes later 1t is ripening
now.
Mark felt it was all up with him so
far as deceiving Miss Fain as to his being
a farmer, but he struck out boldly to
undo some OF the mischief.
"Waal. you see, Miss Fain, to tell the
whole truth, dad he don't reckon much
on my farmer He says oughter be
perfessor or somepn o. that sort"
"A gentleman. for instance"
Mark made no reply. For the first
time he detected irony in her tone.
Mr.. Slael,-if that is really your
name, which | don't believe-you are
certainly not very complimentary to my
sense of perception"
''How so:'
lin trying to make me think you are
not an educated gentleman"
Mark saw the futility of keeping up
the sham with Miss Laura Fain any
longer. He resolved to give her so much
of his confidence as was necessary to
keep her from betraying him, if indeed
he could do so at all. His manner and
his tone changed in twinkling.
II will be frank with you. | am not
what ! have pretended, but | am not
here to injure You or yours.
"Who are your She spoke with a
certain severity that she had not shown
before.
Il cannot tell You. My secret is not
my own"
"Are you a Union MANI"
Eyes.
"a northerner:"
ayes; but let that suffice You would
regret it if | should eonfide anything
more to you. Yet from this brief inter
view have learned to trust you sufi-
GENTLY to place my life in your keep
ing"
She thought moment. A faint shud-
der passed over her.
Il don't want TO know your secret"
will you tell your mother what you
have discovered" asked Mark anxiously.
Mot for worlds"
lyon suspect He paused and
looked at her iaquiringly.
"Yes, yes. Don't say any more. Don't
breathe another word. Only go away
from here as soon as possible"
81 shall go tomorrow morning. /
shall always hold you in grateful re-
membrance. You are Splendid
lovely woman. | owe your