Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-03-24


try is very duh.
mot at all dull" contradicted the
general. You talk as if | were requlr-
ing you all to Selkirk on ten acre Is
land. INSTEAD of going to one OF the pleas
ATTEST and most populous counties IN the
oldest state in the Union. Mr.. Byrd, the
former owner of Shirley, told me that
the neighborhood was very thickly set
tied and sociable. counted five gentle
mems houses in sight myself South
erners, as a rule, are great visitors, ana
If the girls are lonely it will be their own
fault. They'll have as much boating and
dancing and tomfoolery as is good tor
them.
"Are there any young mem? demand
ed Mrs. Smith. who recognized the me-
cessity of an infusion of the stronger ele-
ment to impart to social joys body and
flavor.
eyes, / guess so" replied her husband
indifferently, masculinity from oyeras-
ISOLATION having palled ON him; there's
always men about everywhere, except
back in the home villages in Maine
they're scarce enough there, the Lord
knowsl saw good many about IL the
little village near Shirley Wintergreen,
they call it. One young fellow attracted
my attention particularly; he was sitting
on tobacco hogshead down on the
wharf, experimenting some negroes load
wagon, and | couldn't get it out of my
head that I'd seen his face before. he
was tall and fair, and had lost an arm.
must have met him during the war, J
think; although III be hanged if can
place him.
Mrs. Smith looked interested. Per
haps YOU formerly knew him, she re-
marked cheerfully; tits pity your
memory is so bad. Why didn't you in
quire his name of some one, that might
have helped You to place himg'
MY memory is excellent retorted
the general shortly; for man must
resent such an insinuation even from the
wife of his bosom "Ive always been
remarkable for an unusually strong and
retentive memory as you know very
well-but it isn't snperhuman AT the
lowest computation, | guess I've seen
about million mems faces in the course
of my life. and its ridiculous to expect
me to have 'em all sorted ont and tick
eted in my mind like picture catalogue.
My memory is very fine.
Mrs. Smith recanted pleasantly. Her
husbands memory was good for his age
she was willing to admit, but it was not
fiawless. About this young man, now,
it seemed to her that if she could remem-
Der him at all, she could remember all
about him. These bitches in recollection
were provoking. 1t would have been
nice for the girls to find young man
ready to their hands, bound TO courtesy
by previous acquaintance with their
father.
She regretted that her husband should
fail to recall. and had neglected TO in
quire, the name of this interesting per-
son; but the knowledge that he was
there, and others beside him, ameliorated
the rigor of the situation.
Mrs Smith did not care for the south
or southern people; their thoughts We're
not her thoughts, nor their ways her
ways. In her ignorance she classed them
low in the scale of civilization, deeming
them an Improbable race. whose days
were given over to sloth and their nights
to armed and malignant prowling. For
the colored people of the censured states
she had profound and far off sympa-
thy, viewing them from an unreal and
romantic standpoint This tender atti-
tude was mental; physically she shrank
from them with disgust, and it was not
the least of the crosses entailed by res
idence in the south that she would be
obliged to endure colored servants.
But all this was trifing aud unimpor-
tant in comparison with the main issue,
Warmers health. To secure the shadow
of hope for her boy Mrs Smith decided
that anything short of cannibalism in
her future surroundings would be en-
durable.
The information CLEANED from her hus-
band was faithfully repeated by Mrs.
Smith to her daughters, with some inno-
cent exaggeration and unconscious EN-
bellishment. She always wanted TO
make things pleasant for the children.
Blanche looked up from her crewel
sunhowers with reviving interest, but
Norma walked over to the window and
stood drumming on the panes and re-
garding the passers with lowering
brow.
Il wonder what Nesbit Thorne will
think of it all?'' she remarked, after an
interval of silence, giving voice to the
inwardness of her discomfort.
He'll hate ity'' spoke Blanche, with
conviction; "hell abhor 1t, just as we
do. | know he will" Blanche always
followed her sisters lead, and when
Norma was cross considered it her duty
to be fearful. She was only disagree
able now because Norma was.
Percival, the youngest of the family, a
spoiled and lively lad of twelve. to
whom the prospect of change was rap
ture, took up the last remark indig-
nantly.