Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-11

The road led through a stretch of
| woods, crossed n shallow creek and
gradually assembled to the summit of the
long, low hill where it branched, one
fork leading back into the country,
where it merged into the broad country
road and the other diverging to the left
and following the crest of the elevation
to the old Beverley homestead. Into this
Anthony turned, following it even in the
dusk with the assured step of man to
whom tho way is familiar. After little
he peercd about him for small gate
| which no remembered used formerly to
admit pedestrians to the orchard
through which path gave short cut
| to the house. 1t was still there, and as
| he raised the latch with one hand he
lifted tho whole gate slightly with the
| other; it had always sagged little and
| been hard to open; it sagged still,
| Tho orchard was on ground IL tritle
| higher than the house, which stood on a
small plateau in the side of the hill. In
| 'front.' next the river, the hill sloped,
giving to the yard on that side Il deep
| undulation, while at the back it was al
most level until it gained the trihing rise
of tho orchard ground. The old trees
in struggling, unkempt rows came down
to the yard fence, and to person stand
ing under them the slight elevation gave
II good view Of the premises.
| The fog, dense in the low grounds,
was scarcely perceptible here, and the
moon had risen. With the coming on
of night it had grown colder. The air
was sharp, and by morning there would
be frost. From his station under one of
the leafless trees Anthony could see very
| we'll in the moonlight. Tho house, an
ample old brick structure, stood in a
| grove of oaks and locusts, and the moon
cast the interlacing shadows Of their
bare branches in fantastic tracery over
tho time stained walls. At the south
crn end thick mantle of English ivy
concealed the old imported bricks.
On ono side of the big back yard were
the offices, tho carriage house, stables,
smoEchouses, houses of the indoor do
mcstics and other necessary outbulld-
ings. On the other side was the old
fashioned garden; from where he stood
Anthony could see tho tail, quaint box
trees and the long, formal borders. How
familiar it all looked i'll the moonlight.
In that old garden he remembered he
had once killed Il rattlesnake five feet
long with thirteen rattlcs, He had
carried it to tho back porch, dangling
across the stick with Which he had slain
it, to show it to little Mary Beverley.
All tho family had como out to see II
and wonder over its size and rejoice in
its DEATH and old Mr.. Beverley had cut
off tho rattlcs with his penknife, and
saying that tho boy must have dime
for every rattle and two for the button
, had dropped three bright half dollars in
his hand, and Mrs. Beverley had smiled
on him and called him Il "brave boy,
and little Mary had danced about, full
Of excitement and pleasure in his PROV
ess, but dared on no account come very
near, for fear that it might still harm
her, although it's head had been crushed
Anthony laughed a little when he
| thought of his pleasure in that frs
money he had ever owned, and of hi
1 pride in his own achievement. He haC
done far bigger things than kill II rattle
> snake since and for every cent of tn
!, sum that had looked so large then h
c could now have laid down many thou
y sands. Time had brought changes t,
3 him, if not to his old surroundings, bu
it had never brought anything tina
seemed rs good as little Mary's prais
and those first three half dollars.
II wonder if she's living stiA," h
muttered, cor whether she's marrie
and gone away. | came near asking
that lawyer fellow this morning, bu
he's new to the place, and somehow
didn't like to. I've always been IL foe
about that child; it's the only soft spo
in mo. Lord! if sho should DO dead
I'd rather that, though, than the othe
thing-a damned sight rather"
- From tho window of tho room whic
he remembered was the parlor streame
n broad glare of light, making on tn
ground beneath n facsimile of the cas-
mcnt, tho divisions between the pane
- checking off the light into squares wit
10 slender crossbars of shadow. Hampere
by no nice determinations, Anthem
opened the gate and crossed the yard I
the lighted window, keeping in til
- shadow as much as possible and treadin
as softly as n savage. No fear of do!
disturbed his mind, since if there ha
{, been any they must have discovered hi
ere this. The house was low, the wi
dowsills of the first floor scarcely Il
- height of mans breast from the groun
The curtains of thin lace obscured wit
out concealing the interior, and throuG
their parting Anthony could obtain
satisfactory view without pressing h
face against the glass.
Tho room, cheerful with the light
the shaded lamp and the glowing WOO
fire, had n quaint picturesque char
which appealed even to the unimagin
tive nature of the man outside. 1t w
different from any room to which he hi
ever been accustomed-as far remov
from the gorgeous pomp of his later e
perience as it was from the rude sill
plicity of his boyhood and early ma
hood. 1t was a room that had grow
old in the keeping of one race; it W
tender, harmonious, full of associate,