The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-06-20
FARMER TIPTON'S NIECE!
Her Unexpected Visit Brought
About Two Happy Marriages.

ct don't like girlsl" said Farmer Tip
ton
His housekeeper made no answer.
''In fact" added Mr.. Upton, 81 hate
'emi'
Still Mrs Martin did not reply
''But what can do about it2" he re-
sumed. If I'd had twenty four hours
notice, I would have gone over to.
Cherry mountain or across to Durham
fair growled Mr.. Upton; but here
comes this letter Hike stroke of light
ming, to tell me the girl will be here to-
nightl'
Mrs. Martin smiled a little and went
on with her work, the picking over of
black beans to make soup, for Farmer
Upton was particular in his eating,
and although Hester, the maid-of- all
work, was skillful in the use of pots
and pans, he never could relish any
thing which was not of Mrs Martins
cooking.
81 suppose you'll have to get a room
ready for her, said Mr.. Upton. ''She'H
have to say all night in any event. But
l shall send her back again tomorrow
morning. I don't want niece to live
with us. If had wanted anything of
the sort, I could have asked for 1t, I
suppose"
Mr.. Upton lived in pretty old farm
house, steep-roofed and Swallowed by
monster button-ball boughs-a house
where Tptons innumerable had been
born and died, where every stone wall
had its associations and the very apple
trees and gooseberry bushes were de-
clining into an honorable old age, with
Nchen-covered stems and crispy, dead
boughs breaking away with every wind.
1t is, perhaps, unnecessary to add that
he was an old bachelor, as full of whims
and caprices as ever old bachelor was.
Nobody, said the neighbors, could get
along with him but Stella Martin; and
she couldn't If it had not been that she
and Thomas Upton had been boy and
girl together, and, somehow, were used
to each other, in the days before Stella
married that wild, reckless young Mar
tin, who spent her money and broke
her heart in such short order, and then
shot himself In gambling saloon.
Such merry, laughing gypsy as she
used to be, and now
sWhy," cried the neighbors, ''she
don't speak to nobody"
It was lovely old place. Hollyhocks
clustered in the garden, tangles of vel
vet red sweet-williams bordered the
path and bushes of dark southernwood
hung over the door steps. To Mr.. Tip
ton it was the dearest spot in the world.
Mrs. Martin used to bring the family
mending out into the porch, sometimes,
of a summer evening, and look w.stful-
" at the red sunset shining through the
trunks of the cedar trees. But what
ever her impressions might have been,
she kept them to herself.
If Mr.. Upton did not like the idea of
a young girl visitor beneath the ancient
roof Of Upton Hall, Phebe Cresshill
liked it still less.
"You can send me out into the wilder
nesses as much as you Ike" said
Phebe, crying a whole river Gauges of
tears into her trunk, as she threw slip
pers, collars, cologne bottles and work
baskets, an homogeneous mass, into its
depths; ''but never, never shall leave
off caring for Harry Not If you were
to send me to AlaskalV
s'Child," said Mrs. Cresshill, sharply,
don't be goosel The engagement Is
to be broken off, and there is an end OF
the whole thingl'
Through her tears Phebe could not
but smile to herself. 1t was all very
well for mamma to talk, but mamma
did not know that the bakers boy had
carried at the bottom of the basket of
rolls note to Harry Ravens, and that
Harry knew, as well as she did herself,
that she was going to a Grabbed old
uncle down In New Hampshire, and
that she should always, always love
him, no matter what they said to her
or whittier they sent her.
And so, in the peaceful purple after
glow q the j HslEsss eyerine, Phebe Cress-
hill and Mr.. Upton eyed eacH Uths.,ss;a
with mutual disfavor
ssHow do you do, uncle?" said Phebe,
with stiff little courtesy.
"Ohl' said Mr.. Upton. This is the
girl, is it? Yes How do you do? Mrs
Martin, here, will give you some sup
per-
And he went off to make sure that
the barn doors were properly locked
and the hen house secured, for there
was a rumor of burglars In Quiet Val
lev, and Mr.. Upton had the finest AL
derney cows and the choicest breed Of
Brahma fowls in the neighborhood.
st stands to reason, said he, that
they'll come first to me. And / don't
mean to be taken unawares."
Mrs. Martin poured the fragrant tea
and served the hot buttered biscuit and
honey in the comb Phebe choked back
the tears that would come and tried to
eat something.
''Will you go to your room now9" said
Mrs. Martin.
"Yes, pleased" faltered Phebe.
1t was a spacious, low-ceiled room,
full of the sweet scent of dried laven-
der. and furnished with shining cherry
wood presses and high-backed chairs.
II hope you will rest well, " said Mrs.
Martin.
"Thank you," said Phebe.
Mr.. Upton was hanging up his lam
tern in the back kitchen, when Mrs.
Martin came downstairs.
WELL said he, did you tell her she
must 90 home tomorrow"
mo, did not"
"Humphl" said Mr.. Upton. You
might as we'll :"
As Mr.. Upton lay asleep that night
he dreamed that he was boy again at
an old-fashioned htelzing-bee; that the
corn was all huslxed and the barn floor
cleared off, and that he and Stella-not
pale, silent Mrs. Martin, but the gold
haired, laughing Stella Of twenty years
ago-were going down the long links OF
the Virginia reel to the mad music OF
Rory O'More."
He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.
Was it real music or dream9 Or was
it.
ssBurglarsl Burglarsl" squeaked
Hester. banging at his door. ''Please.
Mr.. Upton, get your gnnl He's under
the window l seen him with my own
eyesI With all his burglaring tools on
his armi"
In an instant, as it seemed, Mr.. Tip
ton was creeping along under the
shadow of the white blossomed syringa
bushes, with his carbine on his Shout
der The moon, palnd, gibbous line
of light, blinked down through the
boughs of the button-ball tree. A dis
tant owl booted from the swamps, as
Mr.. Upton made a plunge at his prey. !
"Scoundrel, I've got youl" he reared !
"villain, unhand mel" Numbered q
deep bass voice.
A brisk scufic ensued, during which |
the old carbine went of, discharging |
Its contents--a sudden CLEAN of flame |
and smoke-into the leaves Of the but |
ton-ball tree. Mrs Martin, WIG he'd
rushed into Phebe's room, dun9 her
arms around the girl.