The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-28

ance came into the house. Very nice she
looked, must say, in her silk dress an
white bonnet, but before any Of us had
time to make remark she says:
Where's Robertr
He hasn't come yet, my dear, says
aunt. No doubt he'll be here in q min
ute or two.
81 saw funny look como over Ann
Elizabeth's face an knew she was none
too we'll pleased at havin to wait for
him. But she sat down an began to talk
about something else, as cool as if her
weddin day was hundred years off.
II told you before that Robert was q
rural postman. He had usually finished
his mornin delivery of letters by half
past 0, which---had things gone on all
right-would have left him plenty of
time for getting ready to be married at
II o'clock But, as luck would have it,
on that particular morning there was u
regular series of disasters.
First of all, the mail man from
whom Robert took his bags was late,
owing to the fact Of his horse having
fallen lame on the road Then there
turned out to be an unusually large de-
livery Of letters, and what, with one
thing an another, poor Robert had a
regular scramble for it
ave were all beginnin to feel bit
uncomfortable when in he came. He
had been in an awful state of worry,
KNOWN Ann Elizabeth would be waitin
for him. but when at last he got there
all right an saw her sit loolsin SO nice
his spirits rose, / suppose, an he began
to laugh as gay as you please
Il could see in a minute Ann Eliza
beth didn't like that. She had been feel
in uneasy, though she tried not to
show it, an she couldn't bear to see him
come in laughin. as if it was of no con-
sequence.
" You are late, Robertp she says
quite stifflike-
lyon may be thankful I am here at
all ? says he, still laughin.
Now Of course the poor chap never
thought Of anything but joke when he
said that, but Ann Elizabeth drew her
self up like queen and gave him such
look.
" Indeed ! says she. and I'm sure her
voice made me regular shiver. II that
Is your opinion, Mr.. Jones, 1t is not
mine So far from bein thankful that
you are here, it is matter Of perfect
indifference to me, an / will now wish
you a very good mornin
IAN would you believe it, miss, be-
fore we could any Of US recover from
our establishment or realize what she
meant, she was out of the house? She
stepped into the conveyance which had
been waitin to take 'em to church an
told the man to drive her straight back
to the house she left but a short time
previously.
"'I'm not goin to be married, she
said to the old ladies quite composedly.
L have altered my mind l will Just 90
an change my dress all then get to
work, " an within an hour an q half of
her leavin the house she was back again
busy washin up dishes
You may well stare, miss, but it's
all as true as gospel 1 can't begin to
tell you what IL commotion there was
an what talk it made. Ann Elizabeth
fatty refused to see Robert an wouldn't
even read the letters he wrote to her.
She wouldn't admit there was any ex-
cuse for him an stood Oh her dignity to
such an extent that folks got tired of
tryin to talk to her, an RObert-as was
only natural-got his temper up an
vowed he would be laughin stock no
longer
There was the nice little house, ev-
ready an waitin for mistress,
an Robert vowed he d be married. When
a man really makes I'D his mind, he can
generally get somebody to have him, an
80 it proved in this case.
There was girl livin in the village
named Mary Goodacre. She wasn't at
all bad sort, an I'd heard it said be-
fore that she had a sneakin affection for
Robert. I'm not goin to say she ever
put herself in his way, or anything Of
that sort, for of course she as well as
everybody else thought that he an Ann
Elizabeth We're goin to make match
of it.
Mary must have liked him, how
ever, or she wouldn t have been so ready
to pick up Ann Elizabeth's leavin's S, as
the sayin is, for in rather more than a
month from the date of the weddin day
that should have been Robert was really
married to Mary Goodacre.
"What Ann Elizabeth thought about
1t L M not l-oin to tell you, for the very
good reason that l don't know. She
never opened her lips ON the subject to
a soul, an she wasn't one of the sort
folks could laugh and joke with She
seemed to pick up the threads of her
old life just where she had dropped
them, an glad enough the old ladies
were to have her back, though the kind
creatures were grieved about the misun-
derstandin an had done their best to
heal the breach
Neither can tell you whether Rob
ert an Mary were happy together. l was
only an outsider an knew nothin Of the
inner workin Of the minds of them
can only tell you the facts as all the
World knew of them. OF thoughts an
feelin's | cannot speak
Nov, Mary had livin near her
very particular friend, named Ellen