Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-09-26

| Coultt tuTu. NE ultttc no huSWeT, Dul
marched straight out Of the tap-room
and into Betty's kitchen.
! She stood near the door in her holi-
day dress, with her white cotton
gloves on. The magpies were chatter
ing overhead, and afar the church
bells were ringing.
'You are going to church with me,
John?" she asked softly, and with a
smile.
"That depends" said John Leaf.
Then he walked straight up to her
and looked full into her honest eyes.
"You don't look like a cheat" he
said; "but who knows woman Take
off your gloves, Betty"
She obeyed.
Where's your ring?" he asked.
Betty burst into tears.
cts lost, john" she said. 81 can
find it nowhere"
"You haven't looked on Monsters
finger, then" said John. "You poor
fool, to give it to him and think !
shouldn't know 1t
ooh, T'llswear l never did, /" sobbed
Betty. 81 wish your ring to any one
else! Why, john"
But he pushed her from him with
his rough hand, and would hear no
word from her; and the next day he
left the inn and enlisted once more,
|and was sent away again to India.
|And Betty left the inn also, and took
Service with farmers wife hard by;
knd whatever the magpies chartered
tbout, it was no more of the love max
ing that they heard when John and
BETTY sat together beneath the old oak
Zee.
Five years went by. At last John
received letter from England, telling
him that his father was dead, and had
l&t all his little possessions to his
Only son.
gohn Leafs fighting days were over,
many case, and he was on the invalid
LIST for life. He had fought as des-
psfhte men do, had been commended
and promoted, and had some medals
anlSribbons to show and boast OF as
compensation for wooden leg. So
he went home again, and settled down
as proprietor of the "Magpie's Nest,
and vas q sort of hero among his
nelghbors, but he was very lonely.
Men DO not quite forget in five years.
He could still see Betty's buxom form
fitting about the kitchen in imagina-
ton, and when the magpies chartered
in their nests he could fancy that he
sat with her still under the oak
branches. Then he grew wroth with
the maspies, who seemed to mock him,
and ordered his littls serving boy to
tear the nests down.
In vain the lad pleaded for the birds.
In vain he declared that, even if the
new nests went, the old one in the
topmost branches should be left s'for
luck"
eff the old magpies that built
that find it gone, they'll peck some
ones eyes out in the night time, said
the bow. sIt's been known to be done
often.
But John Leaf, the soldier, had cast
away his countrys superstitions.
ssl'll have those magpies chattering
about my ears no more," he said.
cup, and leave not nest Of them all.
Some Of the noisy devils will take pos
session of that old rag if it is left
hanging
So the boy obeyed. He planted
ladder against the tree, and then
swung out upon the branches. There
was grievous noise; and doubtless to
this day oldmagpies tell their children
Of that massacre of the innocents at
the great oak tree. But there were no
birds to chatter and scream in that
great rag OF nest which the lads
hand clutched OF last. He came down
with the relic in his hand, and stood
before his master with o grin.
ssEh, master may I have all ] found
in the old nest?' ne asked.
eff it's not magpie's egg," said
John Leaf.
otis better than that" said the
Lad cts a silver ring"
ssLet ne see it, cried John Leaf,
and snatched it from his hand.
1t was the ring with which he had
olighted his troth to Betty under the
I'D oak. and he knew now that the
nagpies had stolen it, and that the
Frenchman wore only one that re-
'embled it.
The first thing that John did was to
,all himself hard names: "a Jealous
DOLL" "a suspicious brute!" Heaven
Knows what else. Then he melted,
md all by himself in the bit of woods {
beyond the house, shed tears, and |
owed to find Betty if she still lived 9
N earth. II