The midland journal., 1895-03-01
[coNTINUED.l
CHAPTER III.

deaf to the sound. He was sitting in a
state Of desperate gloom among his tur-
ties and rabbits and squirrels, while the
light came in furtively through the one
small window curtained with cobwebs
and touched his bowed head Though
the tame bobolink sang sweetly in his
cage and white pigeon flew down from
the beams overhead and perched on his
shoulder, their friend and lover could
not be consoled. He sat crouched on
Uncle Sis old workbench with his
knees drawn up and his head bowed on
his hands, staring vigorously at nothing.
Paul was like careless child who had
always lived in happy dream among
kind and friendly people and was
awakened by rude shake of the shoul-
der to face those terrible things called
the realities of life. He was a simple
fellow, with sunny nature, strong and
gentle, with the immense capacity for
patient work with which all with bent
for the natural sciences seem endowed,
slow to anger, but when his wrath was
once aroused it flashed out like fire
His hatred for Uncle Sis heir sprang
partly from an instructive perception of
Hapgood's character and partly from a
horribly jealous pang that shot through
him for the first time and told how dear
Elsie was to his heart. He had been al
ways loving his playmate and friend,
the clever little student who sat by his
side the long winter evenings, drinking
in all that he could teach her, with her
hl,i Cpl1t fiyp1 hi- {aoa l,a1,
head close to his, so nimble of wit, SO
teachable and good AS Uncle ST grew
old and helpless they had shared to-
! gether the work of the house, and the
stable, and the farm. Elsie had proved
as handy as a boy, willing, CHEEKY little
! Elsie, and until this moment Paul had
never known he loved her. 1t came
upon him now almost as sense of great
misfortune. He did not reason; he only
felt with the stinging smart Of pain and
trouble Arthur Hapgood, it was plain
to poor Paul, was his rival. Flow could
any man know Elsie and not love her?
And would Elsie be caught by this
! strangers attractions, his fine clothes
and white hands and smooth, worldly
ways? How could he struggle against
him, poor penniless, homeless fellow,
with only a little knowledge in his head
and infinite love and wrath in his heart?
He knew all the ways of the woods
and the habits of the birds and animals
that inhabited them. He could live like
fox in its hole. He cared not what he
ate or where he slept, but the thought
of leaving Elsie i'll Arthur's power was
maddening to Paul
If he could use his fist on the COM
placent Hapgood and tumble those fine
clothes i'll the dirt, his generous young
soul would be satisfied. 1t was thus
sunk in the depths of despair that Elsie
found the strong young fellow as she
pushed open the door of the old shop
with dinner plate in her hand and ad-
mitted broad streak of daylight. She
put the plate down close beside him on
the bench. and tame squirrel that had
been cuddling up inside Paul's sleeve
jumped Oh the bench and began to smell
about the bread and meat Paul did not
look up, but pushed away the food with
his hand.
81 don't want anything" said he
gloomily. "a morsel of that fellows
bread would choke me. A."
Don't you see" said Elsie severely,
drawing herself up with girlish dignity,
THAT you are making it great deal
harder for me? You should not think
only of yourself, Paul. at such time as
this. -
''As if l do" said he, raising his
head quickly, with a red cloud over his
forehead, and looking at her with half
averted eyes. I'm do anything you
ask, he added humbly, ''but be friends
with him. If | could once feel my fist
against his ribs, 'twould be more to me
than fortune. But if you like him,
Elsie, he went on, spying on her, I'm
go stink off to the old house in Upham
alone with old Mel and Darkness and
leave you in peace. ! won't hurt him if
you tell me not to- "
''No, you must not hurt him" said
Elsie very decidedly. You must let
him alone, OF you will get yourself into
trouble. You are ridiculous, unreason-
able boy, and you ought to be ashamed
of yourself "
Paul rather liked her scolding, but he
glanced at her suspiciously after glover
ing darkly at the ground. His bright
blue eyes were almost black under the
knit brows.
81 can't keep my hands off him,
Elsie, if he keeps dogging you about
and looking at you as he does. thought
when | came in and found you together
in the pantry he was going toto kiss
you
''As if he would have dared, =" cried
Elsie. with her eyes flaming HE
would have got skimmerful of cream
right in his face. He must learn to keep
his distance, or l shall burn him with a
hot iron or throw some scalding water
over him.. "
The cloud began to clear off Paul's
face.
'You mean to stay here, Elsie?"
"How can go away just now, Paul?
1 have the calves and lambs and fowls
unfed shoald hear them crying for
me in the night wherever l might be. !
think poor Uncle 81 would be restless
in the grave, and then old Aunt Prissy
and Aunt Hetty must stay and wait
on them as long as they need me.
know by what he says it won't be long
before he turns them adrift, for he talks
of pulling down part of the old house.
Paul fell into another fit of the sulks
as he chewed away on a bit of straw