Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-11-25

and dreamed dreadful dreams of bat
ties and arrangements and all sorts
of evil things.
Thanksgiving day was beautiful to
behold, fair and sharply clear, with
light dapples of snow fiuug over the
hard brown earth and clinging in
wreaths to the trees, and brilliant
sun shining over all.
And Delphine had revolved in her
mind plan for preventing any fur
Their trouble resulting from her i'll
advised proceeding of yesterday.
Tie old fashioned square faced
cloc< on the sitting room mantel-
pie y was striking ten; the Rev. Mr..
Wa ier was comfortably established
in the parlor, discussing church mat
tiers with Grandma Cherrybloom,
while Miss Eulalie and lilly presided
over their mystic rites in the kitchen.
Delphine tied on her scarlet hood,
wound thick scarf about her throat
and stole out to the front gate. 1t was
time for Mr.. Hardy to arrive, and her
plan was to meet him at the gate, at
once deprive him of all hope of rec
onciliation with Miss Eulalie, and SO
avert the dreadful duel.
And sure enough, as she stood gaz-
ing down the wintry road along which
the snow had shrunk in narrow white
lines, she saw horseman approach
ing at a headlong pace. Nearer and
nearer he came, until, with gasp of
surprise, Delphine recognized her own
lover, Harry Hardy.
"You darling girl" cried he, sliding
dextrously to the ground, flinging the
lines over fence picket and hugging
Delphine over the gate, "You don't
know how glad 1 was to get your
note"
"Pm dreadfully glad to see you,
Harry said Delphine, surprised into
forgetting Cherry Towers TOR a mo-
ment, "only-I did not send it to you,
Harry; sent it to your uncle"
"My uncle!" said Harry Dlankly,
"he's off at BuJternut Brancn-and
the best joke of the season, Delphine,
he's fallen in love with Cherry Tow
ers and they are engaged = after a
weeks acquaintance and I'm glad of
it. But what did you write to him
for, Delphine?"
ooh, Harry" cried Delphine joyful
ly, Il thought il was you that had
gone to the Branch and was going TO
marry Cherry"
''Not a bit," said Harry, 81 was go
ing there on business, ou5 just at the
last minute changed my mind because
of what you might think and people
would say; and got Uncle Harry TO go
instead And so you didn't write to
me?''
NO" said DeIphine. land don't
see how you came to get it. wrote,
H. Hardy, Sr.,' just as people always
do to him"
"Oh," said Harry ruefully, "but you
see l was looking SO anXiously for
some word from you. | wanted 20
come over SO bad, and hadn't the
courage till | got some sign from you
after what had been said, but | was
sure that you would write or send
| some word, so when l got the mail
from our post office box and saw a
letter in your handwriting, lust tore
it open without a second glance at the
envelope, being sure it was for me.
1t was a very prim little note, [ tho't;
MIR. Hardy and respectfully, Del
phine Cherrybloom.' | laughed TO
myself at your method of holding out
the olive branch in such a still, digni-
| fed little way as would let me know /
might come, but must come prepared
for siege before Delphine would be
my Delphine again. But L was too
| glad of any sort of an excuse to ger
here to care for that-but you haven't
told me how you happened to write
to uncIe?"
So Delphine told Harry the whole
foolish story, and they both laughed
until the Rev. Mr.. Walker looked out
| Of the window in surprise.
And the Thanksgiving dinner at
| Cherrybloo N farm house was a great
| success.