The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-01-01
The Purple Mountains.

Roger Marchbanks dwelt on hilltop.
She who had once been Alice, his
daughter, abode with her three children
in the valley at the hill's foot. And
there was bitter anger between them
twain. For once Alice Marchbanks
had been as the apple of her fathers
eve, aud as he Weut about his scanty
properties be had drawn his coat of
gray homespun more closely about him
in order that his Alice might be arrayed
in garments of the newest and the best,
cut after fashion all undreamed of in
the valley of the Dee.
"And at the first call Of the stranger
she left me, at the first whistle of his
pipe left me for the son of the man that
robbed me of my fair acres, that took
from me the dainty Long Croft, the
Sandyknowes, bonny with the braided
corn whenever the spring nights
lengthen, sweet Nunholm, and the
Ladyland, where the white thorn
bushes are dotted like posies about the
braes."
AS he spoke thus to himself, Roger
Marchbanks thrust with his STATS point
more deeply into the earth, 20 that the
shod of it delved series OF little wells,
into which the spring showers fell and
filled them full.
Roger Marchbanks had been all his
life stern, unworldly man, of the sim
plest nature. As a middle-aged man,
he had spent all his affection upon the
young wife who had not long outlived
the birth of her first child. And more
recently, as he grew old, he had watched
his daughter shoot up like tender
plant by his muirland Preside.
He was Cameronian, and high in
the esteem of the faithful-a man
wholly without guile, and slow to sus-
pect it in others-even in members of
the Establishment. Still less was it
likely that Roger Marchbanks would
watch suspiciously a felow-elder of the
elect folk. II was in this way that sleek
Doctor James Tod, the orthodox physi
clan of Cairn Edward, desiring TO set
up carriage and build house Gas well
as to obtain money for other purposes
less patent to the public, urged it upon
Roger Marchbanks of Lochryan to get
his name to certain documents written
upon stamped paper. 1t was form
nothing more, he told him. And be-
tween the diets of worship one Monday
after communion, Roger wrote hi;
name twice, and Immediately forgot al
about it.
Honor the physician" he said, a.
he laid down the pen, gravely, with
that honor which is due unto him be-
cause of necessity; for the Lord hath
created him."
Amen!" said James Tod, sancti
r,nninnalu hD thnnuht that the
words came from Holy Writ. As in
deed they did, though not from the por
ton of that Writ included between the
boards of his Bible.
But if the Lord had created James
Tod, the devil had certainly taken hin
in hand shortly after, and never agair
removed his power far from him.
For, suddenly, with the flaming ex
posure Of an evil life, double as ser
pent's tongue, James Tod disappeared
and with him most of Roger March
banks fair patrimony. The old bon
net laird saw the fields pass from him
concerning which his father had spokel
words solemn as National League T.
him:
"Six hundred years have they beer
in the hold of the Marchbanks. Kee
them for your children like covenan
Of the Lord"
So into the breast of the old maj
there entered such hatred of Jane
Tod and all his works that his blac
prayer for the destruction of the &C
cursed stock came between him and hi
God, and his vengeance breathed fror
him like psalm of David.
When the destruction delayed, h
felt justified in asking: " Can there be
God of doing Justly and God of with
holding punishment" If God wer
the Jealous God concerning whom Roge
Marchbanks had been taught, woul
he not ere now have cut down tn
wicked, as Roger had himself uprcote
the stubborn whin roots out of the fai
acres of the Ladyland?
1t was this time that Roger Marcel
banks only daughter, Alice, chose fC
running away to marry Allan, the so
of Doctor James Tod. True, they ha
loved one another ever since they ha
been young lad and lass, linking t
gether lightfoot on the sunny lea
which the ill doing OF the father of on
OF them had reft from the father of til
other. Allan Tod had, to the know
edge OF all, had no part in his father
iIiquity. But Roger Marchbanks, {
might have been foretold of hin
cursed the young pair with the Can
eronian equivalent for bell, book, an
candle.
But Allan and Allie had expecte
nothing better. Allan Tod had notl