The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-22

Amidst the strife of fratrcidal foes"
| = Campbell.
The house, into which our heroine
and her attendant had been ushered
for safe keeping during the expected
conflict, AS divided into to compart.
ments, and separately occupied by a
couple of young farmers, and their still
more youthful and recently espoused
wives, twin sisters, by the names OF
Mary and Martha. But as happy So
cial circle as those close and interest
ing ties should have continued to rem
der the inmates. the fiend Of discord,
with the approach of the opposing
armies, had just entered in among them.
One of the young men was whig, and
| the other a tory and the wives had
very naturally adopted the predilec-
tions of their respective husbands.
The young men had, as yet, however,
quarrel: and, while the war was at a
distance, their difference Of opinion
had not been permitted very essential
ly to disturb their friendly intercourse.
But now, as the war was brought to
their door, the sight of the two hostile
armies, coming together for deadly con-
tlict on the great issue in which their
hitherto repressed sympathies were
oppositey enlisted, had aroused the
demon Of contention in their friendly
bosoms The boastful assumptions of
the tory, uttered in his excitement at
beholding the imposing display of the
British forces around him, were
promptly met by the counter predc.
tons of the other. Retort, recrimina-
tion, and darkly limited menaces fol
lowed, till jealousy and rancor seemed
completely to have usurped the place
of all those fraternal feelings that late
ly blessed their peaceful abode.
Such was the painful and ill.omened
scene which was passing in the apart.
ment of the brother who had espoused
the cause of his country, where both
families were assembled to witness
the anticipated battle, when the unex-
dected entrance of the girls put an end
to the alteration and it soon after
being announced that the Americans
had retreated. the tory, followed by his
wife. retired with an exulting sheer,
the fair strangers, as it happily
CHANGED, to the care and more congen-
ial companionship of the young pa
triot and his warmly sympathizing
Martha, who now kindly supplied
their wants, and then conducted them
to their attic chamber, where, it beng
now nearly dark, they Immediately be-
took themselves to their homely but
grateful couch. And, overcome by the
fatigue and narrowing anxieties of the
day, they soon fell asleep, expectin
to be reused in the morning by the din
of the battle, which they felt conf
dent was yet to take place before the
invaders would be permitted to ad
vance farther in her boasted mission
of plumber and outrage. But the
next day was to be marked by the bat
tie of the elements, rather than of men.
The morning was ushered in by
storm of unusual violence. And as the
day advanced, so seemed to increase
the power of the tempest. The black,
flying clouds, deeply enshroudiDg the
mountain tops, and the SUBMITS of
the low, woody hills around, closer and
closer begirt the darkened earth.
Heavier and heavier dashed the del
uging torrents against the smitten
heritage Of the field, and the trembling
habitations of men-and louder and
louder roared the wind, as 1t went
bowling and raging over the vexed
MS if in mockery of the in
tended conflict Of the feeble creatures
of earth, who now stood shrinking ard
in its rain frieghted blasts.
(TO BE CONTINUED.