Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-25

time INVITING her of it half iocularly,
though he studied her furtively as she re
piled mirtMully.
Most any girl with such a cross old
daddy would do it, and no orc would
blame her " she said. Noting his frown,
however, she added wistfully, I'D ruther
hev my fathers consent ter bein mar
ried. "
lie did not seem quite satisfied and
though he said nothing moro he sat smok
ing meditatively for long time.
After that l often heard him pace The
gallery, as they called the long front porch,
until late at night, q sign that he was
troubled or watchful, for his custom was
to retirc almost with the chickens.
He was often up till after midnight for,
being u light sleeper and my window wide
open, ] was easily disturbed by his clumsy
lounging in the shrubbery or his peculiar
laryngcal efforts that resembled the rasp-
ing of an insect. One evening | overheard
conversation. A young man from an ad-
joining farm Lad come over on some err
rand / paid no attention to what he was
saying to the farmer till he mentioned
Hiram name Then it occurred to me that
he was one of Hirams friends and that
his sister was bosom cOnfldant of Minnie.
lie was saying
"Yc'll hev ter be hextra keerful ternight,
fer heerd one o. the hands a-talkin, an he
said tibet Hiram's Niger said tibet the
'lorcment wuz planned fer half arter 1
o'clock tcrnight sure "
"I'vc hccrd yc say most the same thing
afore, an I'm half O. the mind tibet ye're
allyn ter me. "
"Can it lyin, then, retorted the other
indignantly but whut L sh'd be tellin
lies fer is mOre'n l know" Then he re-
sumed with evident good will: EFF | wuz
We, I'd put cr stop to it someways. Why,
til worrit yer life aout. We look now's if
We hedn had IA speck o. sleep fer weeks. "
There was nothing about Minnie at the
supper table that bctokcncd anything I'M
usual. She was neither hilarious nor dull
simply her pleasant, thoughtful self. One
thing, however, l noticed. She did not APP
pear 10 see that her father left his meal al
most untastcd and that he studied her de-
mcanor Hn4iously Sometimes, amid the
feminine chatter that she and l kept up, l
fancied she glanced at her father with a
sudden CLEAN of cunning craitincss, which
as quickly changed to something like ten
der rcmorse.
Minuics room was next to mine, and
slight noise was easily heard through the
thin partition, but everything was so abso-
lutcly still that night L thought l could
hear her hrrltho.
The offensive smoke of the farmers pipe
greeted my no.trils rs the clock struck /.
Its revcrAcration had hardly ceased when
from my window watched his dark shad-
ow creep around near the corner under the
shrubbeiy which offered a point Of van
tagc of his daughters room.
Slowly and silently an hour passed, and
the clock in the dining room loudly tollcd
/, ,. The old man waited ten minutes
longer, then dragged himself from the
bushes l could clearly distinguish his
tall, lean figure as he stood apparently
gazing up II the window Of his daughter 5
room Something dropped from his hand,
Gathering as it struck the ground, and he
started into the house. He shuf1led off his
shoes in the hall, and with awkward eau
tiousncss assembled the stairs.
There was slight jar, Il sudden rustic
in the adjoining room; then l distinctly
heard the girl : regular breathing
He neither stopped to listen or knock.
The door ,. l.st have boon open, for he en-
tered Immediately. \ chair stood in the
way. He stumbled over it, making great
racket on the uncovered floor. Minnie's
voice came sloepily, "What's the matter?
but at the sound of her fathers grutf, anx
ious, "-Air yc thar, darteE' she sat up
wide awake cXclaiming:
"Why, daddy Whuts up? Air ye sick?"
"Yes, l air sick-sicll ter death o. this
cussed business.
"Why, whuts the matter wi you, ia
ther?" (Shc called him father when very
affectouatc)
"Minnir, tell me true-tell yer ole dad
Nv ~ nj,
away ternight?"
Not the least in the world, we pore ole
honey daddy Whatever put it into yer
head
IAN hey We TO notion o whippin off Wi
Hiram-ain' [ him an you comm no game
on yer ole daddy"
"A fair enough game, father. We know
well enough Hiram an me hev been sweet
hearts long time, an we hey been waitin
patient fer yer consent l shan't never
like 10 othcr L.an like do Ei:A, an think
some time my dear ole DADDY II give in, fer
he's right clcycrut heart, an il we kin wait
fer his consent, when we might run on
easy enough, don it look like VOL stand
bye as long rs we live, Don't it, daddy
l could imagine how Minnie caught his
hands. ana how the poor, vermont old
man succumbod Just us his hrtful, loving
daughter expected, for l heard him give 4.
broken sob, then her low, comforting
tones, rcassuring him.
1 The old andirons reflected Minnie s
4 brightness as she stepped to the door AID
| announced breakfast that morning, and
perhaps it was no wonder that | could
/ think of nothing more inspiring all day
! than the girls happiness and loyalty, as
she excused herself for making the meal "a
trifle later than usual
81 was bound ter give father somethin
good this mornin-he's deservin it, fer he S
promised to set me an Hiram up in house
/ keepin, an ter stay by us all his life, she
said, with a tender glance at the old man,
who hastily gulped down his coffee declar-
ing loosely he'd take it all back if she
failed to continue to feed him on the pres
ent excellent fare. Mary Spaulding Hatch
in Springfield Republican.