Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-03-21
And he walked through tho kitchen,

and walked across the fields toward
the village.
He dropped the letter in the box ut
the postoffce, and returned directly
home. When he reached there. he
met his father.
"Anson," said the colonel, sharply,
"that scoundrel, Longacre, refuses to
pay for the sheep his dog killed, and
Pm going to bring suit against him.
ayes, sir"
"Tve noticed lately that you've been
paying that girl of his good deal OF
atteption. want that stopped"
"Yes, sir"
'If / hear of you being together
again, I'll disinherit you. She's as
bad as her father, and he's no better
than thief. His sister, Miss Do
rothea, is a very clever woman, and
the only really decent person about
the house"
Mrs. Abigail Sloan, who usually
spoke of Miss Dorothea Longacre as
that "hatchet faced old maid" told
young Arson that night that she for
one did not believe in these neighbour
ly quarrels, and she meant to tell
Square Longacre that she had no hand
in the matter, and did not believe his
dog killed sheep, the first time she
saw him.
At about the same time, Squire
Longacre was standing on the porch
of his house, angrily confronting his
daughter Nellie. who had just re-
turned from the village.
"Nell," he said, "that old rascal,
Shortrood. has been here, and I ex-
pect We'll have u lawsuit. He says
Bruno killed his sheep last night, and
told him fatty that if he said my
dog killed sheep he was liar !"
ooh, papa" protested Nellie.
"Well, he's an unreasonable old
wretch, and I'll give him all the law
he wants! His sons no better. And
bark ye, girl, if ever 1 catch you and
that young puppy together again, I'll
break may cane over his back and put
you in IA madhouse Do you
hear?"
"Yes, papa"
."Well, heed then" cried the
squire, warningly; and ne walked in
to supper.
Nellie retired to her room. took a
letter from her bosom, and read the
contents eagerly.
"Dear fellow |" she said, and kissed
the sheet which had been penned only
q few hours before by young Arson.
Then she went down to supper.
But little was said during the meal.
The squire was cross and sulky, and
Mis- Dorothea was evidently in one Of
her worst moods.
After the meal, she put on her bon.
net and threw light shawl over her
bony shoulders.
"Where are you going, Dor?" asked
her brother.
"None of your business!" was the
sharp answer.
"You needn't be so snappish about
i'll"
"Snappish!" cried the ancient
maid I; and she tossed her head. 81
should say snappish! A man as I'M
reasonable as you are, talking about
people being snappish! Quarrelled
with one of the incest men in the
county"
"He's o sooundrel!" snarled the
squire.
"He's Christian gentleman |" con-
tradicted Miss DorOthea land you
ought to go down on your knees to
him and ask his pardon!"
"I'll see myself! If there's any CO.
ing down one the knees, let him go
down to me. He insulted me in my
own house."
ri suppose you'd go down on EN-
fast enough if that mnneuvering old
widow would ask you'll"
'She's ladyl" cried the squire.
"You'd better go tell her SO. It'll
be news to her, I reckon"
"Perhaps I shall"
"Well, you'd better. A lady! Well,
heaven save the mark I"
And, with this spiteful reflection.
Miss Dorothea founced out of the
room.
She directed her steps toward \
grove Of maple trees which marked the
boundary line between the farms of
the two belligerents.
By curious coincidence, Colonel
Shortrood strolled in the same direc.
ton at about the same time.
The angular soldier and the thin
maiden lady met. They spoke, and
finally walked toward an unfrequented
part of the grove, arm in arm.
Shortly after Miss Dorothea left the
house, the squire stole out the back
way and walked rapidly across wheat
field toward certain big willow tree
which stood on the edge OF pond.
BY a singular coincidence, Mrs.
Abigail Sloan, in the course of her
serpentine ramble, reached this same
pond.
Seated on a fallen log, she and the
representative of county judicial
honors we're soon engaged in an AMI.
mated conversation.
While these little scenes were being
enacted, pretty Nellie Longacre, IN
the seclusion Of her chamber, wrote
the following note, which young
Arson Shortrood got out of the post.
Office the next morning:
Dearest An: You know best. We will all
attend tho Lexington Fair, and I'll be ready
then. As papa has forbidden me to see you,
we must manage our correspondence and
interviews very secretly. Will be at the old
place promptly Sunday night. Your loving
little NELLIE.
The Kentucky State Fair that year
came off at Lexington in October. The
colonel. young Arson and the Widow
Sloan were there; the squire, his
maiden sister and pretty Nellie also
attended.
On the evening Of the second day of
the fair, at three several places in the
bluegrass city, there were three
several meetings, and three several
couples, under cover of night, drove
out of the city by three several roads,
,yb; n, oil bououor heod ad toward tho