Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-07-15

corner.
Thus had passed the first year of
'Eiah's courtship, and in all the 20 Of
them that followed the gazfqx had been
able to detect no difference. The only
change had been, perhaps, that 'Kiah
himself had grown bigger and broader
and more stumbling in his gait; the
freclles on his face were hidden by the
sandy beard that struggled over it like
weeds in neglected fence corner after
the fall frosts, but nothing could hide
the blush that mounted 10 his cheek
the same now as it had done that first
Sunday afternoon when he peeled the
first peach for Ria. As for the girl her
self, she had grown little taller and a
little more slender, perhaps; there was a
shade more usefulness in her blue eyes
when she looked across the fields to the
smirch of pine hills beyond; perhaps,
sometimes, there was a touch of as
perity in her voice when she said:
Don't keer eff l do, 'Kiah, but thatwas
about ALL
Mrs. Tilly still dipped and talked and
spat clear of the chicken trough or the
dog iron sras OF yore. But of the boys"
key only was left. Nose and Pete had
married and lived with their wives
people down the creek, and this, Of
course, had left more work for Ria to
do, helping her mother indoors and
key out. Perhaps this last had some
thing TO do with 'Kiah's increased en-
ergy in log hauling, for, though the
years went by, he was still at the same
old boys business.
The gossips, who always knew more
than other people, said it was a down
right shame that old man Burnet had
never given 'Kiah a chance to do some
thing for himself.
"The OF man mought "a give 'Kiah
strip er lam an a mule an a cow any
how, an sorter let the boy "a felt he
had some ehanst 70 start with little
scrap er sump-'nother TO call his own.
Hits dog mean er OIL Burnet 10 keep the
boy under like he done" This is what
one of the most highly respected Cos
sips had been heard to remark, where
upon another of the same ilk, though
next in rank, had said;
"I.eastwise, she OF man mought "a
mp an died at decent age, fur he must
be turned er 10, an lef' 'Kiah his own
man 70 all the pith O youth is Slapped
outen them big, loose-jinted bones er
his'n."
Sometimes | gifts out er all patience
with 'Kiah "a not standin' up fur his
own SET mo-; then l reckon faint be-
holden or ms to judge him when them
as ought to amt never gin him no en-
couragement."
"That'so; we all know 'Kiah's a good
boy, main better in the settlement, and
maybe so if Ria had n been little mo-
demandin' of him, 'Kiah he'd "a been
a little more respondin'. U any rate,
hit would have pestered me fourth Sun
day after fourth Sunday these 20 years
when church meetin' was over an 'Kiah
would come up an AK 'Riah eff SO be as
he mought glong home with her, to
hearthe gal say in that same oneXpectin'
tone o. hern: Don't keer eff you do,
'kiah.'"
"Yes'm that's so, but maybe Ria amt
lost nothin' by not bein' forward an too
cxpectin': Hits wuth sump'n TO gal
nowadays TO keep her dignity, an Ria
eert'nly is proud. Pity some er the.oth
er younger ones wasn't er little less for
warder than what 'Kiah and Ria is"
"Tha's so. an they do say that 'Kiah
- D.,
one time"
"You don't say?"
'Yes'n. Seems s'ef the OF man had
min to hire boy TO drive the log wagon
an meant 'Kiah to stay round the mill
an run one er the rip saws. But then
an thar 'Kiah made tn stan. Cit who
you please to hep at the mill, pa he
says, but as fur me, drives the log
wagon"
''You don't say?"
Eyes. butin course 'Kiahkep' 10 the log
wagon case the road lay by the lilly
place an he could contrivate to see Ria
an hip her out with the fiel' work"
1t is true that the gossips further re-
lated that old man Burnet himself had
said 'Kiah had refused to accept the
elevation from log hauler 20 rip sawyer,
because the boy was too dog-gone lazy
TO drive ducks to water" but as it re-
quires no effort even for a lazy man to
drive ducks to water, and there is no
similarity between that occupation and
running a rip saw in the sole mill of al
pretty good-sized settlement, it is pos
sible that the gossips were right in
their assumption of 'Kiah's reason for
refusing the elevation. If he had moth
ing better to offer Ria than the daily
help of his two big hands, at least that
counted for something in the meager
sum of her years toll.
Well, in all the 20 years of its lag
ging process there had been in the
neighborhood nothing more exciting
for the rossips TO talk over than 'Kiah's
courtship. But suddenly a faint echo
from the world outside became vibrant
in the slack atmosphere of the little
settlement. One little finger. as it were,
of life and civilization seemed pointing
toward the neighborhood. filling its in
habitants full of vague. apprehensive
.,..I H. III