Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-03-31

her ears, and swapping black ewes.
vt first glance she and her Gaugh-
ter. pretty pink aud white. golden.
haired blonde OF about fourteen. vr
thereabouts. seemed the only orcu-
pants of the room. The fir hal been
covered for the night, and the girl
Jane sat by 1T. and wheu her mother
whispered again in more emphatic
tone, Jane. kick the fender. she
proceeded to admonish that uuoHrnd-
ing piece of furnitIre, which. being
oT sheet iron. and aided by the rafting
of the shovel and tongs, made cuusid-
cradle noise
have said they seemed the only
occupants of the room. but more
comprehensive glance showed that
Such was not the case.
In the back room. in a sort of an al.
cove, was bed. and on that bed lay a
man known as James Thompson. and
who was husband to the black eyed
woman. while Janewas their youngest
daughter.
James Thompson seemed to be
sound asleep, SO sound that the ciang
of the shovel aud tongs, aided by
Jane aud the fender. made no impress
sion upon him, but the moment Aunt
Harriet. as she was known to the
neighbOrs, removed his trousers from
the lower right-haud hed-post. where
they hung, and thrust her hand into
the pocket, bringing forth handful
of coin, with its peculiar chink, chink,
a ssndy-laired, gaunt figure raised up
in the bed, and said:
'Harriet, woman, what are yuu
robbing my pockets for:'
The black-cyed woman gave him no
answer, but turned to the girl. say
lug, Jane, go to bed
The girl crossed the room, opened
a door and went upstairs Then,
turning 10 the bed, the woman con
tinued:
Now, Thompson. the time has
come; We might as well have it ont. "
Then she drew a small rocker to
the side of the bed and sat down.
while the man sank back on his pill
low with sort of a groau.
James Thompson, you AMI me-
when excited Aunt Harriet always fell
into bad grammar-''you and me
might just as we'll come to an under
standing. and you needn't groan about
il, either. When | married Won, near
onto twenty years ago, everybody said
j married you for your three farms
and your money. However that mny
be, young woman in exchange for
herself should have something. and
you know I lave made you a good
wife and your four daughters and son
good mother. Look back and You'll
remember talk we had when You
asked me to be your wife. You re-
member how you told me that scan
dalous story of Melissa Orvis, the
orphan girl who worked for your
mother.
Harriet" came again from the
pillow.
Don't stop me, / say. You mind
the girl well enough, and you know
her child, too: your child was only a
little over a year old when | married
you, and you know, too, that one OF
the conditions of our marriage was
that you should care for and educate
young James Thompson, who / held
In my own arms while his mother died
and when l had him christened by
your name, | had the heart Of Il WON
an in me, and | could not have the
child in the house with my own chill
dren, but you know as We'll as I do
that I have always looked after his
raising and his education. ana that
until he was twelve years old he
thought me his aunt and You his
ANGLE.
''Lie still, Thompson. I'm not
done yet. You know how stingy and
mean you have always been; how. al.
though you are the richest man in the
county, with three farms and two
stores, have had to slave and man
age to keep myself and your children
clothed. But from this day forth when
ask you for S. J. want it, and when
James Thompson, Jr., graduates you
will help him to study law, exactly as
though he was our Willie and not the
child of Melissa Orvis. Whether [
married you for your money or not
lies between you and me, but I'll not
he beggar aud neither will / feel