Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-07-29

"You'rea stannin in yer own light,
lie repeated, impressively.
"Mebbe youIe right, Timothy, >
admitted his sister, meekIy. She was
not naturally of meek disposition,
but there a,e times when the most
spirited person feels crushed by cir.
cumstances, and snch moment had
come to Miss Ferobia. Timothy felt
somewhat placated by the unexpected
admission.
faint too late yet" he suggested,
b.iskly, taking his seat at the break.
fast table, where his sister was already
pouring the coffee. 'You jest say
the word, Feroby, an I'll give Jason
Smallweed hint that you've changed
yer mind"
His pale-blue eyes glanced inquir-
ingly Mt his sister, but Miss Ferobia's
momentary meekness seemed to have
vanished as unaccountaJly as it had
appeared.
81 haven't changed my mind" she
retortel with much asperity. 81
won't marry Jason Smallweed, nor
nobuddy else. I'll stay right here an
keep house for yoa the balance of my
days"
Timothy wriggled uheasily. He had
his own reasons for not approaching
the generous offer. 10 fortify himself
for the disclosure which must be made
he swallowed half his coffee at gulp.
"I-I-the truth is, Feroby," he
stammered, with a crimson counter
ance, 81 felt so sartin I was agoin' to
lose you, II asked Nancy Garget, an
she said she'd have me-"
The cat was ont of the bag now. and
Timothy mopped his face with his
handkerchief and breathed a sigh of
relief
But Miss Ferobia, like n sensible
woman, bore the shock bravely.
"And how soon am to give up my
situation?' she asked.
Timothy grew uncomfortable again.
"Hey? OH why you needn't
to be in hurry. 1t won't come of
fur week yet," he FASTENED to ex-
plain. can, OF course, you know
wouldn't hey nothin again yer stayin'
right along, SAN as ever, on! y Nancy,
she -"
"You couldn't hire me to stay"
was the reassu,ing answer, and Tim
othy congratulated himself on having
the matter so ca lily settled. cit puZ-
zled me considerable to know why Tim
othy was so sot on me changin' my
mind" reflected Miss Ferobia, rs she
washed mp the breakfast dishes and
polished the knives and forks. ''But
it's plain as pike staflnow l might @
knowed he was sayin' one word fur
me an two fur hisself."
Miss Fe:obia was as unlike her
brother in appearance as she was in
disposit on.
While he was stoop- shonldered she
was straight as an arrow. And though,
a. she admitted, she was ''ge.ting
along in years, her bright eyes and
fresh complexion cont adicted the as
sertion.
At her brothers request she re-
NAMED ut her post until the wedding
was over and the bride installed in
her new home.
There was very little congeniality
between the two women, and Mrs.
Timothy Filbert was disposed to tri-
umph over her sister-in law.
81 s'pose you wasn't a-countin' on
| your brother marryin'," she remarke !,
disagreeably, as she combed ont her
ink-black tresse' before the square
framed looking glass in the best room.
she had right to please himself"
rejoined Miss Ferobia, compc sedly.
"But what are you going to do?"
persisted the bride. Gas l told Tim
othy efore l promised to have him,
the house want big enough fur two
families, an you couldn't expect to
stay after | come"
can as told him, I wouldn't stay
if he paid me for it," retorted Miss
Ferobia, emphatically.
"Oh, you're mighty independent, I"
shifted Nancy, tossing her head. II
suppose you're calculatin' to take
up with ia on Smallweed. You
wouldn't keteh me marryin' widder-
en-" she added, maliciously eff I
couldn't be the tablecloth l wouldn't
be the dish rag. But ! s'pose he's
Hobson's choice with you"
The truth was that she was
afraid her sister-in-law might still
MANAGE to retain place in the house
hold by hook or 10y crook. and she was
determined to provoke an alteration
in order to prevent such sequence.
But Miss FerObia was not to be
drawn into quarrel.
''He may be Hobson's choice, but
he is not mine" she returned, coolly.
Nancy, however. was as persistent
as gnat or n gadhy.
81 don't donbt but what you'd
rather have Felix Byeheld," she sug-
gested, slyly; "but You needn't to
count on gittin' him.fnr he's a.keepin'
comp'ny with the Widler Cheeseman,
an everybuddy says they're a-goin' to
marry after harvest
1t was random shot on Nancy's
part, but her black eyes sparkled with
malicious triumph as she saw by her
sister-in-law's burning cheeks that the
poisoned row had struck home.
Miss Fero5ia deigned no reply, how.
ever, but went coolly about prepare.
tons for her own departure.
She had rented a small cottage and
o few acres of ground mile or two
from the old homestead, and Timothy
could do no less than get out the
spring wagon and drive her to the
new home.
1t was yet early in the springtime,
aud the wild plum trees were white
with bloom. The tall naples and elms
by the roadside swung their light tas-
sells in the soft breeze, and myriads of
buttercups and purple hued pansies
dotted the grass-grown lanes.
II dunno what you wanted of so
much ground round your house." re.
marked Timothy, reHectively, rs the
wagon rolled ea'ily along. "Half an
acre would have been enough, I should