Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-02-09

OCCupied one ~ these. Evidently
events were not moving rapidly enough
for the older woman. She interrupted
the resumed whir Of the sewing ms
chine querulously.
Il think you might give over tuck
Ing white peiticoat when a neigh
bors soul l. passing. Malyiua. and that
nri.hhnr Rufus BruNtUn. Ii i sorry
dan Tor H..
Miss Malvina looked peniJent aud put
the lid on her machine a. softly A. ii
the sick man had been in the spare
room of the little cottage instead OF in
his own stately four poster half mile
away.
Il meant no disrespect. mother. No
body thinks more of Colonel BrONtun
than do or will miss him worse. Its
just my way TO keep busy"
All. all we'll miss him. Malvina.
You'll miss him. Ill miss him, and all
Mandevile will miss him. But what
does he want with Horace Matthews
al such time: oh. II your own dear
father WAS only here now
Il guess he wants the lawyer 10 get
Toms affairs we'll in hand. Colone!
Broxton is rich. mother, and Tom is
young so young and helpless
"Only ii years old. poor lad
And | suppose the colonel is trying
to arrange everything for TOMS best
interests. guess he never once
thought. being 81 we'll and strong just
l,nf hn Ia l.. hlv
himself 10 look after Tom for many "A
long year yet. Jessy says Mr.. Mat.
thews and the colonel are just like
brothers"
Mother" Spillman jerked her trum-
pet away from Miss MalvinaS lips
with fierce petulance.
.'Jessy is goSsiping stmpl"ton
Brothers. indeed, Don't speak Of them
/ IN the same breath. know Horace
| Matthews Then, with Shrill r!Siar
/ voice. Il know more about Horace
/ Matthews and Rufus BroNton than
Jrssy could ever find out If her uutl.er
/ cooked AT Rroxton Hall till Kingdom
come"
Il know my father prepared them
/ both for college" said Malvina proudly
Then quietly she seated herself on =
hassock near her mother and possessed
herself OF the pile OF gray wool the ol't
lady worked up into articles Of doubt.
full beauty and undouhted inutilitE.
Just as the within seized her. In OF
moments Miss Malvina would seize tls"
needle and hasten the hour of compile
tion.
Confident Of flood Of familiar rem
iuisCtncc, she settled reSiguedlN Ia
crocheting. 1t was her way to keep
busy once fairly launched on the
backward flowing tide. she could trust
her mother 10 entertain herself for an
indefinite period Of time.
Il have known Horace Matthews
and Rufus BroXtun since they were
botn boys in kuickerbockrrs and roun1.
abouts coming to Mr.. Spillman fuJ
Latin and mathematics. That was he
fore you ever saw the light, MalNina
They were always together as boys
and | marvelcd at ii then. Rufus
was Il handsome, high spirited. clean
souled lad who would have cut of hi,
right hand IL he detected it doing {;
dishonest thing. Matthews was JUS
everything that Rufus wasn't. never
understood the liking BroNton had 70.
him"
Malvina put in word for the ma
ligned. Mr.. Matthews must have beer
very winning in his young days, moth
er. He's got such friendly manners
and he is so dreadfully good looking
even now.
oh, there's no gainsaying his COot
looks. They came pretty near landin.
him on the topmoSt round of his amhi
ton once upon a time. He just miSSe,
being Rufus BroXton's brother-in-laN
and coming in for half Of old MarSlcI
BroNton's estate. When Lucetta HroX
ton came home from boarding school
my but she was something to look ut
Horace Matthews did not let tn,
grass grow on the road from Mandr
VILE to BroXton Hall.
He was n struggling young lawyc
then. waiting for his first client. Sh,
was the handsomest girl in the countr,
and the richest. Before she had beer
home half year they We're engaged I,
be married Before she had been nom,
whole year she was dead of pleuriSy
contracted by going to a come out par
ty at Butterworths ten miles from
Broxton wearing her ball dress au'
slippers in the carriage"
AS Miss Malvina had not come +
woman's estate without achieving per
feet familiarity with the melanchOl.
sate Of beautiful Lucetta RroXton. Sh
die to exclaim or bemoan over til,
threadbare story.
Horace Matthews was married II
, less than two years after to a girl who
had expectations that We're never real
/ lied. and Rufus was married month
, later. Both OF them lost their wive.
; about six years later within month OF
each other Queer, wasn't it,
Miss Malvina yawned and sale
VERY" The ha.s h"pnm"h in th,
p honeySuckle vines, the crocne, 1eeul,
I wore its rapid way in and out of til,
gay web and the old woman crouned
Il won't deny you that Matthews i:
p the sharper of the two. but Rufu
BroxtOn has got more soul in his !ittl,
finger than Horace Matthews has il
his whole body. Rufus was as brave
! as lion. but sweet tempered as
. girl, trusting as baby, always. Hon
: orable! | should say he was. | don
suppose he ever played crooked for til,
finest white alley that was ever made.
doubt If Horace Matthews could claim
= as much for himself"
r Aud Toms going to grow up to b,
4 just such another" said Miss Malvina
T. with conviction.
;. Into the peaceful droning Of the bee