Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-08-01

about the cutter when II was his turn.
But to make matters worse, what does
father an mother decide to do but go
vistin on Friday, sayin' they won't be
home till long in the evenin,' and they
knew me an Ed intended goin' to the
party
Ed laughed an Mary Jane cried when
they heard of this last stroke: but 1
wasn't to be beat, specially when Mary
Jane felt so bad about it, and had
worked all the week on her dress
SO when father an mother drove off
l cleaned out the big bob-sleigh-the
box was eighteen inches high and ten
feet long--hlled 1t half full of clean rye
straw fixed the seat comfortable, and
decided to hitch in the span an drive
Mary Jane to the party. / knew I could
sneak the hobs into the church shed
whore none of the other fellers would
be likely to spot me, for we was mighty
sensitive on the points of our turnouts
in them days, tell you"
We got to the party all right. and
see that Mary Jane was enioyin' every
minute of It. They had all kinds of
games-good old games they was-that
took the bashfulness out Of a Teller; and
the schoolmarm went into 1t. bushin
but happy.
Long about 1even o'clock the older
folks began to leave the home. and
saw Ed goin into the big dinin room
WIN MS nudle undef MS arm, i knew
/ the trouble was about to begin. for you
know all these Church of England part
les was sure to end up in n dance.
I found Mary Jane talkn' with Will
Tinker an eatin a big apple, and
called her to one side.
MARY Jane" l says very polite like,
ITS goin on midnight. and some of the
folks are beginnin to leave. Don't you
think you'd better be maxim a move
towards putin on your things?'
Dear me. George!" she cried. you
don't saw It's so late! I'd have guessed
ten al the latest"
At that moment I heard Ed draw the
bow across his fiddle. tunin' up, and 1t
fairly made my heart ache.
Must we really be goin'?" says Mary
Jane, plaintive like. not pretendin to
have heard the fiddle.
'To tell the truth" says I, solemn as
judge, I'm surprised at this party.
They're turnin" it into dance, I'm
afraid"
Mary Jane looked Mortified I'VE
must go home," she said
! don't know whether IT showed in
my face or not, but did hate like a dog
to leave when the fun was Just COM
mencin', and 1 knew that VIII Tinker
would be only too glad to get chance
of calm off Mary Jane evidently saw
my distress, for says she:
George. you don't want to 60"
ITO be honest" says I, MARY Jane, I
don't"
Couldn't I just stand an look on?"
she says.
My spirits rose. YES" says I, 'you
can If you only will, but your father'll
skin you II he ever hears of it."
"Pshawi" says she with that DARN
twinkle OF the eve. II guess I'm safe
with you, George"
The dance began. I called off the
an he
all the waltzes an polkas. Mary Jane
sat in a chair near the dinin' room door,
and every time I passed her she smiled
up at me just as happy as a kitten.
Durin' an intermission, while Ed was
eatin' cake with his new girl (and a
daisy she was-Id never seen her be-
force, l went over an set down by Mary
Jane
Amt IT lovely to know how to dance"
says she, all aglow. "Oh, If I only
knew howl"
IT'S nothin' to learn" says I.
do you think l could learn?" says
she. earnest like.
Can a duck swim?" says I. laughn'?
Really" says she, do you think I
could II I tried?"
Just then the fiddle started up waltz.
l grabbed Mary Jane
Gomez" says I. "Now's your chance"
and we was soon flyin' round to the
music. She was a born dancer. In two
whirls she caught the step an was right
with me Did she like It? Well, 1
never saw a happier girl. and I danced
every remainin dance with her, lettin'
VIII Tinker get all the glory he wanted
calm off.
We started for home at two in the
mornn'. She weather had changed in
the night and a sharp wind was blow
in bringin' with ii n fine sleet that
stung the face like needle pricks. We
stood It for a mile or so. but I see 1t was
punishin' Mary Jane terrible so I set
the seat back three feet or so. and told
her to sit down in the nice dry straw
an lean against the seat Then / tied
the reins round the dashboard. KNOWN
the horses would go home all right, and
sittin' down by the schoolmarm. pulled
the buffalo robe over our heads, and
there we was, comfortable as could be,
holdin' hands like the two babes in the
woods
Then peculiar thing happened.
heard the bell of n far-away church
ringin'; then voice calm to me from
high hill-just the murmur of a voice,
then a slow poundin- n dull, thumpin'
sound, then the voice from the hill comm
nearer an nearer, CROWN louder an
louder, till I felt my blood rushin' into
my head and ears fairly deafened with
the voice. The noise was now directly
over me. I opened my eyes. The buffa-
~ ibDe WAS Iitlu dlOIl ana nearQ 1atler
say:
well, If this don't beat all,'
l looked about me. The bob-sleigh
with the horses still hitched to 1t was lin
the drive-house at home. and father was
standin' by the side with one corner of
the buffalo robe in his hand. It was
broad daylight I looked for Mary Jane
There she sat in the straw, her head
against the cushion of the seat sound
asleep, but still hangin tight to my left
hand
Now, sir" says father with a grim
what does this mean?"
1t was enough to make even him smile
Me an Mary Jane had gone to sleep the
minute almost We sat down in the straw
for neither of us could remember a thing
and the horses brought us home, goin'
into the drve-house, the doors OF which
had luckily been left open. Father COM
in out in the mornin found the bob
sleigh there, and liftin' the robe discov-
cred the two of us.
say! Mary Jane wouldn't look at me
out of the corner of her eve for the next
fortnight,-INew England Magazine
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