Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-09-04


two young people, and I catered to his
natural weakness by encouraging him
to proceed.
"Ie must be a stranger around
these parts indeed If We don't know
what ye ask me-" he continued, with
shrug of the shoulder in reply to my
questions.
81 wouldn't be a-tellln' it to every
one, but seem ye're goin' to he one of
the family don't mind speakin' plain.
like to ye."
He puffcd noisily upon his black pipe,
sending the smoke upward in dense
clouds. His name was John. and he
claimed to be an Irish Americana but,
while he had lost much of his broguc,
first ancestors.
Mr. Goddard comes from one Of the
Oldest families of this country, an old
DR.. Stetson--God bless him. he was
good man in his day-wnsn't bit
bchitd the Goddards. I've often hccrd
the old folks arguin' about their an
ccstors. The doctor always said he
came over in the Mayflower. | don't
know much about the Mayflowcr. ex-
cept what I've hecrd the old doctor say,
but she must have been pretty fine
ship. She brought the doctor oyer-no.
the doctors grandfather or great
grandfather. | don't just remember
whch-an he always said that was
enough glory for any man. But old
Mr.. Goddard would rile the doctor by
sayin' that he thought bein' gentle
nun of France under King Louis was
greater honor an that his ancestors
descended direct from kings an en-
perors. They couldn't agree noway
an they just made up long enough TO
how they'd talk pcaceful-ike about
the politics of the country till they got
to gon' about ancestors, an then in
five minutes they'd be shakin' their
sticks III ench others faces an calm
one another liars.
But this didn't seem TO make no
difference with their children. They
! jest played together like brothers an
sisters. When they was no bgger'n
up to my knee they'd talk about lovin'
one another an about gcttin' married,
! The old doctor and Mr.. Goddard
! laughed at this an forgot 10 quarrel
sometimes about their ancestors jest
to see the little ones maxim love.
They seemed to be born fur each
other, an everybody said they'd get
married some day. But when Mr.. God
dard died somebody said his son had
inherited his disease an that he wasn't
long fur this world. Nobody seemed to
know jest what the disease was. but
they said it was incurable an some
thing not to be spoken lightly Of
But about that disease Of MIR.
Charles Goddard | amt so sure. Old
DR.. Stetson was quite rled about it,
an he said he wouldn't let his daugh-
ter marry any man that had it in his
system. Mr.. Charles got angry an
went away. He was gone for five
years, an folks hereab bouts said the
match was broken of. 1t did look that
way fur time.
but when the doctor died Mr.
Charles turned up aG'in an lived in the
old house jest as If nothn' had ever
happened. He made up with the doc
tors daughter an they've been comm
an goin' together ever since. There
was hopes for time that they'd make
a match after all. But there amt nc
telln' jest what may happen. He nev
er seemed to be quite the same after
! n q n n N
like. jest rs If that disease was AIDE
velopin' an takin' hold of him.
"Hc brought a doctor back with hin
TO look after his health. He'd met Thu
man somewhere when he was traVelul
in Paris, think-an' this fellow j. :
watches Mr.. Charles all the time. II
lives over there in that old brow
house. It's haunted. people round her
say, an spirits come an go ever.
night. But young DR.. Squircs don
mind that. He laughs at spirits an
says he amt afra id of 'cm. Besides
he likes such a place fur then peopl
won't be botherin him in his stud
les. He don't like to have folks run
min after him. He's been studyin' MI
Charles disease an is writin' bool
that will astonish the world. Thcl
he always said he was poor al
couldn't afford TO rent II good house
He got that house fur nothin', an
guess MIR. Charles pays him we
enough to live without starvin'
Il amt maxim no criticism OF III
Squres, fur he's Il smart man an doe
Mr.. Charles plenty of good, but b
shouldn't have gone on SO with Mis-
Stetson. He's good lookin', an h
amt good lookin'. He's too dark al
furrin lookin' to suit my tastes, but h
makes an impression on the ladies.
suppose they likes man that don
look like other men.
IL amt certain but Miss Stetso
likes him better now than she does Nj
Charles. He's always SO polite an IA
tcntive TO her, an he's got an air Q
mystery bout him that seems to char
her. Mr.. Charles amt blind to thing
either. He knows which way IL
wind is a-blowin, but he don't d
nothin'. If he'd so in an try TO go
her | think he'd win But he don
an the doctor does. MIR. Charles seem
to be standin' aside while this furri
friend of his gets the girl an all he
disease. He's waitin' fur the doctC
to cure him of it afore he asks her
marry him.