The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-03-25
She Sent a Serpent.


wen with the fields and the forests.
Now and again the shadow OF cloud
would pass over the wheat and iazlly
Climb hill on which flock Of newly
sheared sheep were browsing,
But q prettier sight than this met
Eben's vision. 1t was young girl
coming through the wheat The sun
shone down on her pink calico dress:
her face was concealed by a sunb0nnet.
When she came up she pushed the bon
net back and stood. with troubled look
on her young face.
What on airth's the matter, Katici'
asked Eben.
The ring; it's gone
"Goneg"
Yes ! left 1t at the well when l
was washing my hands to 20 for
towel, and when came back It wasn't
there"
Eben jumped down from the ma
chine and put his arms about her.
Katie Ball WINS slender and graceful
and very young. SO young that this
was her first real trouble.
Never mind. sweetheart" he said
consolingly. "I'II get you another"
Yes, but It won't be that one
what do you mean. darlIng?"
She couldn't tell him. She did not
yet know that it's the first sip Of wine,
the first kiss OF love. the first BARN,
that's the dearest He kept her In his
brawny arms as long as he considered
Il right to let the horses rest. then sent
her home but partly comforted.
An hour later Mol Tinker passed on
the other side of the fence. She had
been to the store for a pitcher Of mo
lasses.
''Mornin, Eben." she said She had
seen Katie visit her lover and wished
to lnow the reason. She wished to
know everything. She pumped Chen
TIL she got out OF him that Katie had
lost the ring he had given her
1T beats all" she said as she passed
on, Athe confidence some people has"
''What do you mean? called Chen
"Ole Balls farmhouse is In the cen
ter Of ten acre fieId How could any
one git IN to take a ring off'n the well
house while Kate was goin' to git a
towel without bein' SEEM
do you mean to say
He got no further. The woman paid (
no attention to him and was soon out
OF hearing. But she had let loose
snake that wriggled straight 10 Ebens
bosom, where 1t found a ready lodg-
ment. Instead OF going that evening
to console Katie for her loss he kept
away from her The next day when
he was moving she came TO him again.
She looked up at his sober face and
trembled.
"Ebeng'
"What is it7'
'The ring; I haven't found 1t yet"
ssThere's somep'n funny about that
ring, he said, without looking at her.
"EbenY
"Leastways it's queer that any one
could a. come in and taken it while
you was gone for towel"
She said nothing. She was choking
something back, looking at him appeal
ingIy. He would not look at her. She
turned away. and Eben watched her
retreating through the wheat till he
saw her enter her fathers house. He
was angry with her. angry with the
woman who had put doubt into him
ana most angry with himself. He re-
solved that he would go to Katie that
night and make it up. But all day he /
sat on the machine trying to solve the
problem how any one could come j
through the field up to the house on a !
rise ia the center and get away with
out being discovered He found the
problem unsolyabIe. He never went to
see his sweetheart again.
Katie's father was well to do. See
ing his daughter droop, he sent her to
her aunt In the city. There she re-
manned two years and came back to
the farm on her wedding trip with a q
bankers son. Eben heard she was I
coming ana kept out OF the way till +
she had gone. He heard that she wore
a large diamond on her finger. The
ring he had given her was a plain gold
circIet. j
III was June when she was at her "a
theirs, and early in July Eben was cut- L
ting the wheat. One morning Moll, t
Tinker passed by. Eben thought Of the 0
morning she had sent the snake to him.
she had completely forgotten 1t
~Evenin, Eben.'
Fben nodded sulIenly.
.sHad a windfall at our louise yester
day." she went on ~ know ] got a
lot O. birds o. different kinds. ! got G
lame blue jay ana raven and jack +
law. Them birds Is the biggest depre- 2
Bators / ever seen For long while Z
we've been missin' things, and yester- =
lay my Ben saw the jackdaw fyin' y
With toothbrush in his mouth TO b
place under the caves Of the barn. Ben a
at M there and found heap O r
hings. Among EN- was ring. That's a
4" And she held up her finger. with
,lain circlet on It.
Eben turned pale, but be steadied z
himself 10 ask. ANY writin' In it," J.
s.Dunno. I haven't thought to look" 8
Ebcn Jumped down and strobe to- q
ward her. She took or the ring. and 4
,e seized it. Inside was cut Il. G s.
date) c. r." lp
Ten minutes later a man passing 81
ound Moll Tinker lying in the road i
tunned Eben Grabble's horses were q
tanding hltched 10 the machine EOen !.
vas nowhere to be seen and never has y
zen seen there since.
srofi tinker recovered. but gave no