Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-06-18
LEOFRIC,
a Love Match That Was Broken
Off and Happily Renewed.
az MARTHA NC. WILLIAMS.

/ robust prejudice. Janey would have
been likewise the belle II It had not
been accepted as a fact ever since she
/ put up her hair aud let down bet frocks
that she was. In neighborhood phrase.
''mortgaged property" Phil Mayhem
had laid claim to her when she came
hardly to his elbow. He had. further.
let nobody dispute the claim even after
she came back from boarding school.
! fearfully and wonderfully accomplish
ed. He was big fellow. square jaw.
/ ed and square headed. who cared moth
ing for looks unless they dealt with
/ figures. At figures he was marvelously
/ quick and clever--so clever II was moth.
ing for him to stump successive school
masters even though they were college
bred. while he knew nothing higher
than the neighborhood academy.
Possibly IL was a triumph of this
sort which had first melted the present
schoolmaster. Leonard Trabue. Esq.
| to try conclusions with him In the tield
OF Miss Janey's favor. Janey loved
books In the freshest. most whole
hearted fashion Trabue could talk
books by the hour and talk very we'll
Naturally he found himself welcome
at the Gates homestead Quite as nat
urally Phil Mayhem resented his pres
ence there and showed II outright. aft
er the manner OF a masterful man
crafty In love. Thus by fate and free
will and the obligation of hospitality
Jauey was in manner forced to take
Trabue's part. The result was a very
pretty quarrel and the transfer of
Pills attentions TO Miss Dora Meakins
There had been no set engagement
to break That made Phirs attitude
all the more aggravating. Janey was
for mouths bitterly unhappy over the
rupture. although she let nobody see
1t. not even her mother. Outwardly
she was gayer than ever and so
charming Leonard Trabue quite lost
his head. He had meant at first only
to punish that pestileDt fellow. May
ben-incidentally. of course. to divert
himself and pass time otherwise heavy
on his hands. Teaching was merely a
stop gap Literature was his chosen
vocation. He meant to enter upon it
through the gate of newspaper work
as soon as he could scrape together a
few hundred dollars.
The Gateses were not rich folk. but
still comfortably OF. and Janey an
only child Ii is but just to say the
fact had little to do with Trabue's
falling in love- That came upon him
,unawares. But once he had realized
his frame of affections he took full
cognizauce of II. Might IL not be
easier to make himself immortal even
here in the deep country. with
charming wife and assured comfort.
than out in the hustle and hurry burly
of city? To settle it out of hand he
proposed plumply to Janey. He was
dazed to get a refusal. distressed. al
most fearful
Next week the county paper printed.
with Gathering comments. a love rhyme
signed 'Leofric." Cane Greek read it
because reading the paper thoroughly
was certainly the part of thrift. If not
of Christian duty. Still. it felt no Gu
riosity as to the authorship until the
rural press quite generally copied and
praised the rhyme. A second bit of
verse got reprinted in three city pa
pers. so upon the appearance of the
third Leofric's identity became a burn
ing question. one that the editor him
self could not answer. All he knew
was that the copy came to him by the
hand of Mr.. Murdoch. a leading law
lyer.
All winter long Leofric wrote inter
mittently. becoming more and more a
riddle and a parsonage. All winter
long. too. Phil Mayhem ate Sunday din
ners at the Meakins' table. and Leon
ard Trabue talked books and the world
to Janey Gates. he was playing a
waiting game. resolved TO win her in
spite of herself and Phil Mayhem
Janey's heart was singuIarIy stead
fast. Still. there were times when she
thought Trabue would succeed. Phirs
going had left her desolate indeed He
could never have cared as he pretend
ed or he would not be able to stay
away. OF course she could not make
the first move to reconciliation. espe-
ciaIly since he was so taken up with
the Meakins generation. Since he was
forever lost to her 1t was far from IN
pleasant to sun herself in Trabue's
devotion.
Spring came with such rush that
year the picnic season opened in mid
| May. Sister Meakins and Sister Hod-
gin. self elected social autOcrats. got up
the first one and set the place for it,
Clear Spring. just little way or the
Gates pasture The spring was. In
fact. Gates property. so Sister Meakin
let the owner know she thought IL
would be no more than neighborly of
him to put up tables. seats and stakes
for the gypsy kettles. to say nothing
of the swings. There Phil Mayhem in
terfered- You don't play a lone hand
| at this game with me around. squire"
he said to Janey's father. Thus il fell
OUT that for two days before the picnic
| he was nearly as much In Janey's eyes
as he had been all winter In her mind.
II amazed and somewhat frightened
her to find how equally she regarded
him. Squire Gates brought him to din
ner. whether or no. and Janey shook
hands with him and chatted gayly
throughout the meal without the least
1 futter of the heart She even watched
him go away with no access of senti-
ment
II only Trabue had spoken there ana
then, But he was invisible until next