St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-02-08

laughter and merrymaking as well as
color and music and light. Today was
the day Of days. Prizes had been
awarded, and such was the wisdom
and tact of the judges that no exhibitor
had gone unrewarded.
Benjamin Dibble had taken first
prize for his fine Holsteins and second
prize for the mountainous Chester hogs
These honors meant nothing to Ben
jamin, for they were conferred upon
his stock every year and had been
even In his fathers generation.
The fact that Dorinda Weed had
captured all the first prizes in house,
wifely arts did not surprise Benjamin
in the least. Everything Dorinda at
tempted was pronounced success, ex-
cepting perhaps the capture of Benja-
min Dibble and that this had not hap
pened was Benjamin's fault.
! Dorinda Weed was sweet and fair
and dainty. Her eyes were blue like
the ragged sailors that bordered the
dusty roadsides. Benjamin had wor-
SHIPPED Dorinda from his boyhood, but
he had never dared address her beyond
the merest commonplaceS. There had
never been but one thought behind his
worship of her, and that was to ask
her to marry him. Of the preliminary
months of wooing he gave no thought.
He knew he wanted Dorinda and he
intended to ask her outright to marry
him some day when his backbone felt
little more rigid and when his ears
| oh
But no miracle had been performed,
and Benjamin had lived wretchedly on.
mentally cursing his shyness.
Now, Dorinda was thirty-two and
Benjamin was forty. Their parents
were dead, their lands adjoined, and
their two houses, each one small and
detached. might be moved to a new
site on the apex of the dividing hill
between the farms and thus become
large, comfortable farmhouse. This
plan was Benjamin's sweetest dream,
but there was no sign of its being
realized
Benjamin paused one instant in front
of the domestic exhibit and furtively
adored Dorinda's toothsome display.
From there he wandered out to the
tered, and he arrived Just in time to
see Dorinda Weed timidly stroking the
nose of one of his mild eyed Holsteins.
From afar he watched her blissfully,
and his heart rose exultantly when she
passed on quite unobservant of the
other exhibits.
Out in the open spaces where We
hicles of every description were hud-
died in confusion, amid the cry of side
show bankers, the cong1omerate smell
of quick lunch carts, the odor of fresh
popcorn and steamed CLAIMS. Benjamin
stumbled over the gypsy caravan. Here
In a gayly festooned tent gypsy crone
was telling fortunes.
"Kind gentleman she hailed him
eagerly. "For silver 1 will reveal the
future! I reunite broken hearts!
make you successful in lover She
held back the tent flap invitingly, and
under the spell of some sudden i'm
pulse Benjamin Dibble entered and
sat down on a small three legged stool.
The gypsy knelt before him and held
out one brown hand, gay with silver
rings
''Silverw she wheedled softly.
Blushingly Mr.. Dibble extracted a
silver quarter from his pocket and
dropped it in her palm, then, embar-
raised by her voluble thanks, he sub
mitted his own hand to her grasp.
She bent her dark, disheveled head
above its toll hardened surface for sew
era1 moments and then scrutiniZed his
good looking face with piercing eyes.
''You love-" she said softly, '.yet you
are troubled. I see fair woman-the
one you love. A dark man comes be-
tween. You will find happiness through I
golden bird Waiti' Still retaining |
his hand, a film seemed to drop over
her sharp eyes and her head bent over
his hand. Again she spoke, but her /
words were mumbled, yet Benjamin's
eager ear caught every syllable:
''As surely comes UP the sun
Two houses shall be made as one.
A golden bird without nest
Shall lead the weary heart to rest"
The gypsy lifted her head and glanc-
ed sharply at him.
t'What else?" demanded Benjamin
eagerly.
The woman arose to her feet and
looked toward the door, where a little
crowd had gathered, waiting for an
audience. 1T is enough-the rest you
must do-so it is written" she said
hastily.
Benjamin thrust another quarter into
her willing hand and pushed dizzily
through the crowd, his heart beating
rfotously. The doggerel verse was
emblazoned on his memory. He could
have repeated it backward, forward
indeed, in almost any form. The
reference to the houses to be made as
one was as a direct prophecy from
heaven itself. As for the mysterious
golden bird without nest" Benja
min confessed himself perplexed.
Little River boosted golden birds of
many varieties, from the Buff Cochins
Of the poultry yard to the yellow ham,
TnQrS and synIdfinohoS of fho vv00de