The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-09-24
The farmers
Daughter
By JOHN Y. LARNED

horses attached TO wagon on whici
carried my merchandise. stopped
nj farmhouse at noonume and ex
/ changed some kitchen utensils for
dinner. The farmers wife did the
cooking. and his daughter waited on
the table. Another stranger besides
myself partook of the meal-a short
thickset man with bushy beard.
We peddlers nre usually gifted with
a good deal OF talk, which we find es
sential In selling our goods. ratified
on at the farmer, and. he appearing tc
be taciturn. let 1y at the stranger
who sat opposite me, asking where he
had come from, where he was going
what business he followed and other
questions usually attributed to the curl
Gus New Engnnders. But this idiosyn
Grassy was assumed. having been born
and bred in Maryland. The truth is
| began by asking him which way he
was going, thinking that IL his dlrec-
ton and mine were the same / would
give him lift for company's sake. he
seemed TO be averse to telling me
OF his movements, and | noticed that
his reluctance interested the farmers
daughter. who at the time was stand
ing behind him. On her account l pur-
sued my questions till the man abrupt
" arose and left the table. A few
minutes after this. looking through a
window, | saw him riding on horse
back the same way intended to go.
Having finished my dinner and turn
ed over In payment TO the farmers
wife dashboard and a dozen tin pie
plates. | got into my wagon and drove
on. About n half hour after starting
/ heard the sound OF horses hoofs be.
hind me and, looking back, saw the
farmers daughter coming. She was
80 intent on her own thoughts as she
passed me that she was not conscious
that had dined at her home, Her gait
being faster than mine, 1. jogging along
behind a pair OF horses drawing a
heavy load, was soon left in her rear
As / drove on | was thinking about
the man had questioned and the girls
interest In hts answers. or want OF
answers. and wondered II her coming
had anything to do with him. The
anxious look on her face both in the
farmhouse and on the road caused me
TO think that he might be bent on
something she wished he wouldn't do.
saw nothing more OF either OF them
h. at \ OF "a
several houses. plying my trade. and
about dark. reaching point where the
road passed within hundred feet OF
the ocean. came upon house In
which thought | would ask for lodg.
ing during the night But unfortu.
nately. found II closed. | was about
TO drive on when 1t occurred TO me
to see IL could effect an entrance
to the barn | pulled ont rusty sta
pie. thereby opening the barn door. and,
driving my team in, unhitched the
horses. fed them and went to the
house
| had no more difficulty In getting
into the house than the barn.
was awakened in the middle OF
the night By a shot | listened and
heard another and another. the Sec
ond and third seeming TO come from
directly above me. Then there was
another from the outside. Next
heard the sound OF pair OF heavy
boots. followed by pair OF light ones,
rapidly descending a staircase from
the second floor and continuing down
into the cellar Soon after this the
front door of the house was smashed
in. and severnl men rushed into the
room where lay and flashed bulls
eye on my face.
by thunderr' exclaimed one OF
them. "If it isn't that COMPOUNDED
Yankee peddlerr'
| recognized the voice of the man
had questioned so closely at dinner
the previous day,
Are you one of the gang" he
asked.
What gang"
He told me that smuggling had been |
going on at some point near where we I
were, and they had located IL In the /
house we were in. | told him how ] /
happened 70 be there, and he believed
me. Then be explained to me that my
questions had annoyed him because
he wished to keep the object of his
presence in the neighborhood secret
Then II occurred TO me that the farm
.r's daughter was interested In the
had suspected the mans er-
and and had ridden on TO warn them.
hurriedly told him Of my having
ieard footsteps going downstairs. and
he party rushed to the cellar expect
ng to ind her quarry.
We found lot OF goods. but no liv-
ng person. Opening door. we stood
n a tunnel which we followed aud
anne to a recess in the rocks on the
hore. Hearing the sound OF ears, we
new that the smugglers had escaped.
| said nothing of nv suspicion Of the
armer's daughter. since had no wish
o implicate her. The next time | Il
vent her way | stopped and told her
hat was in the house when the reve-
me officers had attacked II. After
lad won her confidence she told me
hat there vas but one smucgler. her
husband. and owing to nv Inquiries OF
he man she had served at dinner she
Inspected hts errand and had ridden