Year: 1865

as he noticed that the young mans lug
gage bespoke that money was plentiful
and still more pleased when he found tha
his liberal orders did full justice to BIZ
f looks. Philip Conger fshed until th'
venerable old trout and pickerel tremblet
in their watery beds. He shot with sucl
snccess that he awakened the Jealousy o


the stereotyped sportsmen of the place
He walked, he rode, and drove and Sc
the week passed away, and yet be re-
mained a guest of "The Village Tavern
Another week, and Philip Cohger was
still there; but he no longer hunted, hi'
walks and rides were shortened, and the
house had more attraction. In a few
words, he had seen Lefty Gordon and
spoken with her, and from that moment
all things that carried him away from
where he could feel that she was neal
had lost their charm. And stranger still


than this, Lefty, who had been invisible
to all other eyes, now went fitting un-
easily about the house. If Philip sal
upon the settle, there we're large chances
that be would see her within the hour


If he walked roamingly about the gar
den, Lefty had bouquet to make up,
some berries to pick, or something to do
which he always could take a hand in
Those about the village who always see
everything told John Gordon OCCASION
ally that Lefty was at that moment un.
der the charge Of the stranger, being
padded leisurely along the river bank
in skihf, or had been seen at some past
time walking with the stranger in some
near lane, or sitting in some half secluded
place earnestly talking. They could see
that the landlords face grew dark when
ever such intelligence was brought him,
and those who were most about the house
could observe that he no longer treated
his guest with the same attention as
formerly there was a lack of that well
come and greeting that John Gordon had
always for well paying guests; and then
the gossips foretold storm. They said
,bat +ghou John Oordon's f~eA darkened
there would be lightning flashes which
would strike somewhere. There were
other signs besides these foretelling this
coming storm, Lefty was seen once,
twice, perhaps three times, in tears, and
Martha Field had been heard openly to
declare all fathers tyrants. -...-. .


One day John Gordon, with redder
face than usual, and quicker step, went
from bar to stable, from parlor to cellar
| Something there was in the wind more
than common. The busybodies looked
around and abroad for the cause and
were not long in finding out. There al
most opposite the house, and in full view,
lay the little skiff fast at anchor, while
Philip Conger, with Lefty Gordon as his
pupil, was back at bis old employment Of
fishing. Now they said the long gather
ing storm would burst but they were to
be wofully mistaken when they believed
that it would break with violence over
the head of Philip Conger. In their
own happy time the corple came back I;
they we're too happy to hasten much and
then John Gordon, with his vials of wrath
all charged sought Philip. For an hour
they were together in the room of Philip;
but those who listened for the thunder of
the storm heard nothing. There was
only the confused sound Of two voices,
sometimes that of Gordon above the other
then as instantly calming down, What
the mesmerism was that held the usually
violent man was mystery, but at the
| end of the hour John Gordon came forth
pale and silent, and another bour Philip
Conger had turned his back on "The Viii
lage Tavern" never to be its guest again.


1t was for his daughter all his harsh


ness was reserved, and poor Lefty had
now not only to bear with her fathers
dark looks and stern words, but, what
was worse, with curtailment of her lib
erty. How she would have borne this
il would be hard TO tell but that Martha
had brought to her letter from Philip,
written within that hour before he left
the house, filled with his promises of
love, and his declarations that he would
not depart from the vicinity, and would
find means to communicate with her,
How well these declarations were kept
she knew the next day, when Martha
brought her intelligence that Philip Con-
ger was within a mile, having found
quarters at farm house scarcely that
distance away, on the opposite side of the
river. 1t may not be held as a certainty
that John Gordon was not long in know