Year: 1871

would turn from the literary conver


sation to inquire of Huldah about
his old playmates, some of whom


had gone to the West, some ofwhom


had died, and some Of whom were


settling into the same fixed adher-


ence to their native rocks that had


characterized their ancestors.


The next day the ladies could get


no good out OF John Harlow. He


got up early and MIXED the COW.


He cut wood and carried it in for
Huldah. He rode old Bob to the
brook for water. He did everything
that he had been accustomed to do


when a boy, finding as much pleas
ure in forgetting that he was a man,


as he had once found in hoping to


be a man. The two boys enioyed


his society greatly, and his father


was delighted to see that he had re-


tanned his interest in the farm life,
though the deacon evidently felt an
u1conquerable hostility to what he
called "That scrub brush on the up
per lip" I believe if John had


known how strong his fathers feel


ing was against this much cherished


product, he would have moved the


crop and grazed the field closely un-
til he got back to the city.


John was not insensible to Janet
Dunton's charms. She could talk


auently about all the authors most


in vogue, and the effect of her luen-
cy was really dazzling to a man not
yet cultivated enough himself to see


how superficial her culture was. For
all her learning foated on top. None
of it had influenced her own culture.
She was brimming full of that which
she had acquired, but it had not been
incorporated into her own nature.
John did not see this, and he was


infatuated with the idea of marrying
wife of such attainments. How


she would dazzle his friends! How


the Governor would like to talk to


her! How she would shine in his


parlOrs! How she would delight peo-


pie as she gave them tea and talk at


the same time! John was in love


with her as he would have been in


love with a new tea-urn or rare


book. She was nice thing to show.
Other people than John have been
married on the strength of such
feeling, and called it love. John re-
ally imagined that he was in love.
And during that week he talked, and
road in the sleighs with Miss Dun
ton, and made up his minde that he
would carry this brilliant prize to
New York. But, with the lawyer
like caution, he thought he would
put off the committal as long as pos
sible. If his heart had been in his
attentions, the caution would not
have been worth much. Caution is
q good break-wster against vanity;
but isn't worth much against the
spring-tide love as John Harlow
soon found.


For toward the end Of the week he
began to feel a warmer feeling for
Miss Janet. 1t was not to the ma
ture Of things that John should walk
and talk with a pleasant girl a week,
and not feel something more than
his first interested desire to marry q
snowy wife. His heart began to be
touched, and he resolved to bring
things to a crisis as soon as posi-
ble. He therefore sought an oppor-
tunity to propose. But it was hard
to find. For though Mrs. Holmes
was tolerably ingenious, she could
not get the boys or the deacon to
pay any regard to her hints. Boys
are totally depraved on such ques-
tions, anyhow, and always manage
to stumble in where any privacy is
sought. And as for the deacon, it
really seemed as though he had some
design in intruding at the critical
moment.


1 do not think that John was serI-
ously in love with Miss Dunton. If
he had been he would have found
some means of communicating with
her. A thousand spies with sleep
less eyes all round their heads, can
not keep a man from telling his love
sOmewhow, if he really has a love to
tell.


There is another fact which con-
vinces me that John Harlow was not
yet very deeply in love with Janet.
He was fond of talking with her of
Byron and Milton, of Lord Bacon
and Emerson, i. E., as I have already
said, he was fond of putting his own
knowledge on dress parade in the
presence of one who could appreci-
ate the display. But whenever any
little thing released him for the time
from conversation in the sitting
room, he was given to slipping out
into the old kitchen, where, sitting
on chair that had no back, and
leaning against the chimney side, he
delighted 10 talk to Huldah. She
couldn't talk much Of books, but she
could talk most charmingly of every
thing that related to the country life,
and she could ask John many ques-
5ions about the great city. In fact, |
John found that Huldah had come |
into possession of only such facts
and truths as could be reached in her
narrow life, but that she had assimi- !
.ated them,and thought about them,
and that it was more refreshing to
near her original and piquant re-
marks about the topics she was ac-
luainted with, than to listen to the !
iireless stream of Janet Dunton's os-
erudition. And he found |
more delight in telling the earnest !
md hungry minded country girl |
lbout the great world of men, and
he great world of books, than in |
ialking to Janet, who was,in the mat |
er of knowledge, little blqsse, if 1
nay be allowed the expression. And |
hen to Huldah he could talk of his |
mother, whom he had often watched |
moving about that same kitchen.
When he had spoken to Janet Of the
associations of the old place with his
Mothers countenance, she had an
jwered with a quotation from some
)oet, given in a tone of empty sent
mentality. He instinctively shrank
rom mentioning the subject to her
gain; but to Huldah it was so easy
o talk of his mothers gentleness
md sweetness. Huldah was not un-