Year: 1870

Before it was daylight, Bart, wrap
ped in a cloak and carrying a lantern,
crossed the barn-yard, and disappeared
down the dusky slopes of the orchard


''She is going TO the mill to dig out
her treasure p'eried Laurance, his thin
face growing hot with shame as he
pressed it against the window-pane.
He turned his back on her, and threw
himself on his knees by the bed. That
the love Of money should have 40
changed Bart In single day. Bart


There had been q curious tenderness
between the brother and sister under
all their rough gOOd-fellowship. I4au-
renee forgot this morning to pray as
usual that she might be saved as
brand from the burning; but the tears
came once and again to his big fever
ish eyes as he knelt there, staring at
the whlte-washeG wall, and thinking
of the old times between them.


He was right she had gone to dig
up her treasure, or, perhaps, to giOat
over it. Her lantern made but a
freckled ring of light about her I'm the
pitchy darkness as she CROPPED her way
to the back Ofthe mill, and lifting it
high over her head, exposed q low
crevice under the beam, grey with cob
webs and dust. She stood quite still
o moment, and then. with heavy
breath, bent over, peering closely into
the dark, mildewed recess. Was this
BaFt's face which the single level ray
of light brought into such CHASTITY re-
lief? Could avarice already contract
and score with lines such as these the
sweet WhOlesOmeness of yesterday?


The one or two boards flooring the
crevice were damp, and covered with
lichen: musty, unclean smell hung
about the corner. Whatever had
been her first purpose, she was daunt-
ed by it and turned hastily away. She
put down her lantern at the other side
of the mill and began rolling short,
heavy logs into the recess, heaping
them up: selecting rOtting, useless
logs, which would not be likely to be
removed. She was q strong woman,
and dragged them with fierce sort of
energy, in which q good deal OF NOR
bid feeling probably worked itself of,
for when she had done, and coming
to open the door, blew out the candle
in her lantern, it was almost without
her old cordial, healthy face that she
looked down at the cheerful daylight
breaking over the hills in the east.
She closed the mill door, dragged It by
its one hinge, slowly, rs If she shut in
there all tho night, aud the ghosts
that had filed il with whom she had
struggled. Then she went down to the
dam, and washed the dust from her
face and hands; one would have
thought, to see the lOathing look and
the nervousness with which she scrub
bed her skin and brushed her clothes
and shoes, that she had been to work
among graves.


A feWmOments RfteFward, Laurence
coming to the house door, saw her
crossing the road. He went down to
meet her. 1t was q cool, bright
morning. The cocks were growing,
Spot lowing out of the cOw-hOuse
window, the turkies clamorOus for
breakfast; the everyday routine be
ginning in 50 hOmely and natural q
fashion that last night seemed to him
like dream. 1t was surely a dream
that old Bart yOnder had seized on
the property and left him, for the rest
of his life to want or what was as ter
rible to Muller) to hard work. He
hurried on half expecting her to meet
him with her usual jolly laugh and
chatter about the fowls, but she was
leaning over the fence, talking to old
Manly the tOll-keeper-gossipping as
was her wont, 50 eager that she only
noticed Laurence by growing a shade
paler as he stopped beside her.


1t was Of the Farrells they were
| talking, the people of whom old Muller