LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 783, 23 December 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE MILLER’S DAUGHTER, ( Continued.) Here the two young ladies alighted, and while Guy’s friend, as he already called in secret the brown-eyed beauty, was busied in tying the horse, the brunette was calling upon some unseen person within. In response to her calls a hearty, jollylooking old miller made his appearance, and after nodding his head in a surprised manner at Guy, shouldered the bag of meal, from which our friend had discreetly retired, and stowed it away in some of the dark recesses within; then returning to the door he seemed anxious for some explanation of Guy’s strange appearance. ‘Good day, stranger,’ he remarked to Guy. ‘ Good evening,’ more correctly replied Guy, and there the conversation stopped. * Father,’ said Guy’s friend, ‘this gentleman, by some sccident, fell into the run at Cedar Swamp, He isn’t acquainted with the neighborhood, and as there’s no hotel, I thought you wouldn’t object to keeping him for a sho> t time.’ ‘Right,’ replied the miller; ‘just like you, Dell, and then turning to Guy, he continued, ‘ A right nasty place that Cedar Swamp, sir.’ ‘Very,’ replied Guy, with emphasis. ‘ We’re not much used to keepin’ company, sir, but if you can put up with our plain ways, I guess we kin manage to give you a leetle better quarters than the swamp,’ said the miller, with a quiet chuckle. ‘ Thank you,’ said Guy. ‘ If you will accept any ’ ‘Don’t mention it, sti-auger, don’t mention it! Put up your purse ; one of the gals will show you to the house, and you kin put on some of my dry duds while yours are dryin’. ’ ‘Thank you, said Guy again, though a little dubious about the proposed change of apparel. To his disappointment, Dell had disappeared, but the brunette, whose name, it seems, was ‘Vic,’ preceded him towards the house, which stood at some little distance from the mill, surrounded by several huge willow trees. At the door they were met by a slatternlylooking woman, dressed as if her clothes were flung on with a pitchfork, ,and whose sharp features which still bore the trace of former beauty, betrayed her shrewish disposition. ‘Law sakes, Vio,’ she exclaimed with uplifted hands, ‘ who in the nation have you got there ? ’ at the same time darting a by-no-means complimentary look at Guy. ‘ A friend of papa’s ; he’s going to stay all night,’ said Vic, obviously not much disturbed. ‘ Stay all night 1 that’s a pretty do. I’d like to know what the man thinks, keeping open house for all the rag-tag and bobtail in the country. This ain’t no tavern. ’ Guy was about to say something in explanation, but Vic pulling him one side, whispered : ‘ Don’t mind her, she’ only fooling.’ Not leaving Guy time to conjecture the precise nature of the woman’s foolishness, she led him past the still scolding virago and upstairs to a neat little room. Pointing to a row of clothes which hung upon the wall, she tendered him a handful of matches, and left him in solitude. Soon Guy changed his dripping habiliments and donned those of the worthy miller. After having sufficiently admired the novel effect of these antiquated garments upon his appearance, he waited in silence for supper to be announced. Minutes seemed to be hours to the hungry traveller, and at length he made one or two journeys around the room, to accustom himself to his strange attire, and then sallied forth on a voyage of discovery. After wandering aimlessly through a labyrinth of passages, he stumbled at last into the kitchen, just in time to observe what a pretty picture the brown-eyed Dell made, as her white arms moved deftly in and out of the cream-colored dough before her. Her back was turned to him, and she seemed so occupied with her own thoughts, that she did not notice his presence, Forgetful of his politeness, Guy stood for some minutes in silent admiration of the sylph-like form, the wealth of dark brown hair, and the snowy arms, till suddenly the damsel turned and beheld him, standing in this rather equivocal position. Blushing for the second time that day, Guy muttered a rather lame apology for his presence, to which tho equally blushing damsel stammered a confused reply. Vexed at his own embarrassment, he summarily retreated, and after a few more blunders, at length reached the wide piazza in front of the house, and there finding a chair, settled in it to muse over what he had seen. His beautiful ‘ friend,’ as he was delighted to call her, evidently had her troubles, as who docs not ? Yet her face seemed so fair, so fitted for happiness, that the tears which Guy had seen beaming in her eyes, seemed like an unseemly blot upon a lovely picture, marring the harmony of its parts, and filling the beholder with an indescribable sense of pain. Poetry and Poesy alike teem with descriptions of the charms of lovely woman in tears, yet all the grief that our friend had read of or seen, seemed nothing in comparison with the anguish of this simple village maiden. Some women weep for a purpose, anf) some weep for no purpose at all, yet Guy

was certain that no trivial feminine trial had shaded that beautiful face with such utter woe as was unmistakably imprinted upon it. In the midst of his reverie, he became aware of the presence of a second person. Looking up, he saw standing at a short distance from him, a very flashily dressed young man, who was eyeing him with a supercillious expression which was well in accordance with the hard, brazen character of his face. He seemed about to speak, when the merry Vic appeared to announce supper. Seeing the supercillious gentleman, she said : ‘ Mr !’ looking inquiringly at Guy. ‘ Marston,’ said Guy, * Mr Marston, this is Mr Slater,’ saying which she vanished. An awkward silence ensued. Both men eyed each other carefully, and the more Guy gazed, the more certain he became that he had seen that brazen stare before—where, his memory refused to indicate. After a short interval, Mr Slater, after making some remarks as to the propriety of getting their ‘ grub’ (as he elegantly expressed it), led the way to the house to which Guy followed him, still cudgelling his brains as to the identity of this self-possessed gentleman. The meal passed in silence, for though the miller attempted one or two little pleasantries, to which Mr Slater replied with a loud laugh, the remainder of the family seemed in no mood for merriment. The virago who had met Guy at his arrival, was present, and, being the miller’s help-mate, performed the duties of hostess. This pleasant lady seemed to divide her time between heaping attentions upon Mr Slater and casting suspicious glances at Guy. Vic seemed to seize every opportunity to make sarcastic observations, evidently levelled, much to Guy’s relief, at Mr Slater, while the brown-eyed beauty sat in silence, a cold, hard expression on her face, painful to see in one so young. Suddenly Guy noticed Mr Slater stroking his moustache. Now this is ordinarily a common vanity with those possessing that hirsute appendage, yet this gentleman performed the operation with such a peculiar grace and manner, that it filled up at once the chasm in Guy’s memory, and brought vividly before him the occasion on which he had seen this stranger. So much did the recollection overcome him, that for a moment he was scarce conscious of what was passing, but mastering, by a strong effort, his feelings, he continued his meal, though his hand trembled a little and he carefully avoided the gaze of Mr Slater. The meal at length was finished, much to everyone’s satisfaction, and the group dispersed. The hostess and Vic busied themselves with their household duties. Dell and Mr Slater, much to Guy’s surprise and pain, strolled off under the willows, and the miller departed as he said, * to the medder, after his cows.’ No one appeared to notice our traveller, so after a moment’s hesitation, he followed the path of the miller, passing his * friend,’ who, with an absent expression of countenance, was evidently paying little attention to the earnest and somewhat loud conversation of her companion. Overtaking his host, he asked permission to accompany him, which was gladly given. After a short conversation with the somewhat garrulous old man, Guy improved his opportunity to draw him by degrees into a conversation, in the course of which he learned that the virago was Dell’s stepmother ; that Vic was the miller’s neice; that Dell had been to ‘ York ’ to school, and that she was a ‘ right good gal,’ as he expressed it. After the interruption, caused by getting the bovine family on the route homeward, Guy somewhat abruptly said : ‘ Is Mr Slater any relation of your family ? ’ The miller hesitated for a moment, and then said, with a rather puzzled expression, * Wall, ralely now, I can’t say exactly. You see he’s a young feller what come down to these parts nigh onto a year ago. They say he come from York or Philadelfy, tho’ no one knows for sartin. Howsumever, he’s got lots of money, owns the prettiest critter ye ever see, and tho’ I don’t kinder fancy him much, the wimmin folks, my old womin ’specially, ’pear to take a mighty shine to him.’ ‘ Does he board with you?’ said Guy. ‘Wall, no, not exactly. You see, Mr Marston, he’s taken a mighty likin’ to Dell, and the old woman, she thinks there’s nobody like him around here, so between the two of them, somehow or other, they kinder drew the poor gal to say she’d hev him, though between you and me, I think she’d as lief be jined to Black Tom, up to the County house. ’ ‘ Excuse me, sir, said Guy, ‘ but how could she accept him when she detests him so ?’ ‘ Wall,’ somewhat reluctantly replied the miller, ‘ when Dell’s mother died she was sent away to school. Wall, when she came back and found she had a stepmother she naturally felt a little riled. Howsumever, she didn’t say very much—for mebbe you’ve noticed she’s not one of the gabbing kind—but went around very quick ’tending to her business. ‘ Bimeby the young sparks around here begarn to hang about the place, takin’ her to church and picnics, and sich like, but she never had much to say to them, so arter a while they began to get discouraged like and dropped off. ‘ Wall, then this Slater he come along, flinging the greenbacks right and left, talkin’ about buyin’ a farm and so on, and then the old woman she got it sot in her mind that Dell must hev him. Dell begged and took on awful, but the old lady ripped and tore around so that she was forced inter it somehow.’ ‘ Couldn’t you do something to prevent this trouble ?’ remarked Guy, A long pause followed this audacious question, but at length the old man stammered : ‘Wall, you see—you know-I’ll tell you how it is, Mr Marston. I done my part; talked around, you know, told my wife it was a gol-darned shame, and all that, bnt no matter how much sense a man talks, wimmin allers hev nonsense enough on their tongues’ end to git the best of the argermint, and the old woman was so sot about it that I hed to give it up. Mebbe, arter all, the gal might do wuss.’ Seeing that in this case the gray mare was the bettor horse, Guy changed the subject by inquiring if he could be accommodated with board for a weel> or two, and also

whether room could be found for a friend of his, who, he said, was in ill health, and desirous of spending a short time in some quiet, retired place like Secomha. The miller referred the matter to his wife, and that lady’s thrift overcoming her suspicions, she graciously consented to allow Guy to remain, and also to provide for his friend and servant when they should come. That evening Guy indited a long letter to his friend Bob, and the next morning had the pleasure of being shown to the little village post-office by his dark-eyed captivator. (To he continued.)