LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1988, 8 July 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE CRANBERRY SWAMP; OR, DOCTOR DEDIINO'S MISTAKE. 'Of course,' said young Doctor Dedlitg, ' a man has his own fortune to look to.' ' Of course,' taid Judith Grey ; and as she spoke the words a cold chill seemed to creep, like slowly congealing ice, around her whole heart. 'lf you had consulted me as to your affairs,' went on the young man, ' instead of t iking this vory extraordinary step, entirely without advice or counsel —' •Yes, I know,' hurriedly interposed Judith ; ' but it's over and past now. so perhaps we had better not talk about it.' The red winter sunset was blazing with sullen fires above the cedar copse in the west; the leafless woods held up their black arms, in a sort of wrestling agony, toward the sky, as the bleak wind tossed them to and fro; and a solitary raven uttered his ominous croak, in the woods at the back of the house. Doctor Bedling shuddered as hf around him, and glanced out * dresry swamp that extend' east. ' Such a place,' said he, ' L ele-t to live in.' 'lt isn't very cheerful,' sa ' but I've lived here all my life, y* 'The more reason for wanting out of it now,' said the dock patiently. Judith was silent. She looked i blazing logs on the old-fashioned he and tried to keep back the fast-rising tea Doctor Dedling ro»e and took up his hav ' Then I am to consider that our engage ment is quite at an end,' said the doctor,

1 Yes,' said Judith, in a low tone. ' I shall always wish you well,' said the doctor, affably. ' I thank yon,' said Jndith. Good-by,' Baid Doctor Dedling. 'Good-by,' responded Judith. The next moment she was alone with the blazing logs, and the cricket chirping on the hearth, and the strange, weird shadows that came and went on the wainscotted walls. It was just a month to-night since they had buried old Miles Grey oat of eight. Little Judith, who had worn herself out in taking oare of him, had dropped a few sincere tears on the cheap coffin that encased his remain b, bat no one else had seemed particularly to gri6ve. Mrs Pytchley, her elder sister, who waa married t* a New York gaoler, had boldly declared that it was high time the old man took himself off the stage of this world, and had made no secret of her disappointment when it was discovered that a thousand dollars in gold pieces represented all his hoarded wealth, with the exception of the cranberry swamp, upon whoße dreary verge stood the house ; and this dreary property, by the terms of the will, was to be divided between his two nieces, Jndith Gray and Maria Pytchley, as they thamselves might agree. ' I'll take ready money,' slid Mrs Pycthley. ' What could Ido with three or four miles of cranberry swamp ?' * Or what could Judith do with it either }* said Hobart Pytchley, who sat whittling a pine stick beside the Bre. ' I daresay she could manage very nicely,' said Maria. ' I've heard Uncle Miles say that he sold sixty dollars' worth of cranberries one year out of the swamp.' 'lt makes no difference to me,' said Judith, quietly. 'lt does to me, then,' sa'd Mrs Pytchley. ' Because, as yon know very well, Hobart'a business is in- the city, and we osuld do nothing at all with a lot of swampy land, down here in the backwoods.' So Mrs Pytchley had taken the lion's ahare of the old man's bequest, and gone back to her city home, over Hobart'a grocery store ; and young Dr. Dedling, who had confidently calculated on at least five hundred dollars, to buy surgical .instruments and fit up an office in the village adjoiningfive hundred dollars as the dowry of bia bride-elest; broke his engagement in a fit of pique that Judith should have so deliberately flung her fortune away. ' A set of harpies,' cried he, with disgust. ' Stop,' Dr. Dedling!' said Judith, colouring up. ' Yoa forget that you are speaking of aay Bister and her husband.',' ' But they had no business to impose on you thus 1' exclaimed the doctor. 'I agreed to the plan, without remonstrance.' Doctor Dedling shragged his shoulders. •Intbat,' said he, sharply, 'you showed your lack of common sense ? If yon had no good regard for yourself, you might have had some for me.' 'Was it for money you wanted me?' demanded Judith, stung to the quick. Doctor Dedling colored and hesitated. ' A man must take monetary matters inte consideration,' said he. And so it came about that the engagement was canceled, and Judith Grey was Bitting there alone in the wintry twilight, with clasped hands and head drooped low upon her breast. Doctor Dedling plodded home to tha village, and as he passed the brilliant windows of the little hostelry, he paused, remembering the bitter cold of the winter air, the frosty influence of the breeze. 'I may as well go in and warm my self,' he thought. Mine host met him with a cheery air. 'Walk in, dootor; walk in!' said he. 'Not that room,' as Dedling mechanically laid his hand upon the doorknob of the apartment he usually entered. ' The railway committee is a-settin' there. This way, please.'' ' The railway committee V echoed Dedlins. 1 What railway committee ? You don't mean that they are actually taking any steps about that old idea of a railway between here a&d Glass ville ?' •Yes, I do,' said the landlord. 'lt'i a committee of rich capitalists, as are building factories close to the Falls; and they mean to put up rows of tenement houses all along, and lay down a line of rails, and—don't say as I mentioned it, doctor, because I only caught a snatch here and there, when I waa carrying in the plates, and Betting on the fruit, and nnts, and wine—but it's to go right through old Miles Grey'a cranberrysw amp, the new railway is! And the chairman of the committee is goin' to offer Miss Judith five thousand dollars in good, clean, hard money for her share in it 1' Doctor Dedling stared. ' Five—thousand—dollars !' repeated he, slowly. Could it really be a fact ? If so—and there seemed very little reason for doubting it—what a fatal mistake had he made in rejecting a bride who could bring the rich portion of a ' cranberry swamp ' as her wedding dower. I£ he had known this half an hour—one little half hour —ago! * * * * ' Don't fret about him, Judith dear; he isn't worth it!' urged honest Marmaduke Redfield, who had stepped in on his way to the post office to bring a message to his mother. ' He was always a pretentious sort of a fellow, all for outward show, with a heart like a stone, and a nature as shallow as Deacon Doler's brook ! ' Judith looked up at the clumsy, goodhearted, hard-handed farmer, and wondered that she had never before noticed what a true face, and what clear, frank eyes he had. ' Forgti him, Judith,' pleaded and she began seriously to think that she would at least make the trial. ' Come over to oar horse, and stay with mother. Its 100 bleak ind lonesome for you here—for the present, a-, least. Spring will be time enough for you to come back to the cranberry swamp.' Judith Grey looked around at the solitary room, and thought of Mrs liedfield's big, cosy kitchen, with its bright-coloured rag carpet, its windows lined with blossoming geraniums, and its shrill-voiced canary bird hanging over the work table. ' Do you think,' she hesitated, 'that yonr mother woulc be willing to be troubled with such a guest at rue ? ' Duke Redfield's face grew radiant. ' Only try her,' said he. ' Dear Judith, you'd be as welcome as flowers ia May 1 ' And the next day Mrs Redfield came over in the old farm carryall to claim her guest, and the Swamp House was left to its owd dreary desolation, and the driving snows (X January. Scarcely three weeks had elapsed whin young Doctor Dedling came to the Rsdfbli farm in his new tig, with the old roan horse, that really made quite a good appearance when you didn't hurry him, and the road was tolerably good, and he waa fref from a visitation commonly knows as " heaves." _ ~ ' There ain't nobody sick here, saia J alios, the hired man, who was splitting woo J at the side of the house, as he eyad the dostsr rather suspiciously. <Uo ; I know it,' said Doctor DecLmg; 'but I've called to see Miss Grej.' ' Miss Grey ain't noways ailir', as I know of,' persisted Julius, feeling tie edge of hi 3 axe, and still staring hard at the medical representative of Glassville. 'I have called,' said Doctor Dedling, vr:th dignity. ' as a friend.' ' Oh,' said Julius. ' Will you be so kind as to lot me in 5' sisted the doctor. "Tain't no use,' said Jul?prodigious pine knot down fpreparing himself for " * there ain't nobod** 1 Nobody at y «They'v Julius