WEST SHORE.
"T
1 TWIXT GOLD AND SINEW.
BY C. J. MESSKR.
BOOK ONE PART II.
WAS fourteen years back," the old man be
gan, " an' this whole point an' half o' Essex
town was owned by the MarshfieldB an' the
Burrowses. For twenty years I had been
head farmer to Mr. Burrows, Justin's father," motion
ing toward Burrows, " and my father was farmer to
(iramlfather Burrows before me. Long years ago the
Multifields and Burrowses had words alwut dividin'
lines, an' when I first come farmer the families wa'n't
on speak in' terms.
" Of course, I knew all the Marshfields, from the
gouty old man down to little Phoebe, as we used to
call her. I used to think what a pity 'twas that Phoe
be had to stay cooped up with the old folks, when the
Burrows boys was just achin' to be with her. We
lived hero same's now. Sometimes I'd be workin'
right on the creek, an' other times I'd be farmin' a
mile away. Mother stayed here always with the kiys
for company. Phoebe was the dashin'est rider I ever
saw. She'd just about fly along on a big black mare,
her eyes sparklin' an' her cheeks rosy. Every few
days I used to go to the Burrows house with reports,
an' I had a lot of short cuts through the fields. Some
times I crossed Marshfield's land, an' somehow I saw
Phoelie most every time I went that way. She was
always alone, either ridin' furious like, or settin on
the grass lettin' the big mare feed. When I come on
her so she seemed to be thinkin'. One day she spoke
to me, said 4 Good afternoon,' as jiert an' pretty as
could be. After that she spoke every time she saw
me, but when we was near her homo I found she didn't
know me.
44 1 never could tell how it come about, but she got
into the habit of comin' an' settin' with mother here.
I knew 'twun't right, but I didn't want to say anythin'
to make her unhappy, for I thought she liked to be
here. She come every day for a long while, then she
missed, an then after waitin' a week we heard she'd
gone away to school for two years. When the two
years was up she come back to Essex. We thought
she'd forgot us, but 'twan't so. She was over here just
as soon as she could hook away, an' she brought pres
ents to the children. Well, Bhe kept a-eomin', an'
sometimes she'd sit close up to mother an' fold her
hands an' think. Once in a while she'd cry. Mother
says to me, 4 She's got somethin' on her mind, father,
an' it did look so.
" After a while I used to meet a sportsman, a stylish
young feller' who Beemed to bo always hanging about
t'opjfiKht IHH.
the creek. One day I see the sportsman an' Phoelie
talkin' together. I told mother, an' Bhe told me to
mind my business an' let Phoelie fall in love if she
wanted to. ' She .needs love, poor thing,' says mother.
One afternoon she brought him to the old house, 4 Can
'Oeno an' I come in,' she says, shy an' pretty like.
Course they come in. I didn't like the feller, he was
awful black, but I couldn't help seem' he was over
head an' heels in love with Phoebe, an' mother said
any fool could see he was a gentleman, so I minded
my business ag'in, an' got to likiu' him almost. lie
come every day. Phoebe was mighty quiet when he
was around. She'd just set an' fold her handa an'
look at him. I knew 'twan't right they'd be eourtin'
at home if 'twas. 'Twan't long 'fore there was a rum
pus. The men told me Phoebe was sick, an' the old
Marshfield had given orders to have any trespassers
on his lands arrested. Then the story came out that
this 'Oeno was Phocltc'B cousin, an' the old man hated
him, an' that the old man had someone he wanted
Phoebe to marry, an' Phoelie wouldn't do it.
14 Phoelie was awful sick dangerous, they began to
say an' the old Marshfield, who hadn't shown a bit
of fatherly all'ection in his life, began to get seared,
'dene kept comin' to mother an' askin' alsiut his Phoe
be. Mother'd tell him what we'd heard during the
day, an' he'd skulk ofT ag'in. One night, late, Marsh
field's man came bangin' at our door. He wanted
mother; Phoelie had come to herself an' kept eallin'
for mother. If mother would go over Mr. Marshfield
would pay her handhoinc.
44 Mother went over, an' found that the girl was
just dyin' from wantin' to see her 'Gene. It wa'n't
long after mother got to seein' Phoelie in the daytime
nn' 'tiene in the evenin' before the girl began to mend,
an' pretty soon she got out doors ag'in an' licgnii to
come here. Squire Marshfield was mighty grateful to
mother an' wanted to pay her, but mother wouldn't
take anything. Tin' Squire suppoHed 'Geno waa gone
awav, an' he let Phoebe go when she wanted to an'
where she wanted to.
" The Squire got to takin' walks in his fields, an'
one day I met him. H' was mighty sociable and didn't
look so ugly as I thought. After we'd talked a while
he said Pliocl was probably at my house an' he'd
walk along with me an' surprise her. I was mighty
shaky, 'cause I knew if Phoelie wns there 'Gene was
somewhere alxiut. As wo was walkln the Squire said:
I've leen a harsh father to Phoelie. I'm goin' to lu
pin over an' see if I can't make her love mo a little.'
There win a sort of dryness in his throat, an' I pitied
him, for all he was so rich. I felt thankful I didn't
have any unkindiiess to my children to make tne feel
be did. He got confidential an told mo all about
the young man 'young friend,' ho called him that