Pembroke

been very small. The cherries had rotted on the branches, or the robins had eaten them, for Silas would not give them away. Rose and her mother would smuggle a few small baskets of che

em enough to pay for '

es had come in great rattling wagons from all the towns about, and picke

aded by Thomas Payne, who, as the squire's son and the richest and most freehanded young man in town, could incur no suspicion of parsimony. Going one night to the old tavern to make terms with Silas for the use of his cherry orchard, for a party which included some of his college friends from Boston and his fine young-lady cousin from New York, and hearing the preposterous sum which Silas stated as final, he had turned on his heel with a strong word under his breath. "You can eat your cherries

m melody, and the tenors responded, "Old Sil

ed over and over between shouts of lau

he peered around her curtain at the gay party. William, who had als

dn't no business to ask such a price for them cherries; it's more than th

as, sitting in his arm-chair at the w

d Hannah. "You've jest

ies, and he lost all the little income which he had derived from them. Hannah often twitted him with it. "You can see now that what I told you was true," said she; "you put your own eyes out." Silas would

he cherries. The trees were quite loaded with the small green fruit, and there promised to be a very large

and's shrewdly leering face. "What be you agoin' to

y across the south yard towards his daughter Rose, who was spreading out some linen to blea

de of the cherry-trees. Her father paused, tilted his head back, and eyed the trees wi

any cherries this year," remarked her fat

she flapped out an end of the wet linen.

mmon," said Silas, still gazing up at the

own on her knees in the grass

ike to have a little-party, an' ask some of the young folks, an' eat so

enough of cherry parties,

bout havin' 'em pay any

ooked at him incredulously. "Do

aid you might, i

e them come here an

o jest as you're a mind to about it, that's all. If you want to have a few of the young folks over here when

of her father's character stood between her and all her old memories like a supernatural presence. She left the rest of the linen in the basket and sought her mother in the house. "Mother!"

the door for?" asked h

what has com

ose Berry? He 'ain't

g to! I'm dreadful afraid some

at you mean?" Mrs. B

a cherry party, and th

tared at her

, he

of doubt and affirmation. Finally Mrs. Berry laughed. "

on't. I'

hin' folks will overlook that other affair, an' next year they'll buy the cherries again. Mebbe he th

aybe tha

'll make things pleasanter. I've felt bad enough about it. I guess Mis' Thayer won't look down on us quit

't any of them

ough. I never see any trouble yet about folks comin' t

invite to the party. They decided to includ

cherries enough, and the Lord only knows when your father 'll have another freak

rry had foretold, accepted. Their indignation was not proof against the prospect of pleasure;

ho tended in Silas Berry's store. He was hired for twopence to sit all day in the cherry orchard and ring a cow-bell whenever the robins made excursions into the trees. From earl

h of a tree with the mossy trunk for a support to his back, lest he might be tempted to eat of the cherries, and turn pal of the robins instead of enemy. He dared not pull down any low bough and have a surreptitious feast, for he understood well that there were likely to be sharp eyes a

s, would have been full of glory and excitement. As it was, the dulness and monotony of the jingling of the cow-bell made even his stupid childish mind dismal. All the pleasant exhilaration o

red-and-white sugar-sticks at the store. He sat there all the week, and every time there was a whir of little brown wings and the darting flash of a red breast among the cherry branches he rang in frantic haste

white dewy grass. He sat on his rock until the grass was dry, and patiently jingled his cow-bell. It was to young Ezra Ray, although all unwittingly, a

watched the girls swinging their little straw baskets daintily; his stupidly wondering eyes followed especially Rebecca Thayer. Rebecca, in her black muslin, with her sweet throat fairly dazzling above the half-low bodice, and wound about twice with a slender gold chain, with her black silk apron embroidered with red ros

e sharpness of the thin and dark, was thrust into his. "You mus

ick 'em," said Ezra, in a voi

you a

climb

ht home. Mother wants you to w

s shoulder, retreated with awkward lopes across the fiel

, slender and handsome in his best suit, advancing with a stern and almost martial air, tried not to see Charlotte Barnard; but it was as if her face were the natural focus for his eyes, which they could not escape. However, Charlotte was not talking to Thomas Payne; he was not even very near her. He was already in the top of a cherry-tree

nct of possession seized him; he said to himself that it was his wife's neck; no one else should see it. He felt like tearing off his own coat and covering her with rude force. It made no difference to him that nearly every other girl there, his sister among the rest, wore her neck uncovered by even a kerchief; he felt that Charlotte

aid she, and her voic

ey n

g," said she, and she panted so

d to him strange depths. Charlotte, during all his courtship, had never looked up in his face like that. He could not himself have told why; but Charlotte had never for one moment lost sight of the individual, and the respect due him, in her lov

arney said, slowly, and his

but I was afrai

y reached out for it. "Let me get

better," Rose returned,

y n

said. Her face, upturned to Barney, was f

full upon her. Rose went under the tree herself, pulled down a low branch, and began to eat; several other girls were doing the same. Thomas Payne passed th

mite the faces of the pickers. There were no robins in the trees that morning; there were only swift whirs of little w

ose talking to Barney; he saw his son William eating cherries with Rebecca Thayer out of one basket; but his expression never changed. The predominant

nd blushed confusedly, for she remembered suddenly that William Berry was said to be waiting upon Reb

ever thought of it," she s

always had an idea that a miser was thin." Then she slipped away, and presently whispered to another g

ent the young men for them, and prepared to have dinner at a little distance from the trees where they had been picking, where the ground was clean. William and Rose also

efused to trust it to the young men. "I know better than to let you have it," she said, laughing. "You'd eat all the way there, and there wouldn't be enou

l day lest they should pick from any except the four trees which he had set apart for them, and his anxiety was greater since he knew that the best cherries were not on those four

there?" he dem

turned his wife, with a fier

in the

Don't, father," pleaded Rose under

tagging threateningly at her elbow. "Don

goin' to-

" she returned, h

distributed to the merry party seated in a great ring like a very ga

ked his wife's defiantly

want none,"

nder the bureau. Then he returned, and concealed the molasses-jug in the brick oven. He stood for a minute in the middle of the kitchen floor, chuckling and nodding as if to the familiar and confidential spirit of his own greed; then he went out, and a short way down the road to the cottage house where old Hiram Baxter lived and kept a little shoemaker's shop in the

ad been quite exhausted. William went up to her at once when she ret

she whispered back. "Hu

nd made an exclam

"go up to the house and get the swee

he?" deman

e ain't to

e called, in an angry shout, standing in the doorway, "Father!" But there was no reply, and he went back to the others with the jug of sweetened water. Rebecca watched him with f

nd two other women had come over to see the festivity, and they sat at a little distance with Mrs. Berry, awkwardly

s, through their one expression. The wind blew harder; the girls' muslin skirts clung to their limbs as they moved against it, and flew out around their heels in fluttering ruffles. The cherry boughs tossed over their heads full of crisp whispers among their dark leaves and red fruit clusters. Over across the field, under the low-sway

as in the others a reckless exhilaration in spite of their sadness. William Berry forgot all his mortification and annoyance as he caught Rebecca's warm fingers on the rope and bent over her red, averted cheek. Barney, when he had g

' cheeks flushed deeper, their smooth locks became roughened. The laughter waxed louder and longer; the matrons looking on doubled their broad backs with r

like organ chords. The young people gathered up their pails and baskets and went home, flocking down the road together,

r. "Hullo!" he cried out, and they all stopped, smiling at him with a cordiality which had in it a savor of apology. Inde

aistcoat pocket, and drew out a roll of paper which he shook out with

?" asked th

s face with the ingen

Thomas Payne

rs crowd

ilas, in a wheedling whisper. His dry

emanded Thomas Payne,

bit of chargin' more, but I've took off a leetle this time." His voice

oulder, and repeated the amount with whistles and half-laughs of scorn and anger

here," he said, and he crammed some money hard in Silas's eagerly outstretched hand. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Berry," said Thomas P

a did not join; then the party kept on. The indignant clamor waxed loud in a moment;

here some of them separated, when they heard the quick pound of running feet behind them and a hoarse voice calling on Thomas

know you had nothing to do

im?" William repeat

all

me what yo

ish face. He half whispered the amount to Will

all know that you knew nothing about it," he said again. The others chimed in with eager assent, but William gave his head a shake, as if he shoo

im, and a soft flutter of girlish skirts, but he never looked away from his own self until Rebec

arm again, and looked up in his face. "Don't you feel b

he my f

t to blame

out blame," said Wil

arm. "It's your father's way," said she. "He's

etter run back, Rebecca. You don't want them to think you're going with

in the face and eyes of them all to comfort you. They saw me, and they can see me now, but I don't care. And I don't care if you see me; I always have cared, but I don't now. I have always been terribly afraid

Suddenly Rebecca raised both her arms and put them around his neck; he leaned his cheek down agai

ned again, blushing hotly, and touched a girl near her, who also glanced around. Then their two bl

n. "Did you see?" "Yes." "His head?" "Yes." "H

were all out of sight when they went slowly down in the gatherin