The Rise of Roscoe Paine

nd dollar offer as I had been, but that I had refused it did not surprise her. She seemed to take my refusal as a matter of course, whereas I was more and more doubtful of my sanity at

f the offer had been five cents i

only a matter of price you would have sold for six hundred and f

a small fortune to us. I am not sure

were not here to be considered at all-would you

ther. I think, pe

you are thinking what the money might do for me. Do you suppose I will permit you to sacrific

. Why, there are so m

d not make me more happy to know that you accepted a bribe-that is what it is,

ticularly pro

rently Mr. Colton regards you already?

use I helped his daughter o

ou, a man. I fancy it is a new experience to him to find some one, down

f it. It may

you and I have found, that there are no kinder, better people anywhere. You remember I warned you against

ritable for this earth-t

! let us forget the land and the money. Roscoe, I should

brave

s in disgrace. Perhaps it wa

much. I refused to b

inquire concerning how he and Nellie got home from the festival. They had had a damp, though safe, journey, I

the door as I left

ave asked any boot neither. Did you see Mullet's bridge? Elnathan says he cal'lates he's got willow kindlin' enough to last him all summer. Ready split too-the lightni

and I laugh

n the wust of it," went on Captain Jed.

ed, shortly; "I

t-so much brimstone in the air. The girl got home somehow or other, they tell me. I cal'late her fine duds got their never-get-over. Nellie says the hat she was wearin' come from Paris, or some such foreign place. Well, the r

do you

k the dust-the mud, I mean-of our roads off his

ain?" I repeated. "You me

bile. His majesty went with him fur's the platform. The gang that saw the proceedin's said the good-by

think he has gone

ally is, and he managed to be nigh enough t

ere wer

me. She started without him and got run away with. Some of the folks paddlin' home from the festival saw the auto go by and heard the crowd inside singin' and laughin' and hollerin'. Nobody's goin' to sing a night like that unless they've got cargo enough below decks to make 'em forget the wet outside. And Beriah Doane was over to Ostable yesterday and he

he really cared for the girl he had lost. It was difficult to think of him as really caring for any one except himself, but if I had been in his place and had, through my own foolishness, t

ollowed me to

anged your mind about se

ly. "There's no use talking

the fellers are gettin' cons

what

with a wink, "only. . . . Heard any ex

in, what d

reat Panjandrum and his folks was reminded that that L

the field behind Sylvanus Snow's abandoned house, the spot where Miss Colton and I had waited on the porch the night of the thunder shower, I heard the rattle of a cart

heers for the Star Spangled Banne

ollowed, upr

nd keep her up all the way along. We'll

rt-was approaching. Zeb was driving and behind him in the body of the cart were four or five young fellows whom I recognized as belonging to the "billiard room gang," an unorganized society whose members worked only occasionally but were responsible for most of the mischie

he horse barely moving.

shouted, "let's

dy works

ts around

p he

up. I stepped o

at! Stop it, do you hear! K

s and shouted "Whoa!" Hallet and his chorus turned. They had bee

nning, but rather sheepishly. "How be

Hi, boys! let's give three cheers for the feller that don't toa

d expression-but it was loud enough. Involuntarily I glanced toward the Colton mansion. I saw no one at the windows or on th

ence and my crimson cheeks as acknowle

hink so, Ros. We've showed 'em what we think of you; now let's

sider this as going to

A joke's a joke, but that's a l

scoffed Hallet. "We'll

by the bridle and backed the wagon into the bank. Tim, insecurely ba

ed driver. "What you doi

me from," I ordered. "Tur

turn. When I dropped the bridle the horse'

" I repeated. "Go bac

eb, "I don't want to go bac

some other way. You ca

knees, looked o

e asked, angrily. "Didn't you s

himself. When he doesn't behave he forfeits t

f I do I'll have to go clear round b

that crowd with you. I won't have this Lane made a p

" he whined, "I told you so, Tim. I s

Kendrick. Look here, Ros Paine! I thought you was down on them Coltons. We fellers are o

kind. Go b

NO more?" pleaded the driver.

at. You can't use i

rse and the wagon began to move

You're standin' in with 'em, after a

s I was abreast

of wilfully annoying those living near it I'll not only forbid his using it, but I'll

silencing him by primitive methods. My anger had not cooled to any extent. He did not speak to me again, though I heard him mu

those idiots in the village were doing their best to prove me a liar. I should have expected such behavior from Hallet and his friends, but for Captain Dean to tacitly approve their conduct was unexpected and provoking. Well, I had made my position plain, at all events. But I knew that Tim wou

down, busy with these and similar reflections,

been giving Captain Jed my opinion of his followers' behav

illiner, was wont to deck the creations she prepared for customers. Matilda Dean would have sniffed at the hat and gown; they were not nearly as elaborate as those Nellie, her daughter, wore on Sundays. But

nce of our transit of Mullet's cranberry brook did not seem to embarrass he

t, but I had sufficient pres

she had been in that grove for any length of time she must have overhear

ark settled

had observed once or twice in her father's, "that I should apologize for bein

crowd than ever. "So you saw that

rd the rest. I was walking here by the bluf

s Colton, that I did not know, until jus

"You made that quite plain. Even those people

e they

expected it. You almost frightened me. You were so very-well,

ever, if I had known you were within heari

ow. I think those ruffians we

w on and if there are any more attempts at annoyi

some-of late. I am sure we are ver

at

-all the rest. For your help the other nigh

ng," I answer

not very complim

n-that

ng-perhaps you do it so often that it is of little consequence to you; but I

o more than any one else would have done under the same circumstances. You were in no danger; you wo

long, nevertheless. You seem to have the facu

to the episode in the bay, and

d you were not ill after your

east, thank y

not mind that. I sail and fish a good deal,

for it led directly to the s

ebt of thanks for helping me-helping us out of our difficulty in the boat. I am ob

corners of her mouth. I could not answer immediately for the life of me. I woul

aid," I stammered. "I was angry when I sent tha

with your estimate-part of it, at least. H

d, dryly. "I can

e into a rippl

ay not be aware of it, but I have never known father to be

dee

e is, i

am the cause of so

arned about you, from him, I think yo

Does your-does Mrs. C

I think Mother blames you somewhat. She is not well, Mr. Paine, and this Lane of yours is her pet bugbear just now

she has blamed me for these outrageous disturba

he is not well, as I said, and she may have thought you were, if not instigating t

; did you believe me

N

y n

you had a good reason for losing it. All this," with a gesture toward the Lane, "the shouting and noise and petty insults, was so little a

arned about me? F

N

rom who

hey spoke of you so highly, and of your mother and your care of her. The

I blurted out my next q

ing to them abo

even a casual interest; I might consider that interest to be real, instead of merely perfunctory. At any rate, I noticed a

les are always interesting, more or less. And a puzzle which perplexed

earth wi

iends for the testimonials to my character. And I promise you

away when she

ine," s

Miss C

why I was here, on you

u are quite welcome to

that is true, but it isn't the whole truth. I was

at her in

Mother!"

xcept the very best. I think I should like to know her. Do you t

iss Col

I should like to know her. Of course, if this disagreement about the land makes a difference, if she f

idea of Mother's feeling resentment toward

y I call

if-if you think it

than you seem to be to everyone, Mr. Paine. I have spoken to my father about it and

point. I could not reason just then. That this spoiled, city-bred daughte

ether to resent the whim or not, whether to be angry or indifferent. If she intended to inspect Mother as a possible object of future charity I should be angry and the first call would be the last. But Mother herself wou

the gate as I approached it

ared. "Anything you want me to

atch. It was onl

windows this forenoon. I heard Dorinda give you your order

I ain't finished 'em. Fact

know that you ar

he knows I'm goin' somewhere

did!

orindy!' I says, 'I'm a-goin' to wash them windows same's you told me to.' 'No, you ain't,' says she. 'But what will I do?' says I. 'I don't care,' says she. 'Clear out of here, that's all.' 'But where'll I clear out

N

you know wh

o presume to guess y

trangest thing in it is a woman. You never can t

ll hear the rest of

ivin' truth. And when you're a

teering clear of Dorinda, who scarce

d bedroom, "I just met the Colton girl

ul to you for coming to h

omething else. She said she was com

the announcement like a bombshell and was r

lacidly. "I am very glad. I h

ad nothing to do

emphasis. "Lute IS a philosopher, a