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Show 318 WESTERN WILDS. But in despite of all this contention, the young people persisted in loving each other almost from the start, and at last the blood of the Old Radical and the Old Conservative were to be united. And all this time, there was growing up in an obscure village across the sea, an ignorant, awkward youth, who talked through his nose, and told plau-sible fibs as naturally as he breathed, whose career was to strangely affect the blood of the Briarlys and James'. Across the sea an insti-tution was born which wr as to change the current of all these simple lives in a way the wr isest little dreamed of. The ceremony was ended, the shoe was thrown, the village maidens strung garlands for the bride ; there was the feast, the dance, and all the simple pleasantry of the middle class of English farmers. One year Elwood Briarly rejoiced in the society of his young wife one year of continued courtship. Then came a season of trial, happily ended, said the nurse and doctor ; and an infant daughter was laid in the arms of the proud father. A perfect little manikin it was, with the orthodox creases in its perfect little feet, and all the orthodox lines on its perfect little face, by which wise matrons so infallibly fix the resemblance to either parent : a precious little life wrapped up in a perfect little anatomy. But the primal curse still rests, even on the head of the hardy English woman. The weight of the precious fruit broke the parent stem, and the life of the plant exhaled in the sweet-ness of the opening flower. Nixie Briarly only saw that her babe had started well in this world, then bade her weeping husband good- bye, and fell asleep. To him it seemed that all which made life worth having was gone. His had been no sudden affection; for long years Nixie had been central to all his plans, and now there seemed nothing worth exer-tion. His daughter he could scarcely say at first that he loved her strange pain ! She seemed to him almost as a living reproach. Months passed, and it was remarked that he was " slack ; " his hand had lost its cunning, and words of pity were heard. Months again passed, and it was remarked that he went often to the village ale-house, and this time the word of pity was accompanied with an ominous shake of the head. But the current of common life flowed on too fast for others for them to turn aside to cheer him. Old yeomen, on their way home from church, leaned over the fence to look at the little farm he held on lease; and while you might have thought them pondering on the preacher's words, the real thought behind those heavy, unexpressive eyes was, " When will it be to lease?" At the ale- house he sat apart, a moody man; and it was surprising how |