The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cousin Maude, by Mary J. Holmes

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Title: Cousin Maude

Author: Mary J. Holmes

Posting Date: April 22, 2009 [EBook #3619]
Release Date: January, 2002
First Posted: June 17, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COUSIN MAUDE ***

Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team. HTML version by Al Haines.

COUSIN MAUDE.

by

Mary J. Holmes

To
Morris W. Smith,

of New Orleans,

This story of life among the Northern
Hills is respectfully dedicated
by his friend
The Author

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. DR. KENNEDY
II. THE JOURNEY
III. THE NEW HOME
IV. LITTLE LOUIS
V. MRS. JANET BLODGETT
VI. THE MOTHER
VII. PAST AND PRESENT
VIII. JAMES AND J.C.
IX. THE MILKMAN'S HEIRESS
X. THE ENGAGEMENT, REAL AND PROSPECTIVE
XI. MAUD GLENDOWER
XII. HOW THE ENGAGEMENTS PROSPERED
XIII. HAMPTON
XIV. THE DARK HOUR
XV. THE NEW MISTRESS AT LAUREL HILL
XVI. THE BLIND GIRL
XVII. NELLIE'S BRIDAL NIGHT
XVIII. COUSIN MAUDE
XIX. A SECOND BRIDAL
XX. THE SEXTON
XXI. HOME AGAIN

CHAPTER I.

DR. KENNEDY.

"If you please, marm, the man from York State is comin' afoot. Too
stingy to ride, I'll warrant," and Janet, the housekeeper,
disappeared from the parlor, just as the sound of the gate was
heard, and an unusually fine-looking middle-aged man was seen coming
up the box-lined walk which led to the cottage door.

The person thus addressed was a lady, whose face, though young and
handsome, wore a look which told of early sorrow. Matilda Remington
had been a happy, loving wife, but the old churchyard in Vernon
contained a grass-grown grave, where rested the noble heart which
had won her girlish love. And she was a widow now, a fair-haired,
blue-eyed widow, and the stranger who had so excited Janet's wrath
by walking from the depot, a distance of three miles, would claim
her as his bride ere the morrow's sun was midway in the heavens. How
the engagement happened she could not exactly tell, but