Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-01-05

W hifo" Nndt u WIS Out u tell YOU
beforehand it was false"
Z" But, think" urged Mrs. Smith,
iaintly, after moments pause to
take breath and recover from the
effects Of this mortal blow, for Mr..
kelly's sake, and Mldred's, Mr..
Harley, think you had better"
" Go I" said MIR. Harley.
Co." said Mrs. Smith and she
twirled her cap-strng.
"TIiat is hard punishment, "said
Mr.. Harley. How have deserved
il ?"
No, no,-not a punishment"
" A precaution, then Z"
Perhaps, Mr.. Harley" And
the widows blue eyes looked up
from the ground, much as MIldred's
would have done, and then looked
stoIidly down again.
But Mr.. Harley would not admit
that. He pleaded his cause with
vast deal Of lervour, vowing that if
suffered to remain, ii should be bet
ter for Mildred, for that he would
treat her SO judiciously, so tenderiy,
and yet SO strictly, that insensibly
her feelings would slide into the
merest sisterly interest, and so she
would be prepared to accept any
other eligible offer that came in her
way. In fact, Mr.. Henry Harley
demonstrated to Mrs. Smith in the
clearest and most logical manner,
that the best way TO cure girl OF
an unfortunate attachment was for
her lover to remain in the same house
with her, seeing her every day, con
stantly employed in friendly Offices
for her, such as teaching her drawing,
figures of Cupids aud Aradnes, and
pretty little Psyches reading poetry
to her while she skeiched discussing
with her matters OF psychological
interest and so tanning her feelings
down to sisletly attachment by
tenderness and affection. And then
IN the end, he assured Mrs. Smith,
Mildred would cease to love him,
and be the happy wife Of some one
else Ii was quite affecting, the
picture he drew of the benehcent cf-
fecis Of his remaining always near
her
Mrs. Smith, being a guileless, in
nocent woman, believed him, and
consented 10 his arrangement and
told Mildred not to be silly, bat TO
love Mr.. Harley from henceforth
as brother. At which Mildred
cried, and said she would.
Matters now went on oiled him
ges ; and every one was satisfied. -
Mr.. Harley was glad not to be turned
out of comfortable house where he
''.d all HE own way, and :. t-.o,,,
glrl To love him into the bargain
Mrs. Smith was glad not to lose
boarder and Mildred glad not to
lose lover. For, OF course, they
were still lovers; Mr.. Harley taking
no notice of her in public, had to
make up for it in private, to Mil
dred's great bewilderment and the
increase OF her passion: perhaps, be-
cause of this secresy, loving her ar
tistic reprobate more than if all had
been confessed and commonplace.
They managed their affairs so well,
however, that no one in the house
not even Ann---suspecied Mildred
Smith of loving Mr.. Harley still
less did any one suspect MIR. Harley
OF making the most violent love to
Mildred Smith, whenever he was
moment alone with her, which
moments, he coniriyed, should be
pretty frequent.
Least of all did Mr.. Kelly suspect
that he had rival and that his
rival was master of the situation.
What strange life was Mildred's
now! Openly sighted, and some
times fairly insuled, by the ladies'
dlsowned by her lover in society, to
be so fervently UNIDENTIFIED in pri-
vate knowing that she had five
hundred year and expectations
waiting for her acceptance, which, if.
she accepted, Mrs. Lyndon, the
stockbrocker's wife in difficulties, aud
Miss Manvers, of the good family
and traditional beauty, would then be I
obliged 10 look up To her, yield her
precedence, and be thankful TO be |
patronized by her; her private life,
and her public standing in this
boarding-house society so different
from each other, her head was some
times giddy with tho various tbs uShts /
and feelings that used to rush SO tu-
mulluously through it. And as she
thought of the position he was merely |
waiting for an opportunity to offer
her, Mildred would look up grateful
ly at Mr.. Kelly, with her sweet,
dreamy eyes; at which that loose
limbed gentleman would knot him
self up into an angular conglomera-
ton of msiitling members, and feel
almost as joyous as if he had found
a new coinage of the time of Alfred.
Mr.. Kelly, never very precipitate,
at last made up his mind 10
write TO Mildred. He had been a
long time about il, but he was one OF
those queer men without impulse
who find as much satisfaction in
thoughts as they do in facts. And
as he believed that Mildred loved
him, belief was quite as good as
knowledge. However, he did write
at last, and made her an offer of his
hand and heart, his present goods
and future expectations, and conclu-