Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-07-15

where lce-cream Is lndlsSOlublv associated
with breakfast, and where for many months
: life is bnt a perpetual shiver Mr.. Lanctord
, anxious to experience all these Joys, came up
to Winston in the middle of February to re-
main two days. bringing with him baggage
sufficient for three weeks, to which term, af-
ter much interchange of entreaty and expos
tuation, he was induced 10 extend his Wis
it.
The first time he met Miss Brandon, he
tempted her with the suggestion Of sleigh
ride. said he a sleigh ride in winter is
seldom amiss, " and was thercupon sharply
criticised for admitting the possibility Of
such a thing at any other season. However.
Miss Brand n consented. She would ride
with him the next afternoon
In the morning Mr.. Henry Langford grave
ly inspected the family stable, but found
nothing therein equal to his own idea Of the
magnitude of the occasion. vt the public
stable he was more successful. At first he
contemplated the luxurious magnifcence of
a span but an irresistible impulse subsa-
quentlv induced him to settle upon a single
courser Zone horse may be driven with one
hand y 1t is difficult to imagine what i'm
PEELED him to seek with such pertinacity as
he did for the narrowest sleigh in the c0llec- /
ton
At four O'Clock p. NJ, the lght-haarted |
pair dashed away, as full Of good natured |
! glee rs the sleigh was full Of them-and they /
! fitted very compactly. Miss Brandon, know
! ing the country more intimately than her |
/ companion. undertook to point their way, a |
manner of proceeding quite agreeable, in
view of the male creature total ignorance of
! localities They glided on, turning hither
and thther, until, ere long, they left the
| clustering cottages of Winston quite dis
! t0nce behind For a while both chartered
and laughed with yigor that put them
into a precious glow but by-and-by
Mr.. Henry stopped short, and in an unac-
countable manner. and left Miss Lucy to do
the defamation, cOntenting himself with
watching the sparkle Of her eye, or the
pretty curve of her lip, as she threw out
incessant sparkles of feminine wit. Presently
be observed with wonder faint suspicion of
a dutter trembling through him, and attrib-
uted it to their rapid motion, recollecting
similar sensations in earlier youth. caused
by swinging.
He must have expressed something odd in
his countenance- tor, of a sudden, Miss Lucy
cut short her fun and subsided into dim OBJ
liyious tranquility. Just one minute after,
it flashed upon Mr.. Henry Langford, that he
had for the past SIX months been steadily and
]
of himself; that the notion of excellent friend
ship so far as he and Lucy Brandon were /
concerned was utterly absurd and degrading
to think upon; that the truth was he loved
her dearly, and that he ought TO have known
it long ago, and should, if he had ever before
been alone with her, as he now found him
self. Having settled all this to his own salts
faction, he took courage and bold step - {
Miss Lucy (rather shakily) ''are You
comforta ble?'
"Oh, perfectly"
Not cOld?' S
''NO, indeed
Now what he wanted was, that she should
say she was cold. and he considered himself L
littleill-used because she did not. But hewoud I
not be bereft of his idea, so gathering the reins
in one hand, he cautiously disem baTrassed the i
other, and sweeping his arm around the n
back Of the sleigh, caused the yagrant mem 4
Der to encrcle the big bundle of buffalo ban a
dages which confined the gentle form beside S
him. Not word Of r.monstrance, but a a
silence dangerously ominous, if he had known L
it. lncoherently mumbling a repetition of the e
inquiry about comfort, etc, he permitted the I
arm to venture upon a faint suggestion at +
a squeeze Then tho Httle ace, now sadly o
flushed, came round square upon him, and C
Disconnected him horribly. But with desper- G.
ate impudence he remarked quite carelessly, II
ana looking earnestly at point in the road
at the distance Of a halfa-mile ahead V
please shut your eyes a minute. c
Down went the lids. 81
.! .
The calm was over. First came a torrent
IF reproaches, very limited as to duration, e.
)ut Of crushing weight; then an intrusive
little tear which had better have stayed away a
then a dead silence 1Ir Henry Langford Il
was s-rely afflicted If she did not want
ne to kiss her, thought he, 90 then why did Of
he shut her eyes ?'' As he could make Of
nothing of it. he endeayored to effect a quiet p
lacifca lion, bat all encouraging response az
vas withheld. Hardly word was vouch-
afed him, and the few he got were by no az
10 means of a character to fill him with st
'apture In the midst of his anxious argu- fr
nent, there came a cry from the side of the tr
road. bC
Harry pulled up and saw a melancholy in
ooking woman, not well clad, nor strongly
ramed standing with a child in her arms, 50
" the sleigh. She asked how far it was to
inville dJ
How tar to Linvile, Miss Brandon ?'' vi
inquired Harry, in blissfuI ignorance. IN
q" Four miles '-(rather pettlshly).
The woman of melancholy mien further |
more desired to know the direction Was it
traight on W
'' Is it straight on, Miss Brandon - or
D." Yes '-(stiff and short).
The lugubrious female murmured a thank, W
md the sleigh moved off In about min az
lte Mr.. Langford clutched the reins sayaCely, hi
md uttered an exclamation which would have L;
atisfed any listener of his innocence of tn
theological tendencies.
Miss Lucy emitted high D, head register, of
taccato. m
" 1 think am a brute, - quietly remarked al
Mr.. Henry Langford yc
--iss Brandon now assumed au air Of re-
iignation, as if expecting an apologize ri
explanation of the recent rudeness. She was ac
and when the sleigh began to
-urn about, became perplexed. th
" The woman Is going to LlnyLle, wher- ar
ever that is continued Harry. ''Of course ce
he is. She mustn t walk four miles through ce
he snow this weather And loaded down M
With a big baby, too - pa
Miss Brandon gave out symptoms of unea- pl
mess. You are not going all the way to w
4inville, :" said She tr
Certainly am, Miss Brandon and
e drew up beside the pedestrian Of dolorous
spect. 20
% do not see that there is ROOM said an
liss Brandon, ungraciously and the poor an
Toman shrank back at the words. as
Harrys eyes flashed in very uncivii tn
manner, | am afraid, as he said rather au
oughly, 1--WE will make room," springing ar
ut at the moment, and hurriedly lifting the th
lchrymose traveller and her child into his in
lace. Then, without word, he quartered tis
imself upon a section of the sleigh's floor, be
I'd drove ahead. tic
In little while Miss Brandon said, softly an
/ think there is room up here, Mr.. Lang IA
)rd." gl
81 am very welldown mere, he answered. pr
nd then, in a low voice, leaning over toward or
er-''I could not have thought, Miss Brand on