The weekly union record., 1864-10-08
IN A NUTSHELL

/ | say, Rose. girls are q nuisance ,-arn't
/ they?" said Raymond Dexter, lounging at
/ length among the silken cushions in his sister 5
boudoir, one morning. Il wouldn't give that.7
with a snap of his aristocratic 6ngers-''for
the whole crew, so far as | know anything
about them ~
when did you see Victoria laSt?" questioned
Rose with an expressive lifting of her pretty
brows. She WAS pretty, indeed-a dainty.
snowy and pink piece of prettinesS.
Her brother, Raymond Dexter. was what the
ladies called love of a man : efemiDately
handsome and fasiidious, sporting white hands
and periumed locks, vet full statured man
physically, with white. broad brow that
ought TO have had intellect under it, and a
deep dark eve that ought to have flashed with
the language OF al energetic and cultivated
vitality.
The flash came transenlly as his sister spoke;
and be said, with some impaience. Victoria
Field is the greatest nuisance of them all ~
Victoria Field was the name of the latest
edition of womanhood that Raymond Dexter
had had a grand passion fora plain, dark
woman, without even what Rose called style.
The last woman in the world, one would have
thought, for an exquisite like Raymond Dexter
to fall in love with. Yet he had deliberately
done so foolish as that. as Rose had shrewdly
suspected
Victoria Field was at the bottom of the
astounding opinion he had jrst expressed
concerning girls"
Rose, however. was far from apprehending
the extent OF the mischief. She would have
opened her languid blue eyes TO much more
than their usual dimensions if she had known
that Miss Field-,hat plain, dark girl, with no
style. and 20 beauty and 10 expectations, SO
far as anybody knew had refused to become
the wife of her brother Raymond positively
refused Nay. more, and which rankled 10 his
consciousness still, when be. totally at loss to
unders' and such perversity toward invincibilIty
like his, asked and politely pressed for reason
for her refusal, instead of telliEg him. as she
had perfect right to do, that her reasons were
no concern Of his, she rose and asked him, with
that outspokenness which was one of her
charms for him, if he expected her to give him
her sole and only reason, Or He knew that
that pause meant that, if she could not give
him the true reason, she would not give any !:
besides, as was natural, he wanted the truth,
of course.
| She crossed the room then, and took from
the window, where it hung, q little crystal
f Ud>h- aDu UIouSut IL " uliIl, put IL III DoDu
and stood looking at him with a sweet, grave,
half sad wistfuluess.
She had beautiful eyes.
! The flask was one of those toys with which
some curious people amuse themselves We
/ have all heard of or seen such, dare say. An
/ acorn suspended by thread from the mouth
of the flask within had sprouted in that narrow
compass aud become an oak-an oak truly
/ but 10 miniature, dwarfeJ. aud of course could
only its presen: briancy past, drag out q
! sickly existence, and die at last 10 such
/ confined quarters.
/ Holding it so between bis hands-awkwardly
enough, too, considering that be was Raymond
Dexier-Miss Field could hardly help seeing
! that her shaft had sped home What if |
/ should break the flask p be said with q sudden
abruptness and brevity surprising to himself
Il wish you would" she said, eagerly, her
hand falling lightly upon bis arm. lie stole a
swift glance at the grave, sweet eyes that were
regarding him almost pleadingly then, with q
very vague consciousness Of where or what, or
1 who he was, be said good morning. and left her.
The flask, unbroken still, hung in the airiest
place in his room, aud he made it principle
not to look toward it when be could possibly
help it. What did the girl mean by giving
! him "potted acorn ?" as be called it. If be
didn't know what she meant. be ought TO have
asked her-that's all and, for q man in q
( state or uucoHsciOusness 10 The meaning OF
the girl be fancied he loved, be had a most
singular habit of thrilling and turning scarlet
every time be thought of her little hand upon
/ his arm, aud her beautiful, wistfu eyes upon
! bis face.
In the deep, wide parlors. that night, Rose
Dexter entertained her Thousand and one
friends or something less-a gay crowd, with
the surge of music and plumes and perfume
among it, and the fash Of bright eyes and
sciutillant diamonds Dainty little Rose had
admirers enough to have turned wiser heads
than hers but the worst OF it was that she
inclined decidedly to a preference among them.
There was a pair of eyes lowering always
somewhere within view of her that slowly aud
reluctantly took 10 the knowledge, and the
craving brows above those eyes knit themselves
and frowued anxiously at the consciousness.
Two onlv of the danglers in the beauty :
train did these ewes see-Leeds EntTesol and
Frank Brandon. Leeds Entreso tall, dark,
magnificent, with voice deep and vibrant as
q smothered cataract and ietty wealth Of
whisker and moustacbe Rose both sought
his glance and shrank from it, The other.
Frank Brandon. a slight. careless, graceful
Young fellow. ss light as the first was dark
gay, laughing, genial; but with neither laugh
nor genialitv for any one in the room save
pretty, pretty Rose. She blushed often at
some things be said to her but she laughed,
too, and the blush might have been as much for
Entresol as for Brandon, since often the one
could not well help bearing what the other said.
Entresol said little-Brandon much, and
Brandon was scarcely absent from her side an
instant the whole evening, when it was possible
/ 10 be By her.
Eutresoi seemed sEayed By circumstances
uesr or srsy, as it chanced but with his eye