The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-08-30

and claim the privilege of being frenc
to the soldiers. 1ou must let Inc be youi
friend, too" .,..i ......
81 am honored, with smile so bright
and sweet that she caught her breatl
hard. Just so another had smiled on hei
once, and-well, well it was foolish,
may be, but she liked this young soldier
boy, he was indeed hardly more than a
boy, with his true face and courteous
mien SO she led him on to tell her lit.
tie Of bimself-how lie came to he lvino
there sick and helpless, discharged
soldier.
There was not much to tell, lie said.
He had been in the service year. lie
was present at the seige of Vicksiurg. and
in the capture Of Port Hudson that came
after 1T was there that | was wound
ed-shot through the lungs. An uglv
wound IT was, but our surgeon was a
skillful one, and he brought me through.
At last we were brought to ST. Louis. a
boat-Ioad OF Us, sick and wounded togetll-
er My sister came here to see me. She
wanted to nurse me herself she had faith
TO believe that she could better for me
than any stranger. l was wild to yet out
Of The hospital--it seemed TO me that if |
could only 90 away from there should
| get well mt once. 1t was not difficult TO
procure discharge" A paroxysm OF
coughing interrupted the recital, and when
IT was over he lay back on the pillow en-
tirely exhausted.
Miss Grant asked no more questions
thcp-paascd out quietly, beckoning Miss
| Gilbert into the entry.
d" will pay you in advance for making
those shirts, and you can take your own
time 10 them" producing bank note
from a little pearl and silver portmonnaic.
Il don't wish to be mcdtllesomc or intru-
sivc, but you ought to keep a better fire.
Your brothers health, and your own, too,
absolutely requires it,"
81 know it, Miss Grant, bnt Mrs. Lat
timer hasn't paid me yet, and | have had
no money to buy coal. l can get some
now, though, thanks to your Kindness in
I pay hID liiC bclOlclliul.
81 Half freezing and no money to buy
fuel. That is dreadful" soliloquised Miss
Grant as she went back TO her carriage.
That third story room and its two occu-
pauts haunted her thoughts as she rode
home in the cold brightness of the winter
sunlight. They haunted her as she sat
in the warmth and quiet of her own lux
urions parlor that night listening to the
brilliant talk of Major Lusk. They
haunted her still when, a week later. G er-
trude Gilbert presented herself with her
work completed, and asked for more
Miss Grant was just sitting down alone
to luncheon when Gertrude was shown in.
To the surprise of the servant in atten-
dance she Immediately ordered another
plate for Miss Gilbert. The man obeyed
wondering "what whim Miss Leonie had
taken into her head now" 1t was hard
ly a whim-Aliss Leone was not aiycn TO
whims, but she was Independent in her
views, and being a belle and an hciress
could afford to set Mrs. Grundy at def
ance in way that woman of less as
sured position would not have ventured
upon SO, simply because it was her will
and pleasure to do 50, she invited Ger
trude to place at her table, and Tim.
the waiter, knew from the glance of his
mistress's eye that lie must serve Miss
Gilbert with the same difference he paid
to herself
Later, ensconced in an easy chair be-
fore her dressing-room fire, Miss Grant
employed her fingers with bit Of en-
broidery, talking betweenwhiles to Ger
trude, who waited while the housekeeper
prepared some more work. 4 really
pretty girl, Miss Leonie thought. noting
the figure, whose natural grace OF coarse
dress could neither destroy or conceal 4;
the shapely white throat the delicate
textures clearly outlined against the Grim
son Inning of the chair. Nothing. too,
how her whole chilled frame relaxed in
the soft, luxurlant atmosphere, the faint
flush that crept into her cheeks. She
seemed just fitted TO live amid such sur
roundinSs as these sat there in kind of
dreamy quiet, drinking in with apprecia-
tive senses the beauty about her, Beauty
of form and color, of outline and tint and
grouping, for Miss Grant had an artists
eye for fine effects in house and dress and
fun niture.
1t was hardly to be expected that this
wcman, LeOnie Grant, flattered and car
essed in society, belle by right of her
wealth and beauty, and a certain name-
less charm OF manner that women called
artiulncss and men pronounced divine.
would be Interested in the fortunes of a
couple OF chance OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
too, a good way below her in social posi-
tion. y ct she was Interested ; she want
ed to know more about them, and ques-
tion or two, delicatcly put, elected from
Gertrude the information she wished to
obtain. ....
There were but tlIree OF them in the
family--Gertrude and Stephen and ano-
ther brother, John, many years older than
either. They had neither father OF
mother, but this elder brother had SUP
plled TO them, so far as he might, the
place of both. When the war broke ont
he was commissioned captain of volun-
teers. Gertrude was at school then, and
Stephen at college. Stephen wanted to
enlist, but John would not hear of il.
There were men enough to fill the ranks
he said, more than enough, and the army
was no place for boy of seventeen, His
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