Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-03-25

ceptible dawning womanhood Of this girl, an
impression which the slow waves Of the rising
tide of years would hardly eradicate Here
was the living breathing realization Of that
manhood, which the lonely country girls
heart and fancy had already forestalled. How
immeasurably all men with whom she had
been thrown, sank below this one
/ The young man articulated for her soul
those fine eourtesies, the polish of bearing,
and speech aud i'.anner, for which her soul
had such affinity He had done her much
good certainly, in developing the germs Of
tastes, and feeling, and aspirations in her
character, and in giving new form and direction
to the vague wants and aims of her soul.
Still, it might almost be questioned whether
the good was greater if he left over this
girls young life perpetual sense of loss and
desolaton, clinging pain, settled blank
ness But Melissa Rowe was of that quiet,
retcent kind, which however deep the hurt
went would carry it silently unoomplaining-
ly, with womanly heroism.
Nine years more are passed by; Melissa
Rowe is woman now. She has one of those
faces, however. which will never look their
years for beneath it throbs heart which will
hold always something of the dew and sweet
ness of it, girlhood. She is no genius, GER
tainly, bat woman of fine and cultivated
intellect in all directions; the soft clear ar
ticulation, the quiet repose of her presence,
the simple self-possession Of her manner,
would adoru any social position, however ex-
allied.
Yet her opportunities have not been wide
ones. The purpose which once took possess
sion Of her soul. and which pointed straight
to the paper-mill as the only path to its at
tainment, has never once tagged or failed her.
That autunn's work furnished her with means
sufficient to pursue her studies at the academy
for year. She did so with energy and eff
feet Afterwards she studied and taught al
ternately, doing the latter at least for one
year at one of the finest boarding seminaries
in the state.
AT the close of this year Melissas father
died Both of her brothers were already
married, and these settled down in the old
homestead. Melissa share of the property
was very small but she managed TO secure q
couple of acres which her brothers regarded
as the least valuable of their fathers land.
Bat from the height of the wooded slope was
landscape which must have sent gust of
JOY through the soul of any lover of nature
There were mountains in the distance, with
glimpses of the sea beyond; there were brok-
en- passages of meadow scenery, and dells,
and sloping meadows, and banks of rivers,
making altogether Bit of enchantment
And here with the rest of her fortune, Me-
lissa Rowe built her little brown nest of a
villa, crcled with verandahs, and smothered
in with vines and shrubs.
" | must have IA home" she said to herself
with smile whose sweetness just touched a
little sadness, 4" and as nobody will ever make
one for me- | must do it myself
Her brothers thought it was folly and mad
ness to waste her little Inheritance in that
fashion, but they had learned that it was use.
less to contend with Melissa, and so the small
house with its eight or nine rooms in it, lay
like a brown vase in its shelter of greenery.
4 quiet slumbrous little nook, in which to
dream away ones hours, it was, aud for year
Melissa taught II small school here, and thank
ed God every hour that she was happy.
One day-it was the last of the year, aud
she stood watching with her brownish eyes
the last sun of December, as it went over the
hills, swathed in snow, her face somewhat
sadder and older, but not less sweet and fair
than its early girlhood--there came suddenly
a message to her from the hotel two miles
away.
gentleman, an officer from New York
regiment had been taken off at the station
He was seriously wounded, and had been
too i'll to 90 ON farther, but when they told
him the name of the town in which he was
stopping, he mentioned the name of Melissa
Rowe, aud relapsed again into unconscious
ness, But iancying he might be friend or
acquaintance of hers they had dispatched a
messenger at once from the hotel
Melissa Rowe listened with amazcment
She ran over in her thought the names of all
the brothers of her school friends, who would
be likely to be in the army at this time.
IL will 90 and see, she said with her nat
ural quiet promptness, wrapping her shawl
about her.
A tall figure lay on the bed, the dark hair
channeied thick with gray, sickly palor
over the bronzed face, the eyes closed, the
thin, pallid lips set with suffering.
Melissa Rowe stopped suddenly, gave a
quick gasp for breath aud clutched the near
est chair. In moment however, she said,
in her low clear tones" Oh, yes, ! know
hints George Dane"
The sick man opened his eyes then, and saw
her He smiled family. Little Melissa ="
he muttered. That was ALL and his mind
wandered again.
Major George Danes wound was " severe
but not necessarily a fatal one, b" the physician
- l..s l.. ,..l ~
most judieious care and nursing for the next
month-absomte quiet too
Melissa's home could furnish him that, and
the next day, when the noon sunshine of the
New Year lay warmest on the earths coyerlet
of snow, they drove the sick man over to the
little nest home and his hostess and the nurse
which she had engaged took sole charge of
him afterwards
In less than week he was better, but the
wound healed slowly, and in those long, still,
serene days of conyalescence he used to watch
with sort of wondering tenderness the small,
quiet graceful woman, who seemed To carry
the sunshine with her where she went. After
the first week they talked together, gaining
each day new glimses into the life of the other
since their parting.
George Dane had been married to a frail,
sweet, gentle gir-woman, who slipped out of
life before they kept second anniversary Of
their bridal. Melissa Rowe listened to her
guests story Of his courtship and marriage
with these brown eyes of hers bent on the
book in her lap, and her face telling no story
One day, month after he had passed the
threshold, Major Dane sat in Meissa's place
by tho window He was recovering rapidly