Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-08-31

faIr unknown, and never went any Wher
without faint hope of seeing her.
: stared at every womsn met with ligh
hair and dark eyes, hunted through photc
graph saloons. and always looked int
every body's album thing that ordina
rily | detest-but all my efforts were i
vain; and finally l gave up the Who'll
. thing as mystery it was useless to puzzl
-1my brains over. But at last, one day
Al sAh 2 exclaimed Kate; now she's com
ing. I know. I was beginning to grow i'm
7 patient for her, 80
Yes he answered, with a smile at he
earnestness; now she's coming, Kate anc
} this was.the way she came. Twas hurry
ing home one afternoon in sudden, blind
ing snow-storm that had Just come up. III
front of me were two young ladies. rushing
along under an umbrella, eviSmtly over
| taken, like me- by the treA.endS storm
The wind was blowing thef f.clotha .afpu
In a very uncefemonious manner, extremity
to their dismay-thotfgh one of them,
noticed; had the pretti@t rost and ankle
ever saw--and beneath their closely tied
blue wells they were laughing heartily al
they tried to hold up s'seir umbrella. and
at TIE same time keep their footing on the
icy sidewalk. | was watching them with
much amusement and interest, especially
the ta1as, ,on6,, sho szxE graesrhs q,
ssRite Of. her d zeuitiss, when. s. saddez
gusesf wind raldes sweeniag round the
corlss nhjrled :the ha1brella out Of theis
hands s3ahd bfdaght thefa beth daB don the
ice at mE feef~ with a crash. fb6, short
one laugh3pd bounced 81 bsfQEe Fcould
help her. but the .othertfe5cb4dut and
took my outsfsetched- handswFh little
moan. think have spnaiqedn my ankle
said she, in soft, piteous svcits.t At tha
Lifted her geatiy with both @yafms, and
as L did so, her friend exclaimed, 'joyfuffs,
It.Dh, bless yod, Mr.. Haller I'm so glad
Its vols;JF and, to my surprise, it was my
oldfriend, Mary Allyn, the jolliest, dralest
l-crature, too.
: Laura are you kilt entirely ? Oh dear
she can hardly stand Dir. HALEY, juS
hold her up long enough for me to intrSE
duee you to her-Miss Stanley. Now what
are we to do?' 4
You don't mean to tell me- exclaimed
Kate, with animation, that it was Laura
Stanley p
Yes, said the young man, quickly
Why, do you know herr
sOnly by reputation, before L went
abroad, as great beauty and most fas-
cinating woman. She had such host of
suitors So it was her picture you had
Now 90 on, for | am ten times more inter-
ested than ever
Well, fortunately, carriage was pass
ing. So hailed it; and, taking the half
fainting girl in my arms, put her into it
and Mary and l took her home. just as
we had seated ourselves in it. l supporting
her carefully one side, Mary tenderly hold
ing up the poor little foot the other, her
veil came off, and there, to my utter be-
wilderment and delight was the long,
sought original of my picture, her head
actually resting on my shoulder! There
were the same wonderful dark eyes. the
same light, wavy hair tossed back from the
low, wide forehead, even the same brooch
an odd, foreign afair-at her throat !.
1t was luck for me that Mary was entirely
occupied with her friend. Otherwise ]
don't know what she would have thought
of my perfectly amazed and probably lu-
dicrous expression as we drove slowly along
l am sure couldn't have told whether
was in heaven or earth. She did utterly
bewitch me that day, Kate, not onl ly with
her beauty, but her brave endurance of the
pain-which, as soon as the faintness pass
ed off, she made light of-and her naive,
sweet ways, the frankness with which she
accepted my aid, and then the lovely blush
with which she thanked me when, having
carried her safely into her home, left
her.
OF course [ went home in state of
ecstasy, sat up half the night poring over
her picture, and dreaming glorious dreams
of the future; and of course, the very
next morning, presented myself at the
Allyn mansion, ostensibly to inquire after
Mary's health and condition, really to find
out everything possible about Miss Stan-
ley. Mary was overfowipg in her express
ions of gratitude, both for herself and her
friend; and after informing me that the
sprain had proved very slight, raised me
to the seventh heaven by rehearsing the
thousand and one complimentary things
that she insisted Miss Stanley had said
about me. | told her that, as 1 didn't be-
lieye word she was saying, we would
change the subject, and asked how it hap
pened that | had never met her friend be-
fore.
She has lived in Philadelphia till late
ly; has been great belle there; but her
father, who is lawyer, and not well off
has moved now with his family to New
York
4 She is very beautiful, and will find no
l. Il e 4 -
'Ah = said Mary, quickly but she is
already engaged
DO you know, Kate, thatwhen she said
that honestly felt as though some one had
suddenly stabbed me. don't think l
showed it though, in my face, and said
quietly.
And who is the fortunate man ?
! Mr.. John Kuler. Cuban on his moth
er's side-such a little, dark man furious
ly jealous, they say, if she but smiles on
any one else-and without an earthly at
traction, that ever L could see, for girl
like Laura Stanley, unless it's his immense
wealth, and his old mily-one of the best
in the city, you know
81 had heard enough, as you may sup
pose, Kate. and walked home, calling, my
self fool, and vowing never to look at, or
care for her picture again. My little
romance is over. | said to myself, as put
the case carefully away. L might have
known it would be so so here's the end of
/ if all for me. All, Kate dear, it would
have been well for me if that had been the
end of it.
In August, finding the city hot, and
needing rest from business, 1 went for my
vacation to-never mind the name-one of
the fashionable resorts that summer. You
know the sort of place-a large hotel fill
ed with gay people, wide piazzas running
n - I.I.-l4e..I -.-o.,