Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-12-01

ing assurance as she turned quickly
away, only to look again and again,
whether she would or not, for AN answer
ing glance Of sympathy as her soul was
stirred by the gifted thoughts and noble
ideas of the speaker. So it was at
Prize Speaking" and at the evening
ectures. AT the concert of Wednesday
evening, and again on Commencement
day, they were seated where countless
lightning glances passed between them,
which each being quick at interpreting,
they were thus made acquainted by in
tuition with the thoughts of the other
They met frequently in the grou nds, the
grove, the gymnasium, the chapel. on
the tower, in the cabinets, and one day,
strangely enough, the surging, seething
crowd left them quite alone for mo-
ment in hequaint silence of the Nine
yah Gallery.
am glad to see that you remember
our compact" he said, in his peculiar
rich voice; are you willing to con tinue
itY
A look and the words spoken trem-
blingly, "More than willing" was all,
for Laura's gay companions returned for
her Just then, and Cousin Nell exclaim-
ed, as she hurried her down the drive to
the fower-garden-
"Oh, my, Laura how that splendid
man looks at you notice it every time
we meet. You're made conquest. l
shall write to your father that he'll soon
have you off his hands. If he looked
atme iii that way should go wild, butyou
are so cool and Indifferent that / doubt
your realizing that there is man in
town !" for Laura, much to her cousins
distaste, had turned deaf ear to all the
rawlings about students, to which they
were given in common with most girls in
a town where there is a college.
And those chance meetings were all
! which the fates that time bestowed upon
them, with the exception that at the close
of the week, while standing on the piaz-
"a of the Amherst House, she saw him
mount the crowded coach for Northamp-
ton. They were better acquainted than
scores who had been formally introduced
and exchanged a few meaningless con-
ventionalisms. As he lifted his hat when
the coach ratified away, each was con-
scious of vague pain at parting, pain
which was overcome by the faith which
each had in the integrity of the other,
and the confdencethat they should event.
ually meet again.
Every one remarked the change in
Laura. Although not less cheerful, she
showed much higher degree of culture
and her manner acquired a new and
) charming dignity. Her tastes took such
a different turn that she discarded her
light frivolous music and practiced
Beethoven and Handel. She wrote an
essay upon culture for the village Liter
airy Society, not knowing her friend was
preparing lecture upon the same SUBJ
] ject at the same time. Their diaries, dur
ing most of this season, as compared af-
terward, were curious from their similar
ity, and from the way the stronger had
, | iad tha moa b ar ond Iaro o,,lt;r,.oJ ..~;xl
: How she studied after she went home
: from Amherst "How you do study I"
said her father, well pleased for there
had been time, when full of her pretty
, girlish conceits and vanities, books had
been somewhat neglected. She took a
fancy to conchology she looked for
specimens of coral and sea-anemones in
every little collection in the village, and
read every treatise upon the subject she
could find She asked questions of her
father, of the doctor, and of Squire Brown
} 1t was seeing the shells at Amherst, she
supposed" she said, splendid collec-
J tion,-she had been delighted with them.
1t was shame she had never seen them
before, living so near them all her life
8 She wished everybody could go through
those cabinets; parents and teachers par
ticularly didn't think half enough about
: it. If she had the power, every child in
the Commonwealth should go to Amherst
and go through the cabinets. How il
| would rouse their ideas and give them
such new interest in the world they
? live in She could imagine how excited
and enthusiastic they would be; how af
: ter they went home, they would com
mence collecting curiosities oftheir own
. how, for time, the bugs, butterflies, and
; birds eggs would suffer! what quantities
of odd-looking stones would accumulate
: in imitation of Professor Hitchcock -
Aud even if alter time the first pleas
ure of specimen-gathering wore of, they
I would never settle back into the same
groove where they moved before. For
, herself, she said, al will improve myself
every way in my power. | will be wor-
thy of him if the time ever comes that