Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-03-31

should walk or ride, not at all concerned
rs to her own disposal.
The factory bell had done ringing, and
John Randall was in sight of home just as
the carriage of his employer stopped at his
door, and his wifc stepped from it. Ho did
not, however, ovorhear her say to stephen
Halliburton, "If you will como in to-mor-
row afternoon, l will show you what 1
mean"
Had you a pleasant afternoon?" her
husband asked, by-and-by, as they sat at
the tea-table.
"Very pleasant" she said thoughtfully.
ut was very polite in Mrs. Halliburton
to bring you home"
"Yes, should have spoiled my dress"
1t was always with a little effort that
John Randall got his wife to talk, and she
seemed peculiarly silent tonight, absent as
well as silent. Her eyes were brighter,
100, than common-her cheeks a little
flushed. He was too generous, too unsel-
fsh man to begrudge her even happi-
ness in which he had no part but some
thing in her abstraction filed him with un-
easiness. The uneasiness was not decreas
7 cd, when, reaching home little before the
usual hour, the following afternoon, he
met stephen Halliburton just leaving the
house, nor when he found Georgy with the
same frightened eyes and heightened color
as the night before.
That was the beginning of John Ran
dalls trouble.
1t was not so much common iealousy-a
mans instinct of revolt at another mans
admiration of his handsome wife-as il
was fear, desperate, death-like fear, that
Georgy needed something he could not
give her to make her happy. He could
never give her luxuries. He could never
say such things as he fancied Stephen Hal
iburton must be able to say to women.
But he loved her so! How could he en-
dure that anything should come between
them?
81 won't wrong her and tease her with
suspicious" he said to himself in the depth
of the night. "Ill just fight my way tho
best 1 can against it. I'll keep on steady;
perhaps she'll she it right by-and-by."
Poor fellow he did not realize how his
own determination implied the dreary
thought that her heart was turned from
him. He raised himself on his arm to
look at her as she slept; and all through
what followed he retained the expression
of her pure, calm face, as it pressed the
pillow, whitened by the moonlight that
glinted the frost on the window -panes and
flooded the room.
She seemed to him colder after this and
he kept silent. lie knew that she met
Halliburton at her aunt's; he knew that
when she went to the seaside the ensuing
su miner, for weeks visit to Mrs. Paul
Appleton, there he was also. lie knew
that she seemed to be living a life apart
from him and once-that was when the
IRON entered his soul-when he went to her
little desk-a present he had made her dur
ing their engagement-for asheet of paper,
and found it locked, and asked her care
lessly enough for the key, she flushed, and
said she would get the paper for him.
But he keIt true to the promise he made
himself lie sept on "fghting his way
against it as best he could" hoping with
sick heart, that she "might see il, right by
and-by."
The months wore away. The second
year of their marriage was nearly complet-
ed. John had been very careful-as care
ful as Georgy herself-that there should be
no outward and visible sign of msunder-
standing or coldness between them. No
suspicion had come to any that the second
year of their married life had been less
happy than the first. Nor had he ever
omitted to give her any indulgence within
his power.
lie had prepared Il surprise for her upon
the coming anniversary OF their wedding
day-a present of twelve guineas, his saw
ings during the year.
The anniversary fell upon Sunday; and
so their little commemoration of the day
must como the preceding evening. No al
lusion had been made to any celebration by
either of them, but John felt sure, some
way, that she could not let the time pass
without some sign. For his own part, he
had half resolved to attempt some expa-
nation of their estrangement. Anything,
he thought would be better than this chill
ing reserve. With his mind divided be-
tween anticipation of relief and jealous
dread, he went to the counting-house that
Saturday night to receive his money. The
cashier looked up, with certain cmbar-
rassment at his approach.
"Ah, Mr.. Randall, the accumulation you
have left in my hands? To be sure! And,
by the way, Mr.. Halliburton spoke to me
to mention TO you that there were some
changes to be made, and-and-but there
he is himself, sir"
John Randall turned with feeling akin
to desperation, to meet his employer. 1t
had gone through him like a thunderbolt,
as the cashier spoke that he was to be dis
placed. stephen Halliburton simply said,
| as John faced him, "Tll not detain you
now, Mr.. Randall. l shall call this eve
obliged to make"
And the owner bowed and left him.
r With the money in his nerveless hands,
John Randall walked homeward like a
man dazed. lie was to lose his place For
what reason he found ii impossible te con-
lecture. But to lose it was to lose reputa-
| tion, courage-everythlng lie had never
| imagined such n possibility as that. The
money that he carried-he should not dare
to make present of 1t to Georgy now.
lie might have to wait for other employ
ment. 1t might be needed for their bare,
everyday needs, before he got work again
| 4 chill like death struck to his soul
Georgy evidently had not overlooked the
recurrence of their wedding day. Tho CO.
| sy rooms of the cottage all wore a little air
of iestivily. Some slender vases held the
| gleanings of the r-beds-chrysanthe
| ums,-blood- white and purple-ver-
bonas, and scarlet geraniums.
She came TO the door that night to meet
him, one of her company" dresses on,
some knots of velvet fastening her collar,
and seeming to give glow to her white