The Portland daily press., 1872-06-29
Show could they be otherwise when you

was SOlilS ilOilt, anu the CohOiOhiSS StNON.
So it happened that Bert temporized with
that hint of his letters being read in court for
the diversion of the townstolks, hanging over
his head Had he been quite certain of their
contents he might have defied them; but he
was aware that a young man in the first
fliobt of fancy allows his enthusiasm to run
away with his prudence. But all this did not
prevent him from going daily to Mrs. SmalPs
for his bouquet, which, blythe by, he some
times carried to Mario Upton, a sacrifice to
Nemesis; and these daily calls at the cottage
in Lovers lane became like daily bread to
the hungry. He lived for them, counted the
hours till it was time to set forth, prolonged
them till the hostess was fain to spread the
little tea table and invite her guest to drink
nectar from china and to taste ambrosia
home made. Sometimes when the nights
were warm they took tea in the little arbor,
with roses nodding in att the archway, and
honey suckles climbing the lattice, and mign-
onette splicing the air; and there the moon
would find them listening to the sleepy notes
of thrushes in the hedge, or talking of the
dim, delicious future as if it were some en-
chanted land toward which they were jour
neying together.
One evening as she babe him good night
on her door step, he felt her hand tremble in
his.
7''What is it P' he asked. "Did you see
ghost among the plum treesr liz
Something startled me. saw thought
saw face among the shrubbery."H
"Whose face ?" N
sob, perhaps was mistaken. 1t was a
shadow projected from fancy, maybe" g..
q ''You are getting nervous, little one. You
must not live here alone" = ~ A' a.r.
And the next evening when Mr.. Great
erex loitered to the cottage, he found she had
followed his advice. The doors of the house
were closed and placards, STo let" were in
the windows. The widow Small had vanish
ed like vision in fairy story. Mr.. Beth
old Greaterex was beside himself, and ready
to brave anything in Marie Upton's power.
What did breach of promise signify in COM
parison with losing his love? Let those laugh
who win.
the description of Mrs. Small take the noon
train for New York that day. Bert followed
without delay, wasted week in hanging
around the city before he betook himself to
the house of his friend Mrs. Aberneth in the
suburbs One afternoon, as he was turning
over some cngravings in the parlor with Kate
Aberneth, little Charlie burst into the room
crying and sobbing out that, |
"Miss Van Orme's gone and dead herself
in the school-room! Charlie didn't do it!
Charlie only said, ''Mr. Greaterex is counting
|
and Mary said, ''Hush, you silly boy;;' and
Charlie was mad, and told that ma said so
herself, and threw the primer at Mary; and
Miss Van Orme looked all white like and shut
her eyes, and won't talk; and Mary said,
''Now you've done it Charliev' Did Char
lief? IN - 81 stE@s
ooh you horrid boyp' cried Kate Aber-
meth. "YOu are always in mischief. 1 sup
pose Miss Van Orme has tainted. Go and
tell mamma"
''Who is Miss Van Orrne ~ asked Bert.
"Only the nursery governess. We do have
such a bother with them, One has temper,
another has headaches, and now, when we
thought we had got jewel, here she is faint
ingr'
II think we ought to try and revive her."
said Bert, taking Charles hand, while Kate
led they way. But when they had reached
the school-room, Miss Van Orme had recov-
cred her senses, and was sitting in her arm
|. chair, while Mary vigorously famed her pal
lid face. |7'e'sft
''For mercy's sake, what made you faint,
Miss Orme?" cried Kate. "You almost
threw Charlie into COMMISSIONS
Miss Van Orme stood up and looked be-
yond Miss Aberneth to Mr.. Greaterex, stand
ing in the doorway, who came forward to her
relief instantly. -
''You must not stand" he said, leading
her back to her seat. 81 think have found
friend of mine'@ turning to Kate. ''Why
did you run away from your friends ?' he
questioned, relieving Mary of the fan. ass
- ran away from my enemies" if you
please.
''Do you call me one?'
Perhaps we had better withdraw" said
poor Kate, tossing her head to conceal her
chagrin. "Come, children sL
'Thank you," Bert answered her: sI
should like few minutes alone with Miss
Van Orme, if you please.
"Oh, you had better go back to Miss Kate
in the drawing-room," said Miss Van Orme,
when the door had closed upon
them; "It will be shame to disappoint Mrs.
Aberneth; and, indeed, / can get along very
well without you, SIR" z - :
But l can't get along without YOU"
And yet you know nothing at all about
me-, t-@
81 am satisfied with my knowledge
know that you are charming, and that love
you"
you love woman sailing under an alias !?
| am neither Mrs. Small or Miss Van Orme."
81 don't care fig who you are. 1 will
marry you tomorrow, if you consent, under
whatever name you may choose
Generosity is catching. 1 will tell you
my story" -.-..-- .vsE G.i
I viii not listen to it except from the lips of
Mrs Berthold Greaterex."
Please yourself"
''Thank you. Then will come for YOU
tomorrow, and we will be married in church.
But when he returned to the drawing room and
told his story to Mrs. Aberneth, she insisted
that the wedding should take place at her
house.
Everybody was taken aback at Greaterex
when Berthold wrote that he should bring
his bride home the following week. sYou
may have seen her." he wrote, 'swhen she
was Mrs. Small and lived in the cottage in
Lovers lane. You remember, perhaps, that
you once sent her some summer sweetings.
/ owe my happiness to those precions apples
Caroline will remember the occasion, be-
cause she offered to part with some of her
wardrobe to the poor widow"
"Oh! oh y cried Caroline, che has mar
ried the widow Small and all her children |!
How could he? She's old enough to be his
grandmother. Oh. dearl dear! dear! I
shall never want to see another summer,
sweeting as long as live. / wish you would
order Spades to cut down the tree, mamma
No wonder an apple tree brought trouble in
to the world, and shut folks out of Paradise!
1t keeps its reputation up finely! To think
that the heir of Greaterex should marry a
hideous old widowp'
Guess her surprise when Berthold opened
the carriage door, and there descended a lit
tie person, who threw aside her veil, and dis
closed dazzling skin of rose and lily hues,
eyes like summer brooks, brown and liquid,
hair ripple of sunbeams-the semblance of
an angel in flesh and blood!
"Where-are-the-ch children ?'' gasped Car
oline.
eyes" laughed Berthold, 'and where are
the wrinkles, and the gray hairs and the
sunken eyes? Is she an awful old fright,
Carrie ?''
Summer sweetings are not so sour, after
all, mamma" said Caroline later. 81 guess
Spades may spare the tree.''
The next week Berthold overlook Maria
Upton in his walk
81 saw Mrs. Greaterex in church," said
she.
'Did you see an antiquity with false
front piece?"
"Now don't be disagreeabe; how could I
know? By-the-way, L have some news to
tell you: am engaged" ~
ALLOW me to congratulate your lover. 1
suppose you mean to entertain him with those
precious letters of mine ?'
"Your letters? Oh, haven't the ghost of
one left; l curled my hair on them long ago:
it was only the empty envelopes with which /
leased you. But tell me about Mrs. Greater
ex. L hear it is like story"
eyes; perhaps you have heard of the
Prudhomme heiress? remember when the
affair was much talked of, and thinking it was
sad enough: You see, Pauline was the last