The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-20

heap OF folks whom | never supposed
aged who wear false fronts, ii it means
that they smile when they would rather
lrown, and say i am glad TO see you
when they wish you in the Red Sea.
"0h, how provoking You are, Mr..
Greaterexl But perhaps you will tell me
if this widow Small needs assistance-ii
she would like to go into the Old Ladies'
Home which our society is about to eS-
tablish.r
"IIow benevolent minded you are, Miss
Maria!n Bert lhuged. ~ almost wish
myself an old lady to DO provided for by
your charity; but | don't believe that
| Mrs. Small would take kindly toit." And
then the talk wandered into other chan
nels. Yesterday their filtration had been
in danger of falling into a more tender
strain; to-day the widow Small preserved
the equilibrium. But Miss Upton had no
mind to give up ground once gained. She
fancied that ho wished to withdraw from
the halt-conclusions of tho day before
that no desired to balance the past 40
count, which made up pretty sum total
of sugared speeches and halfuttered dec
larations, by crediting them all to friend
ship There was an air Of indifference
about him which she greatly mistrusted /;
but she would not allow him to slip
through her fingers so easily. Publicity
of private affairs was the bugbenr Of the
Greaterex soul had she not received
enough fragrant notes and letters from
Bert to answer her purposel Not that
shn would descend to the vulgur necessity
of breach of promise, but where was tho
harm of making him understand that he
was compromised
~ have been reading Madame seyigne's
correspondence" said she; "and 1t strikes
me that you resemble each other In pos.
sessing the secret Of fine letter writisg,
when most people run into twaddlc.n
al don't know how to bear myself un-
der such o. burden Of praise. | feel that
it is undeseryed.
"In order TO convince you Of Its truth,
perhaps had better allow you to repe-
rusc few specimens that have from one
Mr.. Berthod Greaterex. Seel here they
are;n unlocking a cabinet and showing q
goodly parcel tied with ribbon.
"Did / write you all those ~ said Bert,
Gghast. "I.et me see them
"Wlat arc they7" asked Caroline,
Withdrawing her attention from the styles
for nm instant. "0hl love.letters"
Love.lettcrs ?" repeated Maria. ~
don rSknow.-Were they, Mr.. Greatcrexr
aside.
al don't remember said Bert "Let
inc read them, and I'll decide"
~ don't dare trust you. People have
a way of burning up their old letters If
they can lay hands upon them Now
perhaps Pm silly and sentimental, but
mine arc worth something to me. By the
way, Mr.. Greatcrcx, did you ever 20 into
court when there was n breach of promise
case ont Jerome took MS In once, when
they were reading the love letters, and Il
was SO funnyl Everybody was convulsSd.
They were very nice letters tool"
Bert turned little pale. lie vaguely
remembered that at different periods he
had believed himself seriously "snittenn
with Maria's charms, aud had, no doubt,
written in O strain becoming lover, but
how ardently or how explicitly he could
not recall. lie knew that there had been
q breach.of.pronise case away back in the
experience Of one of his ancestors; and
tho case lad gone against him, yet he had
never fully recovered tile tone Of his sen.
sibilities, which had received such shock.
"Giyc them to me-" said Bert reaching
his hand for them.
"Will you give inc any thing in return
of equal value! VIII you give me the
noscgay in your button.holoi ~ AL
at Is beginning to fade. No, Miss Up
ton"
"Como into the garden, and l will give
you q fresh one.
"Thanks."
He followed into the garden, where she
made selection, and throwing Mrs.
small's gift aside, put her own In Its
place. Whom she had finished he picked
up the faded flower and pressed 1t into
his pOcket.book. =.
"Oh, said Maria, souvenir, some"
The words broke of in her throat. "Who
gavo It to youi" abruptly.
"The Widow Small, y said Bert smiling.
"Come you are teasing me. You
sha'nt sec single letter; and they arc
ever SO interestingl"
"IIow could they be otherwise when
you were the suhiectp
And then Caroline called to them that
she was going home, and tho conference
ended. .U -:
So It was that Bert temporizcd, with
that dreadful hint of letters being read in
court for tho diversion of the tOwns-iolk
hanging over his head. Had he been
quito certain Of their contents ho might
have defed them but he was aware that
Young man in the first enthrallment 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, by'the.way,
he sometimes carried to Maria Upton. a
sacrifice to Nemesis; and tlnse daily
calls at the cottage in Lovers Lane became
like daily bread to the hungry. He lived
for them, counted the hours till II was
time to sct forth, prolonged them till the
hostess was fain to spread her little tea.
table and invite her guest to drink nectar
from china and to taste ambrosia home.
made. Sometimes when tho nights were
warm they took tee in the little arbor,
with roses nodding in at the archway, and
loneysuckles climbing the lattice, and
mignonette spicing tho dewy air; and
there the moon would find them, listening
to the sleepy notes of thrushes in the
hedge, or talking of the dim, delicious fu.
ture as II II were some enchanted land
toward which they were journeying to.