Connecticut western news., 1872-05-24

| NA"AA A1 OOAI 4duScus l dlLuOSC WISH myself an old lady to be provided for by your charity; but I don't believe tha Mrs. Small would take kindly to it." And then the talk wandered into other chan nels. Yesterday their filtration had beer in danger of falling into more tender strain; to-day the widow Small preserved the equilibrium. But Miss Upton had nc Il mind to give up ground once gained She fancied that he wished to withdraw from the half-conclusions of the day before that he desired to balance the past ac- count, which made up pretty sum total of sugared speeches and half uttered 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 slir through her fingers so easily. Publicity of private affairs was the bugbear of the Greaterex souls: had she not received enough fragrant notes and letters from Bert to answer her purpose? Not that she would descend to the vulgur necessity of breach of promise, but where was the harm of making him understand that he was compromised?
 ~"I have been reading Madame Sevigne's correspondence,n said she; 'sand it strikes me that you resemble each other in pos sessing the secret of fine letter writing when most people run into twaddle."
 "I don't know how to bear myself un. der such burden. of praise. I feel that it is undeserved.
 "In order toAconvince you of it's truth, perhaps had better allow you to repe- ruse few specimens that have from one MT. Bertheld Greaterex. See! here they are ;'' unlocking 4ascabinet and showing a goodly parcel tied with ribbon.
 "Did I write you all those 2" said Bert, eghast,s "Let me see them" -- ssWhat are they 2n asked Caroline, withdrawing her attention from the styles for an instant. "Ohl love-letters9"
 Love e-letters ?" repeated Maria. ,t"1 don't know Werethey, Mr. Greaterexs'' aside. @~ -@ @~s @ @
 q don't remember" said Bert. "Let me read them, and I'll decide"
 don't dare trust you. People have a way of burning up their old letters ii they can lay hands upon them. Now perhaps Pm silly and sentimental, but mine are worth something to me. By the way, MT. Greaterex, did you ever go into tcourt when there was a breach of promise case ona Jerome took us in once, when they were reading the love letters, and it was so funnya Everybody was convulsed. They were very nice letters too !", S
 Bert turned little pale. He vaguely remembered that at different periods he had believed himself seriously " smitten' with Maria's charms, and had, no doubt, written in Q strain becoming lover, but how ardently or how explicitly he could not recall. He knew that there had been a abreach-of-promise case away back in the experience of one of his ancestors; and the case had gone against him, yet he lad never fully recovered the. tone of his sen. abilities, which had received such shock
 'Give them te me-" said Bert reaching his hand for them. .lzzs 4s xl.-s@a :
 twill you give me any thing in return of equal valuei Will you give me the nosegay in your button-hole %
 Ut is beginning to fade. No, Miss Up,
 "Come into the garden, and I will give you fresh one. . Thanks." -v f-sy-~ gsr~ y~sYI He followed into the garden, where she made g selection, and throwing Mrs Small's gift aside, put her own in its place. When she had finished he picked up the faded flower and pressed it into I his pocket book. .=g y..-z ,.s. .s.., :
 "Oh,o , said Maria, souvenir, some-' The words broke off in her throat. "Who gave it to you?" abruptly.
 The Widow Small, said Bert smiling "Come you are teasing me. You sha'nt see g single letter; and they are ever SC interestingln
 How could they be otherwise when you were the suhject2" And then Caroline called to them that she was going home, and the conference ended. l s e a >-.5 So it was that Bert temporized, with that dreadful hint of letters being read ir court for the diversion of the towns-folk hanging over his head. Had he beer quite certain of their contents he might have defied them; but he was aware thai a young man in the first enthrallment o fancy allows his enthusiasm to run away with his prudence. But all this did not prevent him from going daily to Mrs 6malPs for his bouquet, which, by-the-way he sometimes carried te Maria Upton, sacrifice to Nemesis; and these daily calls at the cottage in Lovers Lane became like daily bread to the hungry. He liyei for them, counted the hours till it wa time to set forth, prolonged them till tht 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 the nights wer, warm they took tea in the little arbor with roses nodding in at the archway, an( honeysuckles climbing the lattice, ant mignonette spicing the dewy air; ant there the moon would find them, listenin; to the sleepy notes of thrushes in tn, hedge, or talking of the dim, delicious flu ture as if it were some enchanted lan( toward which they were journeying to gether. -- Fsa aa -,
 One evening as she bade him good night on her door step, he felt her han, tremble in his. .--..-
 "What is it 2" he asked. "Dld you se a ghost among the plum-trees ?'
 | Something startled me. I saw, thought saw face among the shrub berry"
 | "Whose face 7''
 "Oh, perhaps was mistaken. twa . shadow projected from my fancy may hap.,'
 "You are getting nervous, little one You must not live here alone"
 And the next evening when MT. Great erex loitered to the cottage, he found sh had followed his advice; the doors of th house were closed, and play cards gro Let were in the windows. The widow Sma1 had vanished like the genius in fair story. MT. Berthold Greaterex was be [ side himself, and ready to brave any thin in Maria Upton's power. What did
 promise signify in comparison with losin his lovea Let those laugh who win. Somebody had seen person answerin to the description of Mrs. Small take tn noon train for New York that day. Ber followed without more delay. wasted
 week in hanging about the city before