Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-05-10


Love never does no such thing said
Liz, who was never known to be gram
matical, save In the moments of excite
ment.
The trembling girl commenced again:
"Dear Friend Hiram. Now don't speak
again, please, Liz, till I finish" as the
strange woman gave unmistakable indica-
tons of inward rebellion. at is the wish
of my parents that I write you, and say
that 1t is their desire should accept you as
my future husband. don't love you one
single bit, and I am sure l never shall !;
but If you want me under those circum-
stances, have nothing more to say, save
that utterly refuse to receive any especial
attentions from you preceding our mar
riage."
"Wall, now, l vow, Flory Avery, 1
was laying dead. Tell man you We
made up your mind to marry him, and at
the same time inform him that all courting
has got to be postponed until after the we'd
ding. DO you suppose that because a min
lister has mumbled over few words-noth-
ing in the least disrespectful to the minis
ter ntended-that on this account kisses
and courting will he any more welcome
than now?'
mo, Liz, no! The thought of it drives
me wild but there Is nothing left for me
to do. Mother is crying up stairs, now ;
and father has hardly spoken to me for a
whole week because of my wilfulness.
have been reading the Bible for an hour,
Liz, dear, and that is what has decided me.
The command is: "Children, obey your
parentsW And there is no way can dodge
it,"
"Just like the rest of edicated folks, you
have choked yourself to death with the let
ter and thrown the spirit overheard. Now
my common sense tells me that you don't
understand the meaning of what you've
been reading. 1t is: wives obey your
husbands in the Lord !; and 1t is: Chill
dren, obey your PARENTS in the Lord Now
the Lord Is love, Flory dear, and he gives
you these very feelings of like and dislike,
this liking to be with a person, or hating
to be with a person, to guide you through
life. They are weapons that the poor car
nal flesh couldn't get along without. Now
If you take the pistol that God put into
your hands to keep off wild animals with,
and lay It down side of you, and let the
critters come in and devour you, whose 10
blame, wonder? You mustn't think that
your Father in Heaven didn't know what
kind of timber he was putting into you
when he got you up. As far as I've OBJ
served-and 1 haven't lived to be thirty
years old without larning some things
there Is nothing that brings so much mis-
cry with it as marriage without love.
Don't you do 1t, Flory dear-don't you do
IT."
"But, Liz, you know that l shall never
love anybody. Oh! why did he go and get
married - And again the beautiful head
was bowed upon the faithful bosom of the
servant and companion.
"Why did you cut up so with him Flory?
Why did you grieSe him by flirting with
a fellow you could hardly bear in your
sghtP How long do you suppose u man
with ordinary self respect is going to stand
that sort of work. Sow the wind and reap
the whirlwindr There is nothing truer
than this between the covers of the Bible.
If he has married without love, he'll have
the same kind of CROP
''what shall I do with this letter, Liz?'
"Burn 1t upw
"what shall I do with father and moth
err"
"Let 'em quitr'
"what shall do with my own aching
hearth"
"Put rousing big poultice of faith and
love on 1t, and then make yourself as use
ful as you can to other folks. There's moth
ing like helping another to forget yourself
You have made a mistake; that is, If there
is any such things as mistak kes-sometm
aint quite clear on that p'int-but any
how, II won't help that 10 put your foot in it
again, so long as you know better, you see
There can't be no real sin, ! suppose, un-
til after knowledge Is born. Give me that
letterr'
"Flory, with a wistful look in her brown
eyes, passed over the document, and in a
moment more 1t was abaze under the boil
er.
1t was very plain to the watcbful Liz that
a storm was brewing, which threatened to
bring things to a crisis without loss of
time. Never was ''work got OUT with
such speed. The day passed on, dinner
and tea were over, Liz's clothes had been
br ought in and nicely folded down, when
Flory ran hastily into the kitchen, saying
Liz, father has sent for me in the sit
ting room, and do wish you could come
in some way. I'm so afraid shall give in
If you are not there to strengthen me-"
"Ill dodge in after a while," said Liz,
"Keep stiff upper lip and make good
fight. No father and mother has any right
to command a child to marry a man she
don't love. The Lord God Almighty is on
your side, Flory Averyl Now go long and
behave yourself"
Ay, that was stormy scene. Farmer
Avery, who had firmly decided that his
daughter should marry the man he had Sc
lected, was as hard and cold as a stone.
Bitter words, taunting words, fell from his
lips-words that Flory never supposed he
could utter.
"Do you Think" said he, "that l am 60
ing to permit you to go pulling round the
house like a sick kitten, because you are
wicked enough, mean enough, to be in love
| with a married man?"
"How do you know he is married
manf" inquired Liz with such strange
earnestness In her voice that Flory caught
her breath, and grew pale and crimson by
turns.
II saw it in the newspaper with my own
eyes"
"Wall," said Liz, quantity, "I saw in the
newspaper the other day that Squire Bill
Avery was worth seventy-tve thousand
dollars, and heard that same Squire Av-
cry swear It was the biggest lie that ever
was told"
"Thats neither here nor there" roared
the farmer "rve made up my mind, and
Flory must make mp hers. 1t is Hiram SEQ
vile or no home here any more"