The Portland daily press., 1872-03-23

highways of life. If one could get behind
these masks which they all wear, and know
what was taking place in their experience,
what plans and hopes and disappointments
they conceal, wouldn't it be finer than any
novel?"
''Let us begin with each other, them" said
Philip: s'Tell me, first, what hopes and
plans you hide away from the common
| gaze ?"
time to go to all the symphony concerts and
to wear a camers hair shawl"
ssMv hope is more presumptuous than that,
Violet. hope to take you to all the syni-
phony concerts with wedding ring on your
| finger May I?'' and Violet must have given
| consent, for the next day there was dia-
mond like a dew-drop flashing upon her hand,
and, in spite of scars, look of happiness that
dazzled the beholder. .li -I-e-
The diamond had reposed on Violet's fin
ger hardly month, when Mr.. Ingersoll was
called out of town to paint the portrait of a
beautiful heiress, the ward of his uncle, who
had occasionally visited at his mothers.
The idea of jealousy in connection with his
| absence never occurred to Violet, while he
wrote letters full of the extravagances of low
| ers, that read so much like pure poetry; but
having several other orders in the neighbor-
hood, he was obliged to postpone his return
almost daily. Mr.. Clayton wishes me to
paint his child,' he would write; ''Mrs. YER
million wishes to sit for Mary Stuart; thus
shall be obliged to remain away from you still
longer, which disappoints me sorely,"-till
| Maud said: --
II suspect he's having too fine time out
there; you had better have him home with
out delay. 1 wouldn't trust lover of mine
within eye-shot of Miss Heather's fascina-
tions.. Violet Stays her thousands, but Miss
Heather her ten thousands" 49, 1--A
Pm sure / shall not ask him to RETURN"
answered Violet, who for the first time ex-
perienced an unfortunate sensation. eff he
wishes to do so, he will need no urging; if he
prefers to stay, 1 would not have him come at
any solicitation of mine. Besides he has fin
ished Miss Heathers sittings, and he said she
had begun to fade" sa.sFC .Aos.sT
But somehow the suggestion ranked and
refused to be exercised, till she forgot it for a
while; but every now and then it returned to
her, like pain that one vaguely remembers
at waking, cropping about in ones conscious
ness for the wound that causedit. What if
he should succumb to Miss Heathers beauty !?
1t would not be wonderful. The only won
| der was that he should ever have cared for
herself-with her ugly scars; and they begun
to burn and throb forthwith.
She had been out shopping one day, and
getting into crowded car to return, was OBJ
liged to stand jammed so closely against two
ladies who were seated that she could over
hear their remarks without an effort.
SIT would never have happened, 1 suspect,
but for that accident" the elder lady was say
ing. 1t was dreadful misfortune, truly. I
have only seen her once since, and l should
never have guessed that she had been beauti-
full. You see a broken nose changes the out
lines and the expression essentially
Violet shivered behind her thick veil, and
lieut. an eager attention.
''Well, said the other, 'why should he
marry an ugly woman merely because she is
unfortunate?'
''The fact is, he felt himself to blame; he
invited her to ride, and it was the flirting of
his whip that startled her horse there you
have it in a nutshell. 1t was simply mat
| ter of duty. His mother told me herself
that it never would have happened but that
Phillips conscience ran away with his judy
ment. There, l must tear myself away.
Don't mention anything I've told you; 1
wouldn't like it to reach the ears of the par
ties concerned, you know. Will you pull the
strap for me, please?" she said to Violet; sit
is so crowded here. Thanksv' working her
passage out, while Violet sank like crushed
flower into the vacant seat 1t seemed
strange to her that size should be yet alive
after listening to such tidings. Two school
girls beside her were laughing over the un-
known quantities in their algebra lesson; a
pair of lovers were smiling into each other s
eyes, standing in the aisle with each hand
in the same strap; some Calcutta merchants
were discoursing of jute, butts, inseed, and
duties; the sunbeams were glinting in at the
car-windows; everything and everybody were
just where they had been half an hour ago
| she only, of all that assembly, had epitomiZed
the sufferings of a lifetime in one sharp
pang-had lost ''the light that never was
on sea or Shore"
She made no more ado, but went home in
a sort of blank amazement, and wrote to
Philip Ingersol that she released him from
the engagement-On the receipt of which he
| dropped brush and palette, and replied:
'sIf you are in earnest, dear Violet which
can hardly credit-if, after all my protesta-
tons of love, you believe that never would
have asked you to marry me had 1 not felt
myself to blame for your accident-I refer
you to the illustrated rebus which finished
in your cushion of random-work the after
noon of our unfortunate ride, and when a
proposal of love could not be suspected to
SAVIOR of duty or conscience. Even worsted-
work has it's uses, l find -
Violet took up her cfa-cushion and looked
at it curiously; all the figures ran into each
other and blurred their designs. eff could
only be sure that he loved me beforev' she
murmured; ''but what can this random-work
prove MAUD" she asked, with assumed
carelessness, 'Did you ever translate this re-
bus that Philip says he worked into my c,lsh-
ion? Did you?'' lm
''Mercy! hope so,' answered Maud, COM
ing to look over her shoulder at the cushion
cts as plain as mans nose on his face.
guessed it that afternoon you were riding.
wondered afterward if your Disagreement
would annul it, but he stood the test, you
see'' {, ,t.,',7,f...s
"Well," impatiently, "and what is it,
pray?" 9m =.
"Don't you know?'' -...a.
mo. never dreamed that it had mean
ing"
ooh, what stupid! why-there's an eye,
symbolic of the first person singular, alias,
Philip Ingersoll; then there's the little blind
god of love-you know him, 1 hope; and
there's a star in violet floss; literal transla-
ton, i love Violet Starrep" @
And so when Philip Ingersoll followed his
letter, he found one person convinced that he
loved Violet Stare in truth as well as in
worsted work. p. Ttl-r,r
81 know now" said he, ''that worsted-
work was invented to prove the fidelity of
| lovers p