Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-03-01

he said, "What an ass | am - and the
pathos of the case having yielded to it's
absurdity, he was helpless. In FIVE min
utes more he was at Isabel's side, the
one-horse carriage driver dismissed with
a handsome pour-boire, and a pair Of lus-
ty bays with a glittering barouche wait
ing at the door below. He swiftly ac-
counted for his presence, which she SEEM
ed to find the most natural thing that
could be, and she met his surrender with
the openness of heart that forgives but
does not forget, if indeed the most gra-
cious art is the only one unknown TO the
sex. She rose with smile from the ru-
ins of her life, amidst which she had
heartbrokenly sat down with her things
on.
| knew you'd come back" she said.
80 did l." he answered. 'Tm much
too good and noble to sacrifice my pref
erence to my duty"
81 didn't care particularly for the two
horses, Basil" she said, as she descend
ed to the barOuche. +" 1t was your refus-
ing them that hurt me-
"AnG l didn't want the one-horse car
riage. 1t was your illogicality that pro-
voked me"
Do you think people ever quarreled
before on a wedding journey?" asked
Isabel, as they drove gaily out of the
city.
Never / can't conceive of It'll l
suppose if this was written down nobody
would believeit."
No, nobody could, said Isabel, mus
ingly. :" wish you would tell me just
what you thought of me- dearest. Did
you feel just as you did when our little
affair was broken off, long ago? Did
you hate me? 2"
Il did most cordially but not half SO
much as l despised myself the next mo-
ment. As to its being like lovers quar-
rel, it wasn't. 1t was more bitter so
much more love than lovers ever give
had to be taken back Besides, this had
no dignity. and a lovers quarrel always
has. A lovers quarrel always springs
from more serious cause, and has an
air of romantic tragedy. This had no
grace Of the kind 1t was a poor shah
by little squabble."
0, don't call it SO, Basil I should
like you to respect even a quarrel of ours
more than that. 1t was tragical enough
with me, FOR l didn't see how it could
ever be made up. | knew l couldn't
make the advances. | don't think it is
quite feminine to be the first to forgive,
is it?"
"Pm sure / can't say. Perhaps it
would be rather unladylike.'
Well, you see, dearest, what l am
trying to get at is this, whether we shall
love each other the more or the less for
it. think we shall get on all the better
for awhile, ON naceountofit. But should
have said it was totally out of character.
It's something you might have expected
from very young bridal couple; but
after all we've been through, it seems too
improbable.
Very well, " said Basil, who, having
made all the concessions could not enjoy
the quarrel as she did, simply because it
was theirs let's behave as if it bad new
er been"
90, no, we can't To me, it's as if we
had just won each other"
In fact it gave wonderful zest and
freshness to that ride, around the noun
tain, and shed a benfeent glow upon the
rest of their journey. The sun came out
through the thin clouds, and lighted up
the vast plain that swept away north and
east, with the purple heights against the
eastern sky. The royal mountain lifted
its graceful mass beside them, and hid
the city wholly from sight. Pleasant vii
lages in the shade of beautiful elms, dot
ted the plain in every direction, and ct
intervals crept up to the side of the road
along which they drove. But these had
been corrupted by oreambitious arch.
itecture since Basil saw them last, and
we're no longer purely French in appear.
ance. Then, nearly every house was g
tannery in modest way, and POLITICALLY
published the fact by the display o.
sleeps tail over the front door, like 9
bush at wine shop. Now, if the tan
neries still existed, the poetry of the
Sleeps tails had vanished from the po
tails. But our friends were consoled by
meeting numbers of the peasants joltiDg
home from market, in the painted carts
which are doubtless of the pattern of the
first carts built there two hundred year;
ago. They were grateful for the immor
| tai old women, crooked and brown anC
bowed with the labor of the fields, who
abounded in these vehicles; when huge
girl jumped from the tail of her cart
and showed the thick, clumsy ankles O
a true peasant maid, they could only sigt