Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-06-20

Piled $50 much the better, perhaps"
he said instead.
..Allow me to judge about that
Come, what good have you done since
yesterday ?"
Good? Oh, yes carried basket
of summer sweetings to the widow Small.
Isn't that good ?"
.sSweetings are good. She's quite an
antiquity, this widow, amt she p
Don't ask me; lady's age is a sa-
cred subject"
'.How considerate Does she wear a
false front piece and glasses p
lis that an index of age? | know a
heap of folks whom | never supposed
aged who wear false fronts, if it means
that they smile when they would rather
frown. and say I'm glad to see you
when they wish you in the red sea. ;
''Oh, how provoking you are, Mr..
Greaterex But perhaps you will tell
me if this widow Small needs assistance
If she would like to go into the OLD
Ladies' home which our society is about
to establish p
Glow Observation-Disclosures you are,
Miss Maria!" Bert laughed. Il almost
wish myself an old lady to be provided
for by your charity but don't believe
that Mrs. Small would take kindly to it. y"
And then the talk wandered into other
| channels. Yesterday their filtration had
| been in danger of falling into a more
| tender strain; to-day the widow Small
| preserved their equilibrium. But Miss
! Upton had no mind to give up ground
once gained. She fancied that he wish
ed to withdraw from the half-conclu-
| sions of the days before-that he desired
| to balance the past account, which made
! up pretty sum total of sugared speech
/ es and half-nttered declarations, by cred
| Ting them all to friendship. 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 bugbear of the GreatereX
soul; had she not received enough fra
grant notes and letters from Bert to ar
/ swer her purpose? Not that she would
descend to the vulgar necessity of a
breach of promise, but where was the
harm of making him understand that he
was compromised
Il have been reading Madame Sevig-
mes correspondence" said she; ''aud it
strikes me that you resemble each other
in possessing the secret of fine letter
writing, when most people run into
twaddle"
II don't know how to bear myself I'M
der such burden of praise. | feel that
ii is undeservcd."
I'm order to convince You of its truth,
perhaps | had better allow you to re-
peruse a few specimens that l have from
one Mr.. Berthold GreatereX. See! here
they are unlocking a cabinet and show
ing goodly parcel tied with ribbon.
did | write you all those ?" said Bert,
aghast. LET me see them"
What are they" asked Caroline,
Withdrawing her attention from the
styles for an instant. "Oh, love-letters,
'Love-letters :" repeated Maria. Il
don't know. Were they, M. Great
ereN ?" aside.
i don't remember" said Bert. LIT
me read them, and I'll decide"
Il don't dare trust you. People have
way Of burning up their old letters, il
they can lay hands upon them. Now
perhaps Tn silly and sentimental, hut
mine are worth something to me. by
the way, Mr. Greatcrey, did You ever Of
into court when there was breach OF
promise case on ? Jerome took US IN
once, when they were reading the love
letters, and it was so funny Every
body Ewas cOnvulsed. They were very
nice letters, tool"
+, Bert turned little pale. He vaguely
remembered that at different periods he
had believed himself seriously ''smitten'
with Marie's charms, and had, no doubt
written in a strain becoming a lover
but how ardently or how explicitly h.
could not recall. He knew that there
10 oh Of AZ
| back in the experience of one of hi!
ancestors; and though the case had no
gone against him, yet he had never fully
recovered the tone of his sensibilities
| which had received such a shock.
{ ''Give them to me, said Bert, reach
ink his hand for them.
'EWill you give me anything in return
| of equal value? VIII you give me thu
nOsegay in your buttOnhole ?"
1T is beginning to fade. No, Mis-
: Upton"
Come into the garden and I will give
you fresh one"
: Thanks"
He followed into the garden wher
she made a selection, and throwing Mrs
! Smalrs gift aside, put her own in it
place. When she had finished he pick
.
into his own pocket-book.
, ooh" said Marie, "a souvenir of SOM
, -" The words broke off in he
, throat ''Who gave it to you?' she alb
ruptlv asked.
t ''The widow Small" replied Bert
smiling.
Come. you are teasing me. Yo1
shan't see a single letter-and they ar
] ever so interesting"
Glow could they be otherwise whel
you were the subject ?"
9 All then Caroline called to them tina
I she was going home, and the conferenc
] ended.
So it happened that Bert temporize
Y with that hint Of his letters being read i
e court for the diversion of the towns
e folks. hanging over his head. Had h
been quite certain of their contents b
t might have defied them; but he wa
aware that young man in the first tligh
. of fancy allows his enthusiasm to ri
G away with his prudence. But all thi
did not prevent him from going daily +
t Mrs. Small's for his bouquet, which by
thc-bv. he sometimes carried to Mari
q linton, a sacrifice to Nemesis; and thes
G daily calls at the cottage in Lovers Ian
became like daily bread to the hungry
2 He lived for them, counted the hour
+ til It was time to set forth. prolonge
g them till the hostess was fain to sprea
her little tea table and invite her CUES
4 to drink nectar from china and to fast
: ambrosa home made. Sometimes whe
the nights were warm they took tea i
V the little arbOr, with roses nodding in a
. the archway, and honeysucllles climbin
the lattice, and mignonette splicing tn
/ air; and there the moon would fin
them listening sto the sleepy notes 0
e thrushes in the hedge, or talking of tn
d dim, delicious future as if it We're som
enchanted land toward which they wer
. journeying together.
One evening as she babe him gooC
night on her door step, he felt her han
trcmble in his.
s.What is it 2" he asked ssDid yO