The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-08-12

ambitious way, occupying himself chief.
with the business arising from his brother
in-law's large property. He had talents
and had once been devoted to his work
but now he seemed to care for nothin,
but to make for himself the modest in
come which sufficed for his wants.
There was a pleasant little society il
The university town Of Menango, but Mr.
Devine went nowhere but TO his sister
house, and seldom there if there wa
other company. He busted himself with
books 10 his leisure moments, and tried tt
forget himself and the ghost of the pas
in study; but, after all, life was for hin
a very heavy aud unnteresting business
and he would not have been sorry to lay
dowp the burden once for all, At thirty
five, much to his sisters vexation, he
spoke and thought of himself as one tc
whom all the chances, ambitions, and en-
joyments Of life were closed.
If the idol to which he had sacrificed
himself had possessed even a head oil
god, Mrs. Hassan could have borne il
with more resignation; but when she
knew that the costly sacrifice had been
laid on the shrine Of woodeu image, nc
better than that fish bodied doll which
the Ephesians adored as the virgin hunt.
ress, Mrs. Hassans patience was sorely
tried.
And now the woman had come here to
throw herself in Sydney's way, and his
sister could ioresee nothing but trouble.
If he once marries her. she said to
herself he will find out what fool she
is, and having and hating is far worse
than losing aud loving
The next evening there happened to be
little party at President Lyons. Mrs.
Hassan and her mother-in.law had meant
to 20 but, at the last minute, arrived
an old friend OF Mrs. Hassan's the elder,
and that lady preferred staying to talk
over old times Mr. Hassan had gone
out of town on business, Classy did not
like to 90 alone aod, rather to her sur
prise, her brother, who was in the house,
offered to accompany her.
Not till she was coming down stairs,
to get into the carriage did it occur to
her that Mrs. Armer would probably be
at Mr.. Lyons.
But she would contrive to meet him
somewhere thought this uncharitable
woman, and it may better bo there than.
accidentally on purpose, by the river, or
in the woods
AS Mrs. Hassan came down the stairs
of DR.. Lyons house, she heard from the
parlor certain hard metallic laugh with
with which she was familiar, and she saw
her brother look about hin with a startled
glance, as if some old association had been
unpleasantly Jared.
The brother and sister paid their COM
pimeuts to Mrs. Lyon aud the president.
and then Mrs. Hassan looked about her.
Sydney, who felt lonely and out of place,
attached himself to Professor BeAucour
and made conversation about the college
library. to the extreme disgust Of Miss
Maude Clay, who had been making her.
self agreeable by asking series Of dis.
connected questions varying from astrono.
my and chemistry to the professors own
paper on the 'Catacombs.' in the last
North American.
The professor was a shy man, and,
like most authors, he could not bear to
talk of his writings. Perhaps he felt
grateful to Mr., Devine, for he entered
with ardor into the subject of English
literature. La the mean time, Mr.. Devine
was conscious of a curious fecling-not
hope, not expectancy, not terror-an in-
fluencc in the air, for which he could not
account, ouly as it connected itself with a
rather loud treble voice, and frequent
sound, halflaugh, halfgigglc, that came
from amid a group of students The
voice, the laugh, were like, yet unlike,
sounds which had rung in in his memory
for many day.
Mrs. Hassan, listening to the conver.
sation Of that very elegant young gentle.
man, Master Dick Monroe, was at no loss
to recognize the voice, for the memory of
aversion in this case was truer than that
of love. She sat where she could see
Mrs. Armcr's figure in the center of q
group Of young men. Mr.. Armer had
not been dead more than eighteen months
but Mrs. Armer had chosen since Sunday,
to leave off her mourning, or only to re.
tain such as mi ght be discernible rather
by faith than by sight.
She wore pale lavender silk, made
very low and trimmed in every conceiva.
bic place. She had vioets and white
roses in her hair, and black velvet rib.
bon with pearl cross on her white neck,
aud pearl aud jet bracelets on her arms.
She had not grown old, and at twenty.
nine looked hardly less fresh than at
nineteen. Her color had not faded, and
she had the same way of rocking to aud
fro, twisting her neck and rolling her eyes
in manner which some people called
graceful, aud which had of old disgusted
Classy Devine aud charmed her brother.
Would it charm him again? Mrs
IIas,an glanced at him across the room
and saw that he had seen his old love, ,and
was watching her, quite oblivious to the
professors remarks about fine historical
collection which he desired to see added
to the library. The look on Mr.. Devne's
face was not Of admiration, or grief, Oh
any very intense emotion, except that o
shocked surprise aud wonder
Presently, as Professor Beaucour turn
ed to speak to some one else, Mr. Devin,
made his way to the group Of which Mrs
Armer was the centre, aud reached it jus
in time to hear these words.
"Oh. people 10 America make sucl
frights OF themselves, wearing mourning
forever, aud going about like 50 man,
walking pals. And if you wear blac
you can't 60 to parties. Why, when Ca
r Martins brother died, ard she was pei
iectly devoted to him, she wouldn't pu
, on black at all, because size said sh
4 couldn't 60 into society, and her min
was so distracted she needed diversio
more than ever. [ told Mr.. Armer thi