Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-05-02

GOOD afternoon, sill" replied Mrs. Lane.
"will you walk inf'
Nathaniel accepted the invitation, and
dropped into the proffered chair with flut-
tering heart.
"Nce day." he ventured TO remark in a
husky tone.
"a beautiful day." replied Mrs. Lane.
with cordial vigor which made him start
"Nice weather to ride out-and see the
crops-and things" stammered Nathaniel
after long pause, a-heming and hitching
uneasily in his seat.
eyes, indeed" said Mrs. Lane, puzzled
at her visitors strange manner, and curl
Gus to know what he could be driving at.
Another painful pause ensued. Nathan
lei looked at the lady, then at the floor,
then at the ceiling; his face turned all col.
ors and his muscles twitched 7nervously.
He felt that he had undertaken the most
stupendous and trying feat of his life. All
his former missions dwindled into moth
ingness compared with this. He wished
he was at home But the lady was anx-
iorsly awaiting his pleasure and he made
a desperate effort.
"Miss Lane, I've understood"
eyes, sir ?" replied that lady, interroga-
lively, as Nathanel's understandings met
with a quietus.
Matters were becoming serious, at least
with poor Nathaniel, and anything but
agreeable to Mrs. Lane, who was at her
wits end to know the meaning of such a
strange proceeding. To recede now was
impossible, thought the unfortunate man,
as he braced himself for another trial.
"Miss Lane, I suppose you know I'm
single man?" he said, and his lips culver
ed.
She thought him a singular man, If not
an idiot or a lunatic; but she said nothing,
and awaited developments.
81 have been advised to give you CALL"
Nathaniel continued, gaining little conf
dence from hecomparatvely smooth prog
ress of the interview thus far, sand per-
haps you might render me-"
Another halt, another cough and more
nervousness.
"If I can render you any service shall
be happy to do So" said Mrs. Lane, think
ing that her visitor was laboring under
some mental alteration or domestic afflic-
ton.
Nathaniel felt encouraged--in fact, elat-
ed.
What could this answer mean bnt an In
| vitation to come to the interesting climax
at once, and relieve both parties7 No SOON
er said than acted upon. Wiping his per-
spring forehead he blurted out:
ct, ,,x1o
a wife. A friend of mine has told me that
you have spoken of me in favorable kind
of way, and advised me to come and see
see you. Will you marry me?"
| 1t is strange how susceptible of sudden
change is ones temper, and especially a
| woman's. Mrs. Lane, not dreaming of
such termination of affairs, was astonish-
ed, and, very properly, highly indignant.
"What do you mean, sir, by insulting
me, a married woman, in this way? ?" she
| exclaimed; "leave my house immediate
Typ and she opened the door to accelerate
the offenders exit.
"a married woman-O, Lord |" gasped
| poor Nathaniel, who had risen from his
seat and stood trembling from head to foot,
anu III lis ing III anu COhlusiOh nC pOitCu
out of the door, leaving his hat behind
him.
On board the train that left the village of
M that evening, there might have
been seen, in one corner of the car, woe
begone man, holding with one hand car
pet bag on his knee, while with the other
he now and then wiped his face with his
| NJ ho,,d orohiaf This i'm viIna1 q
no other than poor Nathaniel Wilson, who
filed with grief and modification by his
ridiculous performance of that afternoon,
had hastily gotten together his worldly all,
and was fleeing from the scene of his dis
grace.
But "All's we'll that ends we'll - and
never had proverb more striking Illus
tration than in the cruel hoax of which
Nathaniel Wilson had been made the vic
tim. But few days had elapsed after Mrs.
Lanes interview with Nathaniel, when
that lady received news of the death of her
husband, which occurred several weeks
previously, in the distant country whittier
he had gone. In the meantime, the heart
less joke that had been played upon Ma
thaniel had come to the ears of Mrs. Lane,
with so favorable a mention of NathaniePs
moral standing in the community, the Ia
dy in the goodness of her heart wrote Ma
thaniel long letter Of regret for the wrong
she had. innocently done him, and assur-
ing him of the respect with which she had
come to regard him.
The missve received from the overjoyed
Nathaniel, a prompt response. A CORE.
spondence was established and continued
between the two so ludicrously brought to-
gether, and in little more than year after
his departure, Nathaniel returned home tc
consummate in marriage courtship so in
auspiciously begun. His short experience
among strangers had wrought a wonderful
change in him; the bashful, awkward fel
low had indeed "made man of himself
and none are more highly esteemed in the
village Of M than Mr. and Mrs. vii
son..
I.M - n N ZOE. ~ HJN.Y, DE- P.SSTUIS r. q