Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-01-17


for one instant happy; but look back
across a cloud Of misery and wrong and re.
sentiment thick enough to distort and refract
any image.
Come come, let US not dwell on that. |
Walking up and down the room cannot allay
the torment. What goes on out of the win.
dow Still storming; wind and whirling
snow, and desolate streets
Three years three years Of slow grada-
ton, with no sudden change, from the pima
Gle Of success and brilliant worldly prospects
to the degrading position Of neglected wo-
man. All how can think Of II ? Then, of
course, when doubt became fact broke my
engagement.
Happy moment of freedom, when the last
words were written, the ring returned, the
old letters burned Yes, although the whole
town was ringing with the dsgraceful story,
though | was an object of pity to utter
strangers as we'll as to tender friends, that
hour was bliss compared with the months of
bondage that had gone before il. Once again
my heart was my own, was free--my apart
ment to let. Not once have had pang of
regret for that man, who for some inscruta-
BILE reason, on which Ino longer care to spec
ulate, invaded for a time the peace of my
heart, soon to leave it desolate.
Then came Charley, kind cousin, who
stood by my side in that dark time, and
went with me everywhere; who shielded me
from every ill.natured word and was careful
that | should 60 only where | would be
treated with thoughtful consideration. And
when he thought the time was come for the
image of my old lore to be fading from my
heart, gently he reminded me that he had
always, always loved me, and me only and
that he was waiting and should wait forever,
until my love turned back upon him for re.
lief and consolation. Little did he guess
that that heart had been empty even before
the wretched crash came, and that ambition
and pride and wounded vanity had long been
struggling to hide the fact that there was re.
ally no dweller upon the deserted hearth.
BY and by | grew to lean on Charley
more and more, and to accept the sacrifice
Of his life. needed some one so much,
and his unexacting affection did so much for
me. would not, however, have another
engagement | held the word in horror.
The world had talked enough about me, and
, should not soon again have my name upon
its lips. The world, by the way, probably
, thinks am still pining for Augustus Rave
mel. Very well only they must think l
, bear up remarkably we'll Was | gay last
night? Was brilliant? Was my laugh
r anything but light?
| How the snow whips the paue. Every
being has left the street
So then--so then-so went abroad with
; the Derforths, and Charley was left behind.
' BY every mail came his fond letters and ev-
t cry night however weary with travel, or
= however uncomfOrtably lodged, took out
r my little writiDg.case and put on paper a
5 few loving words for him.
Well what next
7 1t was at Niegendsbad that we met Colo
D mel Marchmont, lettering upon his way back
: to India by all odds the most agreeable
d Englishman have met. What sayest thou
4 heart, now Is il echo that stirs the air Is
A tho anartnnant vaca nj nttarlv
; Absurd The time we were together was
e FIVE days, and of course ] have never seer
e him again. Every night just the same
!. wrote my little letter to Charley, and every
t night loyalty recalled his image as looked
a up at the moon For the moonlight was
It simply gorgeous that week, and bathed the
= broad lake with delicious mellow light
s Somehow, we were a good deal together
: one isl mean two area good deal to-
II gether under such circumstances. Every
IS morning he had my iavorite seat in the a!let
o ready Tor me, close to another seat for him
}. self and as came forward with my French
n novel, advanced to meet me with his French
e novel in his hand. But it happened tina
1t every day we read less and talked more
is Have ever talked so much? Have | evel
e made with any other human being such al
- interchange Of thought, feeling and opinion
2, Were there ever other eyes that Influenced
Il me like his, asking questions without words
e and drawing forth answers equally mute o.
h hesitating, which were halfconfessions?
Five days what are five days? In or
y binary life, nothing Sometimes, however
g, time lllimitablc. do not know what h
r meant. Perhaps, like myself he was carried
ID away blythe unsought influence, magnet
y ism which swayed his life as it did mine, il
sr a way never felt before. do not know
&c He was on his way TO India, wasting hi
ID furlough en- route Perhaps it was regula
err part of his program of leisure as usual a
as packing his toothbrush to select some wo
in man and Airt with her. Very like, for h
at spoke after the conventional methods. Ye
n. FIVE days was rather brief for that and ba
| he done so, what could | have answered
What, but my cousin Charley was waitin
ic for me here at home, and that every nigh
ne before went to sleep added few ion
es words to the letter which went by ever
to mail?
~ At Lyons we parted he for his steame
xt at Marseilles--they went from Marseile
%, then there was French mail then, and
ry French emperor, and French nation--an
er we for some other place. it mattered nc