The Portland daily press., 1874-10-17
OLD JANET.

Old Janet! 1t was an old nickname that
had given her, though we were children to
gether, and she six weeks my junior. She
was a creature of moods and swift impulses
She was tender, proud, humble, all at once
and, more than all, she was rigidly just. MOI
even her inordinate affection for Teddy Burr
could hoodwink her sense of justice, or blind
her eyes to perception of my follies when
the cost entailed by them was likely to fall on
our common guardian.
mind now, Teddy, will tell Grandpa
she said one day, when, coming Unexpectedly
10 the stables, she surprised me leading oul
Bess, the bay mare. preparatory to ride into
town. Bess was our grandfather's pet mare
and nc person was allowed to mount her ex
cept by permission as gracious favor.
81 will tell grandpa" she repeated, plant
ing herself firmly before ME, her clumpy little
feet set wide apart, and all her roughened
bright, brown hair tumbling, cataract fash.
ion, from under her gypsy hat. My only an
swer was the tightening of the girthS with a
defiant air.
"You know dada does not like it, and will
surely tell him." .Hi8.
By this time l was mounted and riding out
of the gate. But, as swept past her, looked
back, and pursuing up my lips, sung out in
sultingly: "Tell tale! tell tale! Tell tales, il
you darev' and so cantered off.
She did tel. Not one of the people en-
ployed on the place would have betrayed me,
though every one Of them knew that I had
wilfully done wrong, and was proportion
ately indignant with old Janet for carrying
out her threat. ] think that when was pun
ished she suffered more than did,, For two
days would not speak to her, and she moved
about the house with red eyes and unkempt
head. On the evening Of the third day, 1 was
sitting in the dining-room waiting for tea,
when Janet stole up to me with a shy, hest
tating air. wFEH nff
'Won't you forgive ME, Teddy, dearg'
she whispered. = ,G7ouT99le 7i@snllE
made no answer, but sat resolutely gaz-
ing out of the window at the red and bronzed
foliage tossen by the autumn winds.
Il am SO sorry" A pair of quiYering wet
lips were laid on my hand, slender brown
arm stole about my neck. 'Please forgive
me, Ted" ,YaH AKA sa
'What are you sorry about ?'' asked,
shortly.
I was quite as ready as she to make UP our
difference, for missed her great deal in my
daily sports; but meant TO make the recon-
citation as humiating for her as possible. 1t
might serve as a warning 10 her in future not
TO NEEDLE.
go, Ted, am so sorry because-because
you are SO angry; and was so sorry to see
you punished and grandpapa so angry. I
would thousand times rather have been
panished in your stead. Please-please for
give me, Teddy-do.'' rs,
Tears were flowing plentifully, and she was
wiping them with her ruffied muslin apron
all in muss. ,+ss.sa a.f.t...., 81 -
swell, them" l answered, Modified, ssif you
are really sorry, you must go without your
supper, tonight, as did that night, and then
I'll make it all up with you."
so, will you, truly. Dear Ted, how good
you are. am SO glad. l dou't mind going
without my supper--that's nothing. I wish
you had asked something harder Of me. But
"To-morrow," 1 answered, turning shortly
away. 'After it's all over,sTll kiss you, if
you want. But not tonight
VERY well; tomorrow, then"
She took her little, wistful, tear-stained
face off to the other side of the room, and sat
penitently down by the fire. She sat there
quietly while the bell rung, and my GRANDPA
ther and took our places at the table. 1
had pictured her, in my mind, with dis
was not prepared for this. Grandfather
missed her. She always sat at his right hand
feeding out OF his cup or plate, as the will
full fancy moved her, and he now peremp-
torily ordered her TO her usual seat by his
side.
''Not tonight, please, dear dada" she
pleaded, without stirring; and when he asked
her what was the matter, went hurriedly on:
II am not to have any tea to- night. I don't
ing to forgive me-and-he will kiss me in the
morning-and we are always going to be good
friends after this-alWays, forever"
Then her voice broke, and, with a rush of
tears, she went away from the room, up stairs
TO hide them out of sight.
$50, so, master Theodore, that's it, is itr
My grandfather's sharp, gray, needle-gun eyes
seemed to shoot me through and through.
''Little Janet is to be punished because she
was honest enough to show you up in your
faithlessness to me-"
I muttered something nrepiy not quite in
telligible.
swell, it won't hurt Janet, this discipline.
like to see the metal she's made of. But as
for you sir, it strikes me that you have much
more the air of a culprit, sitting there eating
your supper, than the little girl who IS hiding
her honest tears up stairs in bed."
1t was tough work. His looks and words
were hard to bear; but 1 sat it out, MUNICH
ing my bread with defiant air, ard after
bravado as 1 could assume, lightly humming
''Love is Sickness" one of our grandfathers
old airs which Janet and I expected to sing
together.
kissed Janet the next morning, and SO we
made up our difference; and pretty much in
this way we quarrelled aud kissed and made
up again till l was eighteen years of age and
sent away to school. By that time it was
pretty well understood that grandfather de-
signed us to be married as soon as my educa-
ton was finished, and inherit his property.
don't know that either of US thought much
of it. Janet was my love, and l accepted
her devotion as / fancied man should
grandly. My grandfather, watching his idol
Janet closely, was satisfied, because be saw
that she was happy. But sometimes when
my domineering temper overtopped even its
ordinary exacting demands on Janets sweet
humility, he would shake his head and NUT
ter foreboding of the "wild nature-the Burr
bloos," which had inherited from nv an
cestors.
passed my first vacation abroad. One
excuse after another / made, until two wears
were gone before l came home again, The
welcome then was warm. My grandfather,
whose hair had whitened wonderfully, leaned
heavily on my arm as he walked up and down
the room. ,HGfea 1st9}jt 500
'You see am changed, Ted-changed for
the worse-in these two years. But Janet
you think Janet's changed for the better;
don't you. eh?' He looked anxously in
my face.
My only reply was to bend and kiss the ex.
quisite dimples THAT lay like crumpled rose
leaves in her rounded cheek and chin, She
flushed up splendidly, and drew slightly away
1t was the first time had known Janet was
shy, and it added keener relish to INV ap-
probation, somewhat supercious of her
frank and generous country beauty. Grand
father smiled proudly. 49,
"There's no girl like our Janetw he said to
me. "She was brought up by men-women
don't train such girs-and she's got a mans
courage, mans will. and a mans sense of
honor, added to woman's tenderness. You
are happy man, Ted, to possess herr =
acquesced, with inward superciliousness.
thinking my grandfather was getting childish
in his old age. But remembered it all AFTER
ward, and recognized his wisdom.
One day, late in the afternoon. GOT NV
horse out, and, promising Janet that / would
be gone but an hour, rode briskly away over
the white, hard, winter sground The cold
air set my pulses bounding; the blood noun
tel to my head, and singing fnriously, 1 rode
on and on. In the outskirts of the town I
CHANGED tosmeet some acquaintance; among
them Bret Harrison, college chum, with his
sister. They urged me to join them, and we
rode into town, with the promise of gay
night before lis We had sunnar music