Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-01-16
His Little Lesson.

Among the half dozen American
girls who bore off the palm of beau
ty that winter in Rome she was th
very prettiest-a triumph suilicien
to turn any feminine head at nine
teen, though it affected Milly An
dcrson less than her rivals woult
have believed.
She had been in Europe som.
twelve months, under the care of ole
Miss Josephine SOuthbrooke, VIII.
acted as her guardian since the odt
change in MiIly's life which made
her an heiress in the worlds opinion
as report, of course, magnified hel
Fifty thousand dollars into a fortune
three times that amount. 1t had
all happened less than two years
previous, but before the money came
Milly had dreamed her little dream
and seen her romance rndely lie.
stroyed. us most of us are obliged to
do before youth is any where near
gone.
Laurence SouthbrOOke was a
younger brother of old Miss Jose,
phine, a staid bachelor of forty when
lie first went down with his sister to
pass tine summer in the beautiful
Pennsylvania valley where Milly
had spent the quiet seventeen years
which then made up her life. She
was then living with some relatives
who were in every respect unconge-
NAL, and not over fond of her, be.
sides; and Milly taught the village
school that season to escape the feel
ing of dependence, which had be-
come uncomfortable. Shy, stiff Lau-
renee took it into his head to fall alb
surd|y in love with her, and us it
was tue first time, old as he was,
that he had INDUCED in such weak
ness, of course he took the disease
in it's severest form. But he was
too reticent and undemonstrative
for any body to perceive how much
he had the matter at heart, and not
even his sister really knew that he
proposed to Milly, and was refused.
He seemed fairly ancient in the
girls eyes, wondered at his folly-a
little cruel in her treatment of his
affection, as the very Young are apt
to he before they learn what love is
worth. Then she drifted away into
the full beauty of her dream, for
Albert Marston came into the nei gh.
borhood, all idle young poet, always
raving Of the wonderful books he
meant to write, and wasting the
present in any pleasure which fell
in his way, as such natures usually
do.
The winter passed, spring came,
aud summer. Marston made ready
TO leave his relatives and go to
South America, Milly found her
self in the eyes Of her little world
as Tilted, disappointed
creature; and there were plenty of
severe elderly virgins who did not
even to assail her reputa.
ton, after the charming habit of the
race.
Between the ache at her heart
and the blow at her pride, Milly
nearly went mad. She was not a
girl to sit down and die, as good
many weak women might have
done. She determined to go away
out West, beyond the reach of enc
mics and the friends who were more
to be dreaded, with their reproofs
and condolences. She was absolute
y trying to obtain situation as
teacher somewhere in Nebraska,
when, without any warning, Desti
ny lifted her out of poverty and the
necessity of painful cares in regard
% the future. Some railway and
company, in which
Mr., Southbrooke was largely inter
,ste'l, bought farm that Milly own
I'd; coal had been discovered there
IN, and before she could realize it
she was the possessor Of what ut
irSt seemed Il colossal fortune. Then
Miss Josephine Southbrooke came
@ her aud proposed that she should
become Milly's guardian, and take
Ter to Europe. The old maid had
lot been very cordial during the
)ast months: she knew that the
girl had caused her brother suffer.
ng; but when Milly's tickle admirer
eft her to bear heart-ache and SLAM
lers, the spinster's generous nature
,elented at once and completely. 1t
may be. too, that the idea of pleas
ng her brother helped her more