Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-09-29

Bertha was tweuty-cight. and she had ncve
been in love
1t was very curious, when you think of it
that Bertha had never loved. She had ha,
two or three offers soon after she left school
but none of the suitors had touched ne
heart and SO She had sent them away. am,
then Tor five or six years past no lovers hac
knocked at her door But now at last. on,
had come, and She was thinking of him %,
she sat and watched the ~snn-suflused va
! grants of the summer, outside the window
| She lived ln the house OF her older brother
! for they were orphans, le and She, and ha,
| always cling to each other His wife wa.
| not an unkindly woman, but she did not un
| dcrstaud Bertha, and sometimes the girl READ
lied, with sort Of pathetic self-pity, hoy
weary are the feet that climb the stairs o
others
Now, as she sat by the window, her brother
| wife-this good, practical, but uusymps
thetic Nlaria-was talking with an aunt VIII
was there ON visit. Miss Mac Alster ha
paid scant heed to the DRIFT of their diows
| discourse. but Suddenly sentence caugl
her attention. Maria was saving
think She married him Just for home.
Aunt Sarah's voice took on q certain touch
almost OF solemuity rs she answered Man
! pertinent. and almost ALWAYS fatal one"
Az this sentence, Bertha AlacAlister turne,
round quickly They had touched the yer,
subject about which She had been thinkin.
so intently. She Joined in the conversation
almost eagerly So You think marrying
for homeis always wrong, Aunt Sarah 2"
did not say that, child think it i.
always dangerous. And yet can easily
imagine circumstances under which a mid
dleaged woman might see that she could
make her life a fountain of blessing by mar
rying for a home, and then dispensing from
that home generous hospitality. making it
a centre of warmth and good cheer aud
brightness. And 10 seems to me that man
who would help her to do and be all this, she
would in time learn to love"
You said a midileaged woman, Aunt
Sarah so YOU don't think girl c5uld do
this thing ?"
Ihere'd be something unnatural in her
doing it, it seems TO me. Cool calculation
hardly belongs to the period of youth and
OF course, no honest woman would marry for
such motives without making them very
clear to the man She married.
Bertha went back into her stronghold Of
silence, and thought steadily, Last night
George Archibald had asked her TO be his
wife, and tonight he was coming for his
| answer What answer should She give him ?
| Certainly she did not love him. She had an
ideal of her own as to what love was-a very
exalted ideal. Surely, if she loved man,
1t must be that She would prefer him to all
the world-she would rather have him. poor,
quite Wiling to toni ana stroggie Gor min.
She was sure that she felt none OF this for
George Archibald. Her brother Harry was
infinitely dearer to her.
Her sister-in-aw, Maria, was q good per
son, but tiresome She would certainly like
to get away from Maria She was consciou,
of love for authority she would like to be
lady paramount in her own home When
it came to George Archibald, She respected
him, certainly; bat she respected twenty
other men as much lie was man of no
mean attainments, aud he was rich. lie
was ten years older than herself and rather
| fne-lookiug than otherwise but not "a GIRL
/ hero, by any means. She had been in hi-
! home often when his mothcr-Who had now
| been dead year-had shared it with him
| She knew how comfortable aud well ap
pointed it was What should hinder hel
from being its mistress? What, indeed
but the single fact that She did not love
George Archibald, and that, without TIN
home, she would never think of being hi
wife? The whole thing puzzled her, Sh
thought and thought, until the long june at
ten,oon wore away Te, vyos o,er ot last
and it was almost time for Mr. Archibald t.
come. Bertha went up stairs and put som
last touches to her toilet. She had plent
Of that dainty but innocent vanity withou
which a woman forgets how to charm. Sh
clear 6no .kin rafbar7,,l. ~, nfberyis >,
and dotl hlua-rrg,. aves .l,,d,1 l,v I,sha.
shade d.,r,.r aim b,. dor L,a,,n boi,
She was JrassaI in ,.I,it. ss,.it..,l ,bo .I,'n
day. She Fastened I, cri,nso,, rose in he
b,ir and n gnot nj ,b.r, n,,a, hor Lreas
Ths Lall ronl. o,,J ,.,,t h,yr +,,.,,.,,,;li,
Mr.. Archi5,ld n.rsuaIs.l her ont intn n
old o,rdan and there bs ,stod he, nv,
oo,,in liz onastinr ~ In. ,i.,ht l,f,,r,
81 have thonght all div sbe .,id san
ot tbo nnJ / am ma naorsr lnc,,i,,,, ,,l,,,
onght to do Now you mu.t 5eriJe for m.
If loved Won. bat wonId n,l,s il YER
simple"
Sbe was t,o ,,,,cb ,I,.o,h.I f., .,.L,, .t
was savjno i'm her bonost dasira tn 's.f N,
truth ard thn whole trnfb f,i+hfr,lh, hefa,
linn ia notice Ill sudIs, ,,est,,r. and m
lool, of nal, ,b,t o,,,,, o,,.rl l,is r.,,o ne i,
saiJ ,Ldss ,,,rI, Ila aI;.I not .,..,L ,iil hi
yoica Z ,yas thoron.l f., ,nJ.r MIA III his r,ntri 'i' ,n m
tben bnsaid MIR ~. a., ,,f ;n1ni.,.
q" So Won ia ,,ot f,r. mn. ot an ."
al 10 not think do II i,yeJ ,,u
vonId mean ,ronl,in't # tl,t nrsfar..
noyoty NH, van fo rros,.,;t,. Mn an,. an
aIse- 1ot Womb l;ta IN share von. In
whatever II nioLt bay iva aslod ,vsel
If I felt lile that and d,n,t If ,nn;rin
von W / know hart of tbe reoson would h
That ,night baye a home of nv own that
mirbt he n,istrrs. iusteod of n sistar.in.la,
-borne with very Lindlv bnt horne vii
an the sane and iov. nn.t snrely he onit
n different matter from tl,i. wo51 of dal,
reason"
..Toye ,,nst In. ,,.l,oss ,,r. tb;,L A
least telI ne do vnn Iny. a,,y ora ,.Ise hs
tor tba,, ma >"
The cloar honest eve. mot his fe,rlossIy
. "a" sLe said a i lava ma. ono eisc at 81
a,d no,,er Ea,e II ~ o,'eor is,,titS f. f.
I'h boyo " wanted to Iowa all Nh INV iife and a,
t,,n,t,a''lt n"tv %,I't ,o,, ino,. ''' '''' "' "
'"Su'i g,si5 !o" 1i',,t iI'U l., .oo,,l
A,U,'jan' 90 ,,'i Lado 81. Sioni
m"' Pgs''ls ~, Ia's H." i' 'Ii1" I, iiJ i
iu ."He iei u ''"'o III ,.a,a,, D" ,W'