Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-04-24

; Hou WcHV away, tHuU uIct NeTI
, rude Allen. She was dark haired
with so much Of that pretty adorn
, ment that another girl would have
been obliged to buy or borrow tc
, make up her amount brown.cyed
, to degree making man ashamed
of himself at looking into those
warm orbs /; just tall enough and
. just plump enough to be perfec'
: tiop ; and in disposition the very
, best thing living. l do not sup.
pose there is any necessity to say
, that fell in love with her, in spite
of the fact that l was only u clerk,
with nothing brilliant in my pros
poets, and that John Allen, her ia.
, ther, was worth half u million,
while Gertrude inherited from her
dead mother something more than
hundred thousand. I say, in
spite of these facts l fancy you
know me well enough not to be.
lieve that l did so on account of
them"
"Certainly not, Tom," l rcassured
him.
"John Allen was proud as Luci.
fer, and stern as an iron lamp-post.
His daughter was-well not his
child, but her mothers. We met
several times, loved mutually, and
owned the fact in shy ways, with
out any positive declaration. l
knew, and she knew that 1 knew,
that John Allen would sooner have
buried her than given her to a
mere clerk. She was but eighteen,
and so with three years still in his
power-herself and property. Not
the least look in the world, was
there, old MANI"
"I should think not, under all
the circumstances" l said.
"No ! no look whatever !" Tom
said. "Meanwhile, l do not think
that Gertrude pined under it, and l
am sure that l did my duties just
as well, for some months, until
there came a rumor that Saul Red
man, neighboring man Of wealth,
of twice her age, was paying too
frequent visits to Aliens. Look at
THAT balcony, and the lawn, and
you will see that it was one of the
handsomest houses in Westchester.
That rumor worried me. l sought
an interview with Gertrude at
once, and found she, too, was un-
quieted. Redman was coming to
the house too often, and she felt
and feared his power over her fa-
ther. You understand that up to
this time, though each knew of the
others love, not word had been
spoken betw cen us about marriage,
because she, as woman, could not
ask me to marry her, and I, as a
proud pauper, could not ask girl
worth a hundred thousand to be my
wife. So that even then, and in the
face of that danger, we parted with.
out an understanding.
ga month later, I was passing the
house of Allen, OH horseback, to
some business further northward. l
do not deny that could have gone
north by shorter route, and that l
had taken that road with faint in
tention of calling, and with fainter
hope that might see her without
awakening John Aliens suspicious
by doing so. AS came within half
a mile of the place, all my pride rose
and l resolved that l
would not lay myself open to the
suspicion of being a fortune-hunter
by reaching toward what l could
not grasp.
II came within sight of the
house, and then my whole being fell
into a convulsiOn of confused
thought and half-formed purpose.
'could call at the house /; l acould
ask Gertrude to be my wife, no
matter who and what stood in the
way No; l would nOt-I would
ride on, and allow events to take
their course, no matter what the suf-
fcring, to me and her! The latter
had the day, at certain
l am sure.
Gas came in sight, saw Ger
trude on the balcony, with two cou.
SINS, both of whom l knew-One
younger than herself, and the other
Of about her age. They were stand
ing, as l came opposite, about as
you see them in the picture. only
hat the stupid fellow has not con.
veyed anything of the blush that