Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-10-29

ished really, to miss anything; but some
times she wondered little that her be-
troihed 80 seldom sought to be alone with
| her, and that he never said single word
of love to her. 1t was his quiet, middle
aged way, she supposed, and very sensi-
ble certiinly but wasn't il just n trihe un.
like other people? Her brother noticed ii,
With an almost angry surprise. Only a
week before the wedding he called her to
him, and smoothing her pretty soft hair, in
a tender fashion he said (:
Bertha, are you sure you are marrying
for love? Somehow the way things 70 on
| doesn't half satisfy me. What should you
want that fellow for if you don't love
him?'
"And what should he want me for IL he
| doesn't love me?" Bertha answered light
ly. "Take it for granted Harry, that we
| both know what we are about"
| And so the wedding day came; and Ber-
tha wore bridal white, and behaved oxcep-
tionally well. She did not shed a single
tear but Maria, who thought that without
tears 4 wedding would be sadly incomplete,
wept prolusely, though she had seldom
been more delighted in her life. The we'd
| ding breakfast was perfection the we'd
| ding journey was u pleasure, since both
Archibald and his bride were good travel
ers aud on The lst of October, mistress
Bertha Arcb.b aid entered into her king
dom and commenced her kindly, bat des.
polic ru @ over her own home.
Aunt Sarah had said something about
making a home the centre Of kindly nos
pitalitieS. She would do just that. So she
invited one old friend after another 10 stay
with her. She gave charming little din
nerS and pleasant evenings, and proved
herself an almost perfect hostess. They
were such a sensible couple, she used to
say, she and Mr.. Archibald, just as if they
had been married for years. No doubt it
was because neither of them WAS young (;
and then she remembered how sweet youth
was, with its dreams aud lis follieS, and
she was half sorry that she bad not known
George Archibald in The old time. when no
doubt, she should have loved him.
Did he lovo her? 1t was not till several
months had passed, that she began to ask
this question of herself. At first she had
not particularly cared but vague won.
der, born half of sadness, stole into her
heart after awhile. 1t seemed 10 her that
she was losing something that other wo-
men had and she grew almost vexed with
her lot, though her home was the perfect
home she had planned it, and she was more
absolutely mistress of it than women often
are.
As for Archibald, he felt somehow as il
he were turning TO stone. He had loved
her so much in the beginning, that he
feared 10 shock her with feeling that she
could not return; and now coldness and
self control seemed 10 have become Sec
ond nature TO him, and lie never dreamed
any more of departing from them.
The first summer OF their married life
came, and, oddly enongh, Bertha missed
the old home, even with Maria in it. She
longcd TO sit again al the east window, and
look into the old garden, where the roses
were, aud The blue-eyed larkspurs aud the
heavy scented syringas, aud dream her old
dreams again-a free woman in a free
world.
One day Archibald came in with the air
OF one who was about to confer pleasure.
-" ., W 80 ''o'i' '"e ,oo' u .ue
had put on white dress, and some Of the
VI" u ,''s'" ''scS' " "..n sue ndu DrouSn'
back from a call on Maria that morning
were in her hair aud on her bosom. She
looked to him just like the woman he had
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"1' '"1 ",,r'"' ~ fo' que moment us
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,ar'. T., ~ ~ s9'"s uP W "el "nu
W. ~, D't w
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w.. -. .',,,' ,'.,.,, ~ ',o'-i US ~,
"'.n Wv = "''''' 'e''' iio
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it will be an excellent opportunitv for van
and Won vere wishing for a h,oatb ,r son
air the other dav.~
"Oh yes" Bertha cried. delighledly. "it
will be charming. And vou will coma
tooY"
The look of care, The weary look that had
been settling on his face for months mast
seemed TO deepen under her question but
he answered, quietly:
"I will come when 7 ..n Rnsi,oss il
unusually ongrossing this summer and I
cannot oct away often"
So Bertha went off with the Meredjtbs
and Mr.. Archibald remained behind in The
pleasant home few miles from New York,