Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-03-01

Kate was embarrassed. and her embar-
rassment made bad matters worse. for,
hardly knowing what she did, she began
confidential manner. Mr.. Atherton did
not come over to our house that evening
as usual. Kate was restless and out of
sorts, starting nervously at every jar of
the outside door until nine o'clock. then
she seated herself at the piano and play
ed the Faust march furiously-she al
ways did that when she was in a dis
turbed state of mind-and retired for
the night. The next morning she was
in better spirits, however. and made an
unusually careful toilet for church.
The Rev. Arthur Atherton usually
glanced towards our pew when he first
entered the pulpit, but this morning l
noticed that he refrained from doing so.
Just before the sermon. as was his GUS
tom he commenced to read the notices
of the Parish meetings, soeiables, sew
ing circles and the like which were to
occur during the week. He untolded
these notices in an absent minded way,
holding one while he read the other. He
announced that the young peoples pray
er meeting was to be held in the vestry
of the church on Friday evening, that
meeting of the Maternal Association
would be held at the house of Mrs. Hunt
on Wednesday afternoon, and astonish-
ing to relate, while he was reading this
last he held, half open in his hands,
what Kate and |, who sat near the pull
pit. recognized at once to be Johnnie's S
valentine 1t was either that one, or
one precisely like it. There was the
great red heart in full view of large
portion of the congregation Kate's
face grew as white as the frills about
her neck. The young people around
commenced to litter, the older ones
amazed and unspeakably severe Mr..
Atherton held the missive up to read
from, with the most delightful uneon-
seiousness, but then what change came
over his face At first he looked CON-
pletely mystifed, then mortified. then
disgusted, then suspicious. 1t was only
for breathing space, however. and he
! put the unfortunate affair aside with de-
liberate calmness and kept on with his
reading In such an easy, unchanged
voice, that | could hardly believe that
my eyes had not deluded me. Then the
appropriateness of the lines occurred to
me,
Thy lisplns voice still haunts me,
Ringing Ger the lilies"
and came near laughing aloud. There
certainly was the shadow of lisp in
Mr.. Atherton's voice. Kate had made
fun Of it many time, and it did usual.
ly ring above the lilies, for vase Of
those flowers was rarely absent from the
communion table the year through. They
came from the hot-house of Mrs. Gard
ner. wealthy parishioner whose garden.
er made them a speciality.
1t was plain enough to see how the
mistake was made. Kate. in her haste
had put Johnnie's valentine into the en-
velop directed to Mr. Atherton, and tn,
notices into the one directed to Johnnie
Johnnie produced the interesting af
fairs that noon and inquired if they
weren't funny valentines. Mamma haC
not noticed the pulpit display of the val
entine, and Kate begged me to say moth
ing about it to her. "Of course you'll
explain your mistake to Mr.. Atherton a
once" l said.
"No, | will not, she replied. HI
looked at me so scornfully when the ser
mon was over, as if he believed woulC
do such thing on purpose. of cours
he knows my handwriting. but he hae
no occasion to look at me in that way
Why, he scarcely returned my bow"
'Erhen shall do so, said | hastily
"You see, Kate, taking it all together
the lisp. and the lilies, and Toms hand
writing in the inside, and yours on tn
outside. and your mad cap drive witt
that gentleman in the same day. eireum
stances are very much against you.
would be too funny for anything if j
wasn't SO dreadful
II don't care if circumstances ar
against me, she said. II can't endar
Mr.. Atherton. he's such shallow. sus
pieious. silly man. What be thinks Q
me does not affect me In the least
And | could not get off without max
ing solemn promise to say nothin
about it to anyone.
But fate, or rather Johnnie, made eE
erything right at last.
Three or four weeks passed By. an
/ | Mr. Atherton had not been inside on
| doors, neither had be and Kate excLane
ed a word beyond a brief good mornin
or good evening. Then mamma was tai
en- suddenly i'll. not violently so. bu
she was confined 10 the house, aud Z
: course he could do no less than come I
: inquire concerning the health Of one (
/. his most active ehurch-members ka,
0 was giving him the desired informasio
e with considerable dignity, when Johnni