Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-10-27


WAS alone, and she received me withou,
formality..
. \ ou see that am here" she said will
Il faint smile. | bowed. I'VE have beer
here. father and l. for three DAYS
did not conceal my surprise. She hes
| ltated a moment. and then said, with pain
, ful deliberatiOn-a deliberation which en-
abled her to compose herself before the ut
5 terance Of each word:-
. Mr.. Weymouth, You know why | am
: here feel That | could not deceive you
even If would. for it has been Your i'll
: fortune to discover that / am weak-or
rather. perhaps. that l am strong-for
have come at last to count it a strength T.
! be able to love: Tell me, is what l have
seen true?'
The word true fell from her lips with
so strange IN accent that | could not bu,
comprehend much of its significance
therefore hestated. but at length replied
Yes. l believe it to be true"
. Is it possible that it can be any
thing more than an attempt to solacc
himself for the pain that inflicted upon
him.
{" Yes, it is"
" You are sure?''
Il am
Possibly he has told yon that it
Ieso-Then you can repeat what he
said9''
did So. did not convey any Of my
own feeling. but think that | gave Thur
mans in full. 1t was Il hard task. for
could see the listener shud,ler and drooI
under the successive assurances that all
was lost to her. After had finished there
was Il long silence. looked downward
not caring to witness the perturbation OF
mv companion. After minute | VIII
aroused iy Il movement on her part
looked mp. 4 great change had come ovn,
her. Her cheeks We're flushed with lur.
her eyes had lost their mournfulneSs ami
We're no" bright and piercing She stood
el ct, and faced me with an air of aggres-
! sion.
Knowing your aptitude for business.
have no doubt that in spite of the de
ilands that friendship has made upon your
time and attention. you have observed th,
condition of the Reinhart farm"
| indicated tina did
" II i, clear to ven. | suppose. then. that
its tenant will ag lin fail to meet his en-
gaGements with us9'
+" have not seen enough vet to warrant
such I decisinn''
q" Ah-thrn you are troubled with blinI-
ness. | have examined every thing;
think that n thing has escaped me- re-
quest you to take steps for the foreclosure
Of this mortgage
The motive of this WAS only too plain
A sudden revolution in her temper had
nude it possible for her To conceive this
fierce but feeble plan to gain her object l..
of course, conll not be Instrumental in the
transaction of business that arose from anv
such sources, and | said SO in As many
words.
Sh" gave me- an angry reply.
This enabled me 10 address to her a
speech which treated. | think. of every
phase of her conduct in the matter with
Thurman. and every sentiment that hal
been evolved from the outrage did moi
spare her. The Indignation that | felt
found really words. and think. if recall
these words with any degree of accuracy
they must have told keenly upon her.
spoke a. if from the most elevated height
the height where the love was first con
ceived-;t height immeasurable above the
plane of common lnves-and. us the c;iust
had been great. SO my denunciation of its
ruin WAS severe and relentless l utlere,
the lust words in the rolloquv.
left Miss Walling trembling between
rag. and remorse, unable to gainsav me-
Vet beholding. in far higher colors than
htd painted it. the picture Of the error she
had made left the room and the house
and returned to the hotel, where east nv
self down to puzzle out the Course that il
WAS best Tor me- to pursue. 1t was then
three o'clock in the afternoon. The dav
WAS cloudles- and warm. and l vaguely
remembered that | had seen the grape.
pickers in the teeming fields and that the
day WAS like L day of heaven.
At five O'Clock heard Thurman's steps
in the corridor. They were hurried, and
| had hardly time to raise myself to my
feet before he came into the room. He
terrified ME a second time by his wild APP
pearance. He looked much as he had
looked upon the day that he came from
his defeat st Lahil. He fixed his eyes
upon me. aud passing by. went on into
his own chamber. He opened his trunk
searched in it for moment, closed it, and
then came back. still WA king rapidly He
9 lined the door before l could utter :,
word.
" Thurman. Thurman"'
Weymouth" cried he suddenly.
- give me your word that you have not
iiIlCI ASICu .iS.tiiSl Illc oNtl lutlt- lie
nodded in the direction of Seibel's
house
Il give You my word that l have
not"
Good. l knew that. May God
bless and keep you, my dear. good
friend"
In an instant he was gone. He descend
ed the stairs, crossed the nall. crossed the
the echoing piazza. and then his footsteps
were lost upon the lawn. l cannot SAY
what stupidity KEEP: me wondering, as |
did, tor fifteen minutes. about the reason
and force of both his act and his words
Then leaped to my feet with the ques-
ton in my mouth What did he take
from his trunk?'' | ran into his room
and found the box locked and the kew
gone had once seen Il hall-porter spring
Il lock with Il we'll placed kick. 1t sue
ceedei; the lid flew up. and l seized it.
| looked for Thurnan'S pistol case. As
now fully expected, one of the glittering
weapons WAS gone.
Now. then for Relnhart's house, caught
up my hat. and WAS out of doors in IN i'll
stant. 1t WAS not a time for roads and
corners. and | took Il straight line over
fences, through yards. and across vine
yards, and never halted for An instant
came up to the old red house with it,
clumped wood by si,le path. that. being
gras~-grown. gave no echo to my foo;st-p>.
| caught gimp>e>, while l was yet thirty
yards away. of figures moving in the little
courtyard. | WAS about to burst in upon
them. when their positions and behavior
deferred me.
There was present Thurman, Seibel and
Reinhart Thurman almost facing the
covert where | was, was Standing beside
the bole of one of the willows. The girl
was locked close in his arms with bel
head turned sideways and upward upon
! his breast. Her eyes were closed. but be
, tween their lids there trickled "A few tears
not a hot current that denoted turbu
lent passion, but those scant drops th;.
l utter woe sometimes wrings from ont
whom it has paralyzed. The father grasp
, ed the skirt of his daughters dress with
, his gnarled hand. and, with the rim of hi
: hat half-covering his trembling lips, ,sough
4 to draw her aWay