The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-03-22
LOSING THEM BOTH.

London Figaro.
LOSING THEM BOTH.
The dearest little rosebud of girl,
with cheeks where pink flush came and
went, and blue eyes, with long, golden
brown lashes, and hair that waved with
out the aid of pins or irons. l always
thought her name was the most suitable
that could have been chosen for her,
though the only wonder is that old far
mer Budd did not name his only daughter
Deborah, or Rebecca, or Sarah Jane.
Rosanna had fortunately been her
fathers grandmother's name, however,
and so came Rose Budd into the world !;
for Mrs. Budd had made the Anna the
middle name instead of the first, and
dropped it.
Then began to like Rose Budd so
much that ] seriously thought of propos-
ing to her. Hiram Roper liked her too.
He was five years older than l /; plain
man of twenty-nine, with faint scars on
his face and bald spot on the top of
his head. A poor man, studying medi-
cine late in life, because he had not been
able to study in his youth, only hoping
for his diploma in year, with the prac-
tice all in the future; and / at twenty
four, had the Mosswood estate for my
own, and money enough to live on COM
fortably. There could be no comparison
between us, fondly hoped, that would not
be favorable to me, and l coolly though
politely took my place before him and
cut him out on all occasions with Rose
bud. /, young and rich and handsome,
and, as supposed, elegantly dressed he,
plain, and poor and shabby, looking ten
years older than he really was. What
chance had he against me?
And 80 he slipped quietly into the back
ground and made love to Rosebud, and
one day kissed her on the cheek, and told
her life would not be worth having to
me if could not win her; and she said
nothing, but outblushed all the roses,
and let me kiss her again. After that
we walked boldly arm-in-arm through
the village, and friends teased me, and
the other beaux dropped away, and one
day 1 gave her a ring to wear on her
left hand forefnger.
Two weeks from that day went to
London on business. intended to stay
a week, and was so successful that /
stayed longer; fiually l went into busi-
ness in the city and began to know peO-
pie. visited at the houses of wealthy
merchants, and met their wives and
daughters, and by degrees began to un-
derstand that, though my Rosebud was
very fair and sweet, she was not hot
house flower. In other words, her dress
was not like the dress of a fashionable
belle; her manners were homespun, her
education poor. She was very gOod-ex-
cessively good, but not an elegant
lady. Then, too, she sent me notes in
big buff envelopes, and used little "i"
for the personal pronoun, which should
have been honored by the capital "I."
And farmer Budd, with his ur,couth
coats and wonderful hats and long strag-
Cling beard and hair, was not the sort of
iather-in-law that should admire; and
there was Miss Hanover. Perhaps that
fact was the most powerful one of all
the workings of my disenchantment; for
Miss Hanover was beautiful, all millin-
cry and upholstery; and Papa Hanno-
yer was called Prince Hanover by his
friends, and had bis dinner table set for
forty every day and wore fortune in
diamonds on his bosom, and made friends
wherever he went, by his lavish gifts,
and was the greatest stock gambler in
London.
Papa Hanover had smiled on me, and
counseled me how to invest, and had
dined me with his daily forty friends,
and had said, "Violette, this is Mr..
Markham, one of those country gentle
men of whom we are trying to make
city men,"
And Violette had smiled radiantly
upon me.
Since then how many tete.a-tetes had /
not had with her-how many rides. l
was learning to dance with her, and had
forgotten to write to Rosebud for two
weeks, when came an anxious little note
on blue paper, beginning thus:
DEAR HENRY: take my pen in hand
much troubled in my mind regarding you
know you would write IL you were not sick
%, Henry, il you are sick do tallgraff and
let father come up and see you. Henry
will not write any more until / hear from
you--i am too troubled in my mind. We
are all well and in the hopes you will enjoy
the same blessings remain Yours truly,
ROSE BUDD.
P.s.--Do let me come il you are sick. 1
am so troubled In my mind.
hastened to reply, the awful dread
of Mr.. Budd's tatherly care hanging over
me, 80 to speak, by a single hair. wrote
to Rose, but how? / shall not copy that
cowardly letter here. When it was in
the box did try to fish it out again,
but il was too late. 1t had gone, and its
termination, "Thanks, Miss Budd, for
your kindly anxiety concerning my
health; 1 am sure that Mr.. Budd does
not share it," was perhaps the worst Of
all lines by which told her, not in frank
honest words, but in a manner that nc
woman could fail to understand, that
did not choose to remember that we
were betrothed.
After that no moro letters in yellow
envelopes came TO trouble me, and
paid attention to Miss Hanover, and in.
vested my money according Hanover
advice. And days and weeks and months
rolled by and il thought of my little
Rosebud. fading because the sunlight oi
love was withdrawn from it, crossed my
mind, / drove il away with a sigh.
could not help IL, / said it was fate.
Fate meant me for Miss Hanover, for
Violette, and we had met-that was all.
No, not quite all one day. remember
IL was the day after splendid ball, and
called on Violette, whose escort was
the night before--one day / made this
latter statement 70 violette Hanover,