The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-10-23


where"
"Oh, yes, sir, answered Briggs, much
astonished, and away he went, his mouth
full of cake, and soon returned bearing
the trophy, which he handed to our hero,
and resumed his cake and seat in the
porch, with serious doubts as TO his
schoolmaster's sanity.
His reflections were interrupted by
Mr.. Woodman coming out, bearing an
envelope, which contained the rose and
the straw, carefully wrapped in scented
wadding and sealed. This he handed to
Briggs, with a smile and sixpence, and
said:
Make haste and take this to Miss
Morris, and bring me back a reply"
Briggs trotted off merrily, and Fred
stood in the garden watching his mes
senger's retreating form, and anxiously
awaiting the answer to his floral mes
sage.
Pretty little Nellie Morris sat alone in
her mothers little parlor, crying.
Her parents had gone TO a neighbor-
ing fair, and would not be home till late,
and she was so lonesome and wretched
that she felt she must cry.
."Why was I so unkind to poor dear
Fred last night ?" she asked herself be-
tween her sobs. "Oh, how I wish he
would come and make it all up I" she
inwardly uttered. 81 do feel 50 miser-
able"
At that moment there was tap on the
door.
Nellie's heart beat wildly.
"Come in" she said feebly. And,
oh, how she wished, yet scarcely dared
to hope, that it was Fred come to make
up the quarrel, and be good friends
again
But she was disappointed.
The door opened slowly, and Briggs
entered, holding out crushed and dirty
letter, and mumbled that it was from
Mr.. Woodman, and he was to wait for
reply.
Nellie took the soiled missive, broke
the seal with trembling fingers, and took
out faded white rose, and broken
straw, the definitions of which she knew
too well-the former meaning 81 loved
you once" and the latter-oh, cruel
stab =" Thus do I break my fetters |"
Nellie, scarlet with indignation, flung
the letter ont of the open door, motion
&c. Briggs to follow it, which he did more
amazed than ever, and then sank upon
a chair in on agony of tears.
All this sorrow was caused by Briggs
weakness for cricket. He had stopped
to have game on his way, and put the
letter in his pocket, whereby the rose
was faded and the straw broken.
Our hero was waiting impatiently in
the garden when Briggs ran up, looking
very frightened, and holding out the re-
jected billet doatr in his hand.
He at once broke out in string OF
disiointed sentences concerning his luck
less adventure.
"I guv it to her." said he, "and
when she took out the brukken straw
an the faded rose, she turned me an
the letter fair out O. the house." ..
Broken |" echoed Fred. "Faded %
Then light suddenly dawning upon
him-"Did you get playing on your
way, sirP Answer me-" shaking the
unhappy messenger violently.
81 only commenced Briggs, fear
fully and then he began to blubber,
and applied the sleeve of his smock to
his eyes in a most woe-begone manner.
"For goodness sake, run home be-
fore I'm angry with you," said our
hero and Briggs obeyed, thinking it a
very strange affair altogether.
Fred ran in, tb mixing perhaps he had
sent the wrong emblems, and looked
again at his Language of Flowers"
No; they we're quite right.
Just then his eye caught an item, as
follows "White rose (faded)-I loved
you once :" and he groaned. Then he
turned to another page, and had another
shock on seeing these words /: "Straw
Cbroken)-Thus do L break my fetters. >
That was truly the last straw which
broke the camel's back. Fred leaned
back in his chair, and almost cried with
vexation, to think of the sorrow his care
less messenger had caused.
The shades of evening began to fall
still he sat there, thinking how he coult
heal this fresh wound.
Meanwhile, unhappy Nellie sat crying
in her dreary parlor. All, me-
At last our hero came to resolution
He would go and see Nellie and explain
the whole of the wretched blunder.
He was soon striding away over tn
fields in q fiutter of hope and excite
ment.
The sun was just sinking in dazzling
mass of gold as he reached his destina
ton.
He tapped gently on the door, but oh
tanned no answer, SO he softly lifted tn
latch and stepped gently inside.
Nellie was sitting by the window. he
face buried in her hands-sitting sti
as death.
Fred advanced noiselessly and touch
ed her upon the arm.
She sprang hastily up, and, seein
who it was-crimson with anger an
wounded pride--she ordered him
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