Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-04-17
VOL. 73.-3731. NO. 27.

to receive his attentions, TO listen TO his
gushing when other women arrived all
this would be transferred, and she would
slip back into her natural state of isolation
and neglect. Didn't she know that Leroy's
tender speeches meant nothing that his de.
votion was only perfect from practice2 But
when the genuine article was not to be had
it was pleasant to play at love-better half
a loaf than no bread at all.
The family had been picnicking in the
woods one afternoon, where the pine needles
made a carpet, and frolicsome brook capered
and bubbled down from its mountain source.
Leroy and Louise had wandered away to
collect brush.wood TO boil the tea-kettle, but
had gathered flowers instead and when the
sunset had begun 10 fade, and warned them
TO return to their party they found it was
something more easily said than DONE After
some time spent in a vain search for the
right path, they seated themselves on messy
log till Louise should recover breath and
strength, and studied such fragments of con-
stellatons as peered through the branches
overhead and listened to the lonely pathos
Of the whip-poor-will, and made the place
ring with their chorus, not much daunted
by the situation, Leroy happy enough in the
protracted seclusion which had befallen him.
Later he had waxed sentimental aud poet
cal, and she had laughed at and interrupted
his loftiest flights.
"Were you ever in love, Miss Dabney ?"
he asked.
Scores of times from the age of six.
Isn't that everybodys experience p
"Not mine" he returned. I" was never
in love but once"
"And who was the happy creature 7" she
asked, recklessly, thinking he referred to
| some hobbledehoy era.
Who ras she? Why do you speak in
the sad imperfect ?"
You don't mean TO say"
81 mean to say that the only woman !
ever loved, or shall love, is"
"Oh bark !" cried Louise, rising al hear
footsteps-pardon the DEPRESSION. 'Lo, the
conquering hero comes r" she sang. "Oh,
Mr.. Northcote, how glad am to see you /
didn't know as we should get home till
morning." as that gentleman waved the
brand he had stolen from their gypsy fire
and shouted Eureka"
81 didn't know but was de top again,
when found you and Leroy taking it so
cozily," said Northcote later as he opened
Mrs. Furniss garden gate for Louise to en-
ter Leroy having been already captured by
| the hostess. d" ! feared | had mistaken my
vocation, and had not been cut out for dis
coverer."
"Indeed, was never so glad to see you
in my life
Really? Was it so bad as that ?"
awe were so hungry"
81 thought Leroy looked as if he would
like to eat me-
doubt if you would be tender"
81 could be, Miss Dabney, depend on it
both tender and true There don't start.
You thought you had escaped Charybdis
only to fall upon Scylla. Upon my word,
| was afraid you would have accepted Leroy
before | could find you
you thought | was to be had for the
asking"
81 feared you were not to be had at all"
I" But why should you have cared if had
accepted forty Mr.. Leroys ?"
Because, in the first place, it will be
little unusual, and because | thought you
might do better"
"Thank you. | will 90 in now. Were
there any letters tonight Mrs Furnss p
" Here are two for Mr.. Loring Northcote,
ditto for Miss Mellish, and one-yes, one
for Miss Dabney," replied that lady.
81 don't know the hand" said Louise,
turning it over and studying the postmark.
" Fairfield never heard Of that place be-
fore. Some mistake, fear"
Fairfield, repeated Leroy, catching the
word, and speaking on the impulse, with a
heightened color. 81 It's new summer re-
sort. There's some sort of water there good
for blues and billiousness."
Louise opened the letter.
&" Miss Dabney" lit began" You may think 1t
an intrusion forme to address YOU but hear that
You are staying at Valley Farm, under the same
roof with Mr. Leroy, and that he is falling vic
tim to your cruel spell. beg you to send him
back to me He is mine; he is all have. can
l.
all my own. Have mercy, and send him back to
me heart-whole. What will it signify to you?-
only one conquest the less among your scores,
while it will mean either lifelong misery or hap
piness, rs you may choose, to
LzErTE LAYTON"
The gentlemen had gone to the smoking
room and the ladies of the house were chat
ting merrily about her as she read. Mr..
Leroy had been trembling on the brink of a
proposal that very night, and yet he was en-
gagged to be married. How dared he men
ton love to her? But had she been blame
less Hadn't she hirted deliberately with
another girls lover? What disaster had she
not wrought in her mad pursuit of an admi-
, ration which she did not value What
| should she say to him? How could she
send him back At what expense had her
vanity been hattered Just to prove that
she was attractive like other women, she
had worked this wrong To be sure, she
, had had no experience to guide her. She
had supposed that the boundaries of firta-
tion and love-making were more clearly de-
fined, She had never meant TO make Leroy
r love her; but whatever she had meant, it
was all one to this poor foolish Lizette Her
regrets and self-accusations beset her so
sorely that she was obliged to leave the gay
= raiery about her and take refuge upon the
= yeranda, where the shadows hid her and
against the lattice where the dew-drenched
E passion-howers shook out their sweetness
the hot tears filled and overflowed her eyes
= and sobs seemed to tear her heart asunder.
t " Tears, idle tears Louise" whispered
some one, whose neighborhood she had not
needed " Can help you Shall | stay and
S try ?"
T" Nobody can help me, Mr. Nurthcote.
5 have done such dreadful thing | have
yes, have been flirting with another
5 woman's lover. She has written to tell me
SOTO beg will send him back to her. He
= is all she has, she says, And IL don't car,
a fig for him and what shall | do if he
asks me to marry him, as he may, you know?'
r "As he would have done, if hadn't ar
r rived in the nick of time, tonight"
l. "What shall do How shall send hin
back heart-whole ?"
You would avoid the dreaded question
r | fancy, if he were TO hear tomorrow that
g that you belonged to somebody else; tina
n some one had stolen a march on him-if he
t were to hear that you belonged-to me-"
e "Oh, Mr. Northcote, to you You dom
want TO own such a mischiefmaker."
d 81 want to own you, Louise"
Mr. Leroy strolling out from the smok
IS lug room, was petrifed by the shadow of
il pair of embracing lovers, cast by the lat
e rising moon, Check-mated, by Jovel" h
e. muttered, rehectively. "No fun hanging
| about her any longer had better go bacl
10 Lizette. ."-HarperS' Basar.
EDWARD" said mother to her son,
e. boy of eight who was trundling hoop i
the front yard, Edward, you mustn't 6
lie out of that gate into the street" No. ms