St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-11-15

stations, of bringing Mrs. Eustis her
cup of tea in the Car, and of sharing
Miss Dwyer's seat and monopolizing her
conversation when he had mind to,
which was most of the time. A bright
and congenial companion has this ad-
vantage over book, that he or she is
an author whom you can make dis
course on any subject you please, in
stead of being obliged to follow an
arbitrary selection by another, as when
you commune with the printed page.
By way of peace offering for his bias
phemy in calling the Nevada desert a
leper, Lombard had embezzled couple
of chairs from the smoking room, and
carried them to the rear platform of the
car, which happened to be the last of
the train, and invited Miss Dwyer to
come thither and see the scenery.
Whether she had wanted to pardon him
or not, he knew very well that this was
a temptation which she could not re-
sist, for the rear platform was the best
spot for observation on the entire train,
unless it were the cOwcatcher of the
locomotive.
The April sun mingled with the frosty
air like whisky with ice water, produc-
ing an effect cool but eXhilarating. AS
she sat i'll the door of the little passage
leading to the platform she scarcely
needed the shawl which he wrapped
about her with absurdly exaggerated
sOlicitude. One of the most unmis-
taxable symptoms of the lover is the
absorbing and superfuOus care with
which he adjusts the wraps about the
object of his affections whether the
Weather he warm or cold ; it is as if he
thought he could thus artificially warm
her heart toward him. But Miss Dwyer
did not appear veXed, pretending in
deed to be ObliviOus of every thing else
i'll admiration of the spectacle before
her.
The country stretched fiat and bare
as table for fifty miles on either side
of the track-a distance looking in the
clear air not over one-tfth as great.
On every side this great plain was cir
cled by mountains, the reddish-brown
sides of some of them bare to the sum-
mits; while others we've rObed in folds
of glistening snow and looked like white
curtains drawn part way up the sky.
The whitey-gray of the alkali patches,
the brown of the dry earth and the
rusty green OF the sage-brush filled the
foreground, melting i'll the distance to a
purple-gray. The wOndrous dryness
and clearness of the air lent to these
modest tints tone and dazzling bril-
lance that surprised the eye with
revelation of possibilities never before
suspected in them. But the mountains
were the greatest wonder. 1t was as if
the skies, taking pity on their naked
nd Il h.,
ders in imperial purple, while at this
hour the westeriDg sun tipped their
pinnacfes with gilt. In the distance
half a dozen sand-spOuts, swiftly moving
white pillars, looking like desert genii
with too much ''tanglefoOt" aboard,
were careering about in every direction.
But as Lombard pointed out the vari-
GUS features of the scene to his COM
paniOn, | fear that his chief motive was
less an admiration of nature that sought
sympathy than selfish delight in max
ing her eyes fash, seeing the color come
and go in her cheeks, and hearing her
charming unstudied exclamations of
pleasure-a delight not unmingled with
cOmplacency in associating himself in
her mind with emotions of delight and
admiration. 1t is appalling, the extent
to which spoOny young people make
the admiration of nature in her grand
est forms Il mere sauce to their love-
making. The roar of Niagara has been
nOtOriOusly utilized us cover to un-
limited Osculation, and Adolphus looks
up at the sky-cleaving peak of Mont
Blanc only to look down at Angelina's
cOuntenance with more vivid appre-
citation of its superior attractions.
1t was delicious, Lombard thought,
sitting there with her on the rear plat
form, out of sight and sound of every
body. He had such a pleasant sense of
proprietolship in her! How agreeable
-datteringly so, in fact-had she been
all day There was nothing like trav-
elling together to make people intimate.
1t was clear that she understood his
intentions very well; indeed. how could
she help it? He had always said that
a fellow was bungler at lOve-making
If he were not practically assured of
the result before he came to the point
of the declaration. The sensation of
leaving everything else so rapidly be-
hind that people have when sitting on
the rear platform of Il train of cars
makes them feel, by force of contrast,
nearer to each other and more identi-
fed. How pretty she looked sitting
there in the doorway, her eyes bent so
pensively on the track behind as the
car wheels so swiftly reeled it off He
had tucked her in comfortably. No
cold could get to the sweet little girl,
and none ever should so long as he
lived to make her comfort his care.
One small gloved hand lay on her lap
outside the shawl. What a Jolly little
hand it was He reached out his own
and took it, but without even a mo-
ment's hesitation for him to extract
fattering inference from, she withdrew
it. Perhaps something in his matter
of-course way displeased her.
To know when it is best to submit to
partial rebuff, rather than make bad
matter worse by trying to save ones
pride, is rare wisdom. Still, Lombard
might have exercised it another time. |
But there are days when the magnetisms
are all wrong, and a person not ordi-
narlly deficient in tact having begun
wrong, goes on blundering like a school
boy. Plqued at the sudden shock to |
his pleasant day dream, in which he |
had fancied himself already virtually |
assured of this young lady-a day
dream which she was not really ac-
countable for spelling, since she had
not been privy to it-what should he
do but find expression for his mingled
vexation and wounded affection by re-
minding her of a previous occasion on
which she had allowed him the liberty
she now denied? 4? Doubtless helping to
account for this lack of tact was the
idea that he should thus justify himself
for so far presuming just now. Not, of
course, that there is really any excuse