The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-10-24
.MIDDLEBURY. VIZ. OCTOBER "a, 1915: 4 :. ;Si
noglectful Of her before md What coul,

neglectful of her before. q. What coult
be the matter? il 90 alHH 4.'Iu
n"W hero is Mr.. DuceyTv some on,
asked. His protracted absence was nov
for the first time generally noticed.
eyes, where is he?' from q chorus o
voices. "What have YOU done witt
your cavalier, FlorryW W Mabel Town
| ley broke in. sTYoli must learn TO TAKE
better care of him in the future"
La."He is old enough to take care o
himself,D said Florry, lightly, yet will
Q very red flush on either check. 9li
o 'sEery true,' whispered Mrs. Digby
confldentially, to Tom Lacy. "He's five
and-thirty if hes day. To think o.
such q girl as Florry Castle marrying {
man old enough TO be her ,fathor-the
Mr.. Lacy, as in duty bound agreed
with everything the encbantress said.
eve must find him." said somebody
"He may have met with some acci
And d dozen of the party hastened of
in various directions through the grove
in search of Casper Ducey,~ t. 80. a.
One of the girls found him out al
last, as q little scream attested, and they
were all nrotitid him in d moment. -
lie was lying prostrate on the ground,
just within the shelter of q little thicket
not far away, with his eyes closed and
MS lace looking swollen and purple. IS
w hat is the matter?", VI ua'fAal
"Is he deadw ..iisi,H .1biw i,.
i "lle is in fit." u ,,b 1si'4pI
Ihree or four of the girls screamed
IN breath; the gentlemen looked at
him hard, then at each other, but said
nothing hu. s'H 'ii-l' ~
DIR. Granton glanced at the red, bloat-
ed face, then ruefuIly at ,Florry. ~,
:. "Speak !" she cried, with very. pale
lips, sis he dcadp''' ~" ''"' - .
"Hc is-drunkl" exclaimed Jack
Blunt, one of the party, who did not
admire Casper Ducey. .laa-lDr1n
She was silent moment, standing
motlonlcss as marble, staring into va
cancy, like one i'm dream. .r4 .rsb
Then the pallor in her face gave place
to hot, angry flush, and her black eyes
flashed as she answered, "And this is
true & There was no denial, and she
went on: ''Then he is dead to me.
never wish to look upon his face again.
want him to know how utterly scorn
him after what has happened. Give me
a pencil and bit of paper, John; l will
write few lines for him to read when
he comes out of his stupor.' Then ]
wish you would take me home.",
She had finished in moment. ~
"Iou shall all hear it," she said
bravely. cit is not, love letter." ID
She stood up in the midst. of the ex-
cited throng, whose eyes were all fixed
eagerly on her resolute little face, and
read what she had written:
"Mr. Ducey:-
l scorn and detest youisI never want
to sec you againI .t,,.,t...i...-
...l ..... FLORENCE CAsTLE."l
1t very brief, very concise but
it answered Florry's purpose--it was to
the point. She bent over, and drew
something, from the breast pocket of his
coat. ~, -. ~
II was q small flask. .i,....l ..,,..l
Then she rolled tho paper mp and
thrust II through adainty ring, which
she had slipped from her finger. ID.
Next she drew the stopper, and after
emptying the contents upon the grass,
replaced it with a roll of paper. Then
she put the flask back where she had
found it.
"IIe will discover it there soonest y
she said, simply. "Come John; we will
go now" -1j asH 81
Tho grove was deserted in q few min
utes, and Casper Ducey, in his drunken
siumber, was its sole occupant
They never saw him again. His
reign was over. One of the places that
knew him once knew him no more, and
tina place was Boroville. ron ci ,,i
What John and Florry said that af-
ternoon as they rode home, we will not
attempt to conjecture, but certain 1t is
that Mr.. Castle gave his sanction. And
so John won Florry after all.