Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-07-04

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day now and again, and the feast of St
John the Baptist is esteemed in Fried.
richburg the legitimate summer holiday
of all its industrious inhabitants. The
happy day is spent, according to an old
custom, at a small village some three
miles distant from the town, where q
time-honored fair is held, ~
Lion tanners. fat women, dwarfs,
giants, all the hundred and one shows
that are the rightful property of fair,
are to be found there, and later on there
is dancing under the soft evening sky,
and after that, home early, so as to be
up and about on the morrow, to work, il
possible, harder than ever, to make up
for the wasted day.
To Rose Cordier, with her quick
French blood, her youth, her light
heartedness, this fete was one to which
she looked forward for many weeks
beforehand. and the little foreigner
knew she was never likely to want a
cavalier, and this was looked upon as
almost sine qua non of the entertain
ment.
| The neighbors smiled more than ever
when they saw Rose come out of her
door the morning of the oath of June,
looking as fresh and bright as the red
roses in her belt. and Hans appear i'm
mediately afterward, a companion rose
in his buttonhole. They were all stand
ing about in little groups, preparing to
start themselves to the scene of festivity,
many of them with babies in their arms
and little things clinging about their
skirts, but they had time to give an ad-
miring glance at this other couple first.
Before we start" said Hans, sud-
denly, little constraint apparent in his
voice, would you come into my atelier,
mademoiselleP l have been working at
something | should like to show you. -
Yes, truly, l should like it. have
never been there yet. Let us CO."
They turned back as she spoke, and lie
pushed open the door.
"See, p" he said sit is not finished yet,
but it is to be "a wreath of roses"
He led her, as lie spoke those words,
to where on one side, out of the way of
dust and dirt, it lay-the half-completed
circlet of carved flowers.
at is pretty" she said And then ::
Is it an orderp What will you get for
it p
"No, tits not an order, . he said, lit
tie sadly. :" have been doing it in the
spare moments after my days work"
g 1t is pretty she repeated, touching
with her small fingers the delicate curled
leaves, which surely had the stamp of
genius upon them; but it wants some
thing she added, after apause.
." W hatPn he inquired eagerly. "I
have looked at it so often that cannot
find out whether it is wrong or right"
Il know" she exclaimed. triumnh-
antly. Color! All, monsieur, if you
could but see the wreath of roses | made
last week for the GrafinE Won Adeldorf
for II ball, you would know what |
mean. Ohn'-with little clasp of her
hands" it was perfect! Perfect as
Lowell"
Her thoughts had quite wandered
away from the delicate flowers before
her; indeed, she did not remember them
until they stood once more in the street,
with the door closed behind them, when
it came across her that she might have
been rude.
They are very pretty" she said, soft
ly, but you see they are not finished
yet. When they are, perhaps-who
knows-you might sell them"
Perhaps" he said. g | could try, if
you wish it; but when / made them
thought "-the color swept up into his
face" that you would like them" r.
"Yes. SO l should. if you were rich
enough to give presents, or if Well,
you will not mind me speaking the truth
| to youP You are rather dreamer are
you not? This is a bad thing n-shak
ing her pretty head. cit does not mike
a ioI tune, and money, you know, one
must have. So take my advice-leave
off carving things no one cares to buy,
and only do what you can sell. You are
not angryp"
Angry, repeated Hans, "when you
are so kind as to take an interest in me,
and wish me well! Why" But here
they had reached the merry, laughing
crowd, and the spot where the omnibus
was awaiting them, and the rest of the
sentence had perforce to await compile
ton ut some future time. ,.
And it was q sentence Hans had not
intended to complete. Not yet. By
and bye, when there was little more
money in his pocket, and home worthy
of offering to wife, then it would be
time enough to finish that sentence. But
on this as on other occasions it was a
case of g man proposes at leastso far as
Hans was concerned, for, the long, 10y
full day over, and tired holiday seekers
beginning to consider the quickest way
home, he found himself under a soft
starry sky, walking downward by the
side of Rose Cordier.
"It would be pleasanter to walk. he
had said, standing by the crowded EN-.
nibus, filled with drowsy crying children
and wearied mothers. Are you tired
mademoiselle!''-af seconds pause
"would you rather driver"
No; | will come with you, she haG
replied, "it will save the sous
So they started homeward together
And ere very long Hans found himsel
reverting to those unfinished words O
the morning, ,a.
Love-making seemed so natural, so de
sirable, under these circumstances, tha
it was difficult to think of waking up OF
the morrow to the hard days work, anC
the knowledge that where it is so diff
cult to keep one, what would be done i
there was yet anotherP
1T is selfish of me to ask you, Rose
when have nothing to offer, but / an
young and strong and willing to work
and love you, Rose"
II li"ho otoOu oIlll tio hC opOhC, anu III
voice trembled as he clasped the girl
small hands in his.
Rose was moved too. Tie tears stoot
in her bright eyes; her cheeks looke'
pale in the starlight.
"Yes, dear Hans" she said, timidly
in that sweet foreign tongue he ha,
learned to love; "but, you see"
"Yes, / see. We could not live upol
nothing, No, alas! no. But Rose, til
color flushing up into his face again a
he said, hesitatingly, 1--WE might be en-
| gagedp Could you-oh, / know it
asking great deal, but could you wal
for mep"
, ."'Ah. Hans, you must not think m
unkind, but-it would be so long, and