Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-07-23
In Blue and Gold.

'Well, since you mention it yourself,
Hal, will confess that | was surprised
to find you engaged to Miss Brookfield,"
said Ned Chester, to his lifelong chum,
Hal Elmendorf (the two young men were
leisurely strolling through Maple Ave-
nue), 'for when / went abroad, you
were most emphatically denouncing the
heartlessness and selfshness and extrav-
agance and a few other amiable charac-
teristics - according to your way of
thinking at the time-of society girls,
and apparently sincere in your determi
nation to remain bachelor rather than
marry one of them. And your letters
have given no hint of a change in your
sentiments. Quite the contrary. Your
last, by-the-bye, was most perplexing.
No woman's letter could have been more
so. In it you suddenly jumped from the
Clauson Mine to "a sweet, wild rose,' of
whom you had previously told me moth
ing. If l remember Alright, the sentence
introducing her ran thus: And the div
idends this year are much larger than
this sweet, wild rose that l have found
in this lonely place, and am almost per-
suaded to court and marry, after the
manner of Tennyson's landscape paint
| err"
Elmendorf threw away his cigarette,
looked thoughtfully into space a mo-
ment, dropped into still slower walk,
and asked, "Should you like to hear all
about it, old fellow?"
'Of course l should, replied Chester.
Lives there man with soul so dead,
who ever to himself has said, L take no
interest in sweet, wild rosesp' And be-
sides that, haven't been the confidant
of all your love affairs, since you were
twelve, and awfully smitten with the
pretty girl in Wild's confectionery
Drive ahead I'm all attention."
Gas you remarked a few moments
ago, "began Elmendorf. 'just before you
crossed the briny,' became disguised
with fashionable young ladies in general
and as you did not remark, for fear O.
hurting my feelings, with Eudora Brook.
field, in particular. 1t was rather hare
on romantic sort of a fellow, who was
awful spoons on a girl, to be told by thai
girl that his fortune considerably en-
HANGED his attractions in her eyes, anC
that, for her part, she thought love in {
cottage, on less than five thousand yeal
must be the dreariest of existences. W,
quarreled, as you know, and parted. Sh'
went, shortly after, to Newport, and l
filled with scorn of managing mammas
and fortune-hunting daughters, donneC
a blue flannel suit and coarse, broad
brimmed hat, and carrying with me onl,
small valise, started for anywhere
anywhere out of the world.
cat noon of my second days travel
! the train stopped at quiet, tree-embow
cred station, and following the impuls
of the moment, l jumped of, and strucl
into lonely, shady road, resolving t.
keep on, on foot, until Fate should say
Thus far, and no farther Ned, tina
road was certainly the loneliest road
/ ever saw. Not a person did l meet, no
a house did l see, in an hours bris
tramp. But 1 trudged on and the nor
: Eudora's beauty and grace fitted befor
me, the more her sweet voice rang ou
in the song of the birds, the more m
E heart yearned for her smile, the more
was determined to put miles between III
| would not be married for my fortune
| would be loved for myself, or not {
all. And growing stronger in resolutio
at every step, / suddenly found myse
in front of a small, gray cottage-I II
membered instantly that Eudora had
silk dress of the same shade of gray
half covered with woodbines and ro'
!, vines, that stood just at th3 entrance
dense wood, where grew oaks, maple
. willows, elder bushes, blackberry busl
es, and Heaven only knows how mar
other things planted there by the wine
and the birds. A COW with young ca
). beside her, was lowing in a field opp
site, and a brook was sparkling in Il
} sunshine, short distance away.
: "On the porch of this cottage, sat
middle-aged woman, sewing. To he
!, hat in hand, ! advanced, and humb
3 preferred a request for drink of watt
e And she, rising with hospitable quic
ness, bade me take the seat she lie
0 while she went to the well. / sank in
the chair, for / was aweary, and soon S
70 returned with glass of water and
glass of milk. / drank them BOTH
at once, of course, but during the cC
versation about the weather that ensu
+. and had risen to depart, when the pr
tiest girl in blue and gold that ever
held came tripping up the garden pa
s apail of water in each hand. "A swC
wild rose, ] said to myself, and sat do