Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-01-02
DELICIA.

- She was SO exquisitely beautiful, it
was actually provoking that there
shouldn't be the least romance about
her. Waves of pale golden hair rippled
away from her pearly forehead, and
were gathered into superb knot at the
back of her head. Such blue cleaned
in her sweet eyes, such lovely pink
mantled her soft cheek, such smile
pared her ripe mouth, that, well-bred
as you might be, you could not have re-
trained from staring at her; and then,
thinking of strawberries and cream, have
longed for silver spoon with which to
eat her. -. ..-..
But for all this there wasn't the least
romance connected with her. Though
three-and-twenty, Delicia had never
had a lover. She lived in quiet farm
house among the White mountains with
her father and mother all the year
round. She loved them dearly--was
happy with them and her horse, Joan
of Arc.
Joan was beautiful, high. spirited ; and
Delicia, who cared nothing for dancing
or flirting, and could neither sing nor
play, was passionately fond of horseback
riding. There was spirit of pride and
daring in her which made her a superb
rider, ard caused the young men of the
very bare neighborhood to call her
naughty. The delights of her life were
the pine-scented woods, the winter
landscapes of ermine snow and glitter
ir.g ice, the dreamy sweetness of the
autumn orchards. At twenty-three
Delicia had been content with an ex-
istence lived in comparative solitude.
Then came terrible calamity. Her
father was killed by runaway horse,
and her mother, frail and unable to en-
dure the shock, sank slowly but surely
until, one mockingly bright, beautiful
day, Delicia found herself entirely alone.
Outsiders then called her cold, for no
one saw her weep. She only trembled
so excessively beside the open graves
that old Aunt Thankful, who had
. nursed her de- mother, was obliged to
support her to keep her from falling.
Otherwise she was composed, only her
sweet eyes had a look in them pitiful to
see.
A change had come over Delicia's
serene life; the dear home-love was
gone, and the girls content had gone
| With a native courage and reserve pc
culiar to her she made no complaint ;
she asked Aunt Thankful rather wist-
fully to stay and keep house for her, and
| then turned to her books and horse and
maiden meditations. But Delicia's
! dreams were troubled now. Life's griei
had touched her; she knew that sorrow
) was in the world she feared the future.
The strange, sad summer passed. One
fine November day, Bob, the hired man,
| 1ol T1or nf t1.@ l,o
the side-saddle on her back.
" ] have to 60 to the village, miss, to
! buy the new milch COW. I'll not be
back till noon. You'll not mind letting
Joan stand with the saddle on y little
till Gomez"
"No, said Delicia, absently.
Her beautiful oval cheek was white
under her velvet cap. There was n sad
ness quite unmistakable in her eyes as
she turned Joan's head toward the hill.
road. .EFfr..
Yet who, to have seen her beautiful
/ spirited figure Looping along the uplands
would have divined the rare heart o,
the heiress of WheatlandsP She die
not, perhaps, understand herself, anC
did not know she had asked her own
soul: Am to be ali my life alonei
Willno one great and good ever ask MT
to be his dearly beloved wife? Ifnot, ]
shall perish of the face of the EARTH"
You must have guessed rarely to have
guessed how deeply ran the still waters
of that idyllic life. You would no
have guessed it from anything in hel
perfect proud face as she turned it to
ward passing carriage. The occupants
were bJase-looking man of thirty, per
haps, and very young and pretty girl
A single glance told the story-tha
| the young girl was loving ard unhappy
that the man, for some reason, founC
her desirable of possession. .tNFN
He had hard black eyes that repelleC
Delicia. yet the sight of the two seatct
so closely gave her vague, painiu
feeling of solitude and desolation whicl
not long ago was utterly unknown t.
her.
The carriage glittered by, and Joal
loped softly along the woody road
soundless with thick carpet of pin
needles.
She made circuit, and came back t.
the main road.
Suddenly unusual sounds attracte,
her attention. A crash and violen
screams reached her ear, and as she rod
forward, a strange sight burst upon he
view.
The carriage had gone over an EN-
hankment and was Il perfect wreck; tn