Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-11-26
THE LOST LETTER.

THE LOST LETTER.
was never happy at Aunt Brownies, but
there seemed no prospect that l should ever
leave her. l had come out, so to speak, as
far as any one 30 repressed could come out,
but might as well have staid in. l only sat
in corners, talked with the chaperons, or lis
tened to some garrulous octogenarian. Aunt
Brownies interest in me, such as it was, died
a natural death after my first season-it had
always been weakly-and the result was a
sad deficiency in my wardrobe. She had
married of two daughters without difficulty,
but niece, il seemed, stuck closer than a
burr. However ii was not my fault l re-
mained unmarried. l had done my best to
be fascinating. Though l hated the idea of
marrying for home or position, yet l was
sure would not find il hard to love one who
was kind to me, if only on account of the
novelty. l was thirty now, and not unused
to hearing changes rung upon the old maid,
and the beggars who shouldn't be choosers,
by my young cousins, Susette and Anne.
But had had one opportunity TO change for
better or for worse of which they never
dreamed. The son of Aunt Brownies second
husband, Cedric Browne, had asked me to
marry him three years before, as we rowed
up the river in June for the rosy laurel
blooms to decorate the house and piazza for
Susette's fete. l sometimes wonder what
Aunt Browne would have thought of the pro-
ceeding, as she had set her heart upon mar
rying Susette to Cedric. Perhaps l refused
him because / was taken unawares, because
1 was not enough interested to care about
frustrating Aunt Brownies plans; perhaps l
did not expect to be taken at my word but
imagined it the proper way to decline, in or
der to be importuned. l believe all my ia
vorte heroines had conducted in this wise
However, we rode home through the sunset,
our boat heaped with the pink flowers, in ST.
lence.
"You look as il you were laden with sunset
Clouds" said Susette, who was watching for
us on the shore but l am certain Cedric
looked like thunder cloud.
The next day was the fete. Everybody
brought presents for Susette. Cedric gave
her an antique necklace of tuTquoises l was
sure he had meant it for me. We had sup
per out of doors under the great pine trees,
and dancing by moonlight. That day be-
gan to regard Cedric Browne attentively.
had known him under the same roof for
weeks at time; had laughed and talked
with him, believing him foreordained to min
lister to Susette's happiness, 'as inaccessible
as star in heaven" so far as l was con-
cerned. He had helped me with Adeles
children, who had come to Aunt Browne S
when their mother died. But that he should
regard me with any tender emotions l had
never cared to wish. In fact, l had thought
little about him until to-day. l had never
observed until to-day that his eyes were ten
der as stars, that his face was like that radi-
ant countenance of Mozart in the music room,
that his smile was simply enchantment. 1t
was rather late to make these discoveries.
He did not leave US at once it seemed as
if he staid just long enough for me to know
all had lost Since then he had been with
us again for whole month but little Wal
ter was i'll with spinal affection that kept
him on his back, and me by his side; and
though Cedric used to relieve me often by
day and by night could see from my win
dow, and from occasional glimpses in the
drawing room, that the balance of his time
was spent in Susettes company.
Aunt Susette's beau is going to make a
kite" Teddy confded to Walter one day.
who's he ?" asked Walter from his bed.
"Why, Cedric, of course-Cedric Browne.
Bridget says SO herself" as if that put the
matter beyond dispute.
The next day when Cedric came up to
amuse Walter with the affairs down stairs,
that youth demanded 81 say, are you veal
ly Aunt Susette's beau, Cedric? Adrienne's
ever so nicer. When I'm a man I'll marry
Adrienne."
Then you'll be luckier than l, said Ced-
ric, winding up top, and spinning it ON his
palm.
1t was a year since then. no longer went
out was fairly passe. Aunt Browne had
abandoned all hopes of me. 1 was good
nursery maid, cheap goveness, an inexpen.
sive companion in the family. In the mean
time could have married any day, if had
l l.l- - l.al AV.,A VI
transfer my labors to the parsonage To be
sure, this would not have proved the brilliant
marriage my aunt had expected of me- MOI
the romantic one / had dreamed of myself,
and it was not till came into possession OF
a certain family secret that began TO re-
volve the possibility in my mind. 1t seems
| that when my aunt married her second hus-
band, Mr.. Browne-Susette and Anne were
both Lowells-they had subsisted upon the
| patrimony left to Cedric by his own mother,
and that after his fathers death, Cedric had
turned in the same yearly income from the
estate for family use, and that /, Adrienne
Lennox, owed my daily bread to the man
whom / had refused and who had forgotten
me. Earning my own livelihood was out OF
the question, drudgery was my only vocation,
and that was too badly paid to be encourag-
ing. l looked at Rev. Abel Amherst often al
this period with a view to installing him in
Cedric's place, if Cedric would only vacate,
Oddly enough, Mr.. Amherst renewed his
suit at this time, and pressed it with the ca
gerness of lover, and for the first time
began to hesitate. 1.-THE woman who hest
tates is lost" said Susette.
had been out on the hills one day trying
to make up my mind to forget Cedric, and
marry Mr.. Amherst but whenever l began
to think of going to parish meetings, becom.
| ing the president of Dakota leagues and sew
| ing circles visiting the poor, and drinking
| tea opposite Rev Mr.. Amherst all the rest OF
my days, somehow or other Oodric's face
would slip into the picture unlimited, and
| blot out his rivals as strong sunlight fades q
negative photograph.
"There is letter for you, Adrienne," said
Aunt Browne, when / entered the house, "ir
the music room, on the top of the dado un
der Mozart's picture" l went into the mu
| sic room, but there was no letter to be seen
perhaps one of the girls has removed it,
she suggested. But no one had meddled
with it,
'Grandma cooked letter over the tea-ket
tie" said little Teddy, rehectively.
Yes, said grandma, 81 wrote letter tC
your pa, child. l hadn't any blotting paper
but the fire answers the purpose quite al
we'll"
At that time l had never heard of opening
letters by steam. Well, we ransaeked the
house for the truant letter, but in vain.
"Who was it from, aunt :" asked.
"How should know, child?'
"But the handwriting-the postmark? 2"
''The postmark was blurred"
Had il a foreign stamp?" l asked, witt
I a.. InI -