Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-03-03

tN'a hSN'''t1 ihaaAi ''N'
Charly, was that Victor Disbrowe had
been "mittened" in favor of Thad. Bon.
drOn.
Thad. had always liked Charly. lie
had watched her grow up Il very bios
som for prettiness, sweet as wild
rose, soft-spoken and gentle-tempered
and his sister had private means of
knowing that he was far from uncon-
sciOus of all.
Miss Janet, without doubt, knew
what she was about when she suggest
ed as Charly's escort, in a certain
emergency, nobody but brother Thad."
Singing-school met Tuesday evening;
and at the usual time. Charly heard
the familiar Jingle of Nictors' sleigh
bells come dancing down the snowy
streets. How many times her fond
little heart had kept time to the mu-
sic! Now she only shrank and cov-
cred her face with her hands. Was he
going to take Laura Chmute? Nay,
he had stopped at her gate! he was
coming in. and Charly began to trem-
bic violently. like the little coward
she was.
She went to the door herself when he
knocked Her aunt wqs out, and there
was no one else to go; and she asked
him into the coy little parlor as usual,
but with Il very unusual t"0mor in her
sweet young voice.
Victor, handsome 20, s"am1
affected not to notice. as he Swagg 7
in and tossed his graceful length up,
an easy chair.
"Most ready, Charly?" he aslicd
glancing ostentatiously at his Iino
watch.
Charly put upa little hand, ant
smoothed the satiny bands of hair upon
her white forehead timidly.
"I-lm engaged. Mr.. Disbrowc,' ~"
said, staring resolutely at the fire wiz
a pairof very unhappy eyes.
Victor the inyinciblc looked at her
increduOuSly.
"Chmly,' he said, reaching her dress
and pulling her toward him, though
she resisted him some "Charly," re-
proachrulIy, tcnderly putting an arm
round her waist, and drawing her
sweet face down to his
When he kissed her CharIy's pcnt up
emotion burst forth. She dropped her
head on his shoulder, in storm Of
hystcrcal sobbing
Victor knew what it meant. lie
smiled II little and strained her closer,
in a clasp that poor Charly thought
must be Il loving one, and that made
her heart thrill with foolish hopes; but
he only kissed her lie never said,
"Charly, | love you. Charly, will you
marry me-"
He knew as well as Charly did that
he had only to say those words to make
her his own completely. But he was
never in his life farther from saying
them. Victor DSbrowe was not Il
marrying man; and though he appre-
ciated this girls sweetness aS much as
it was in his selfish nature to appre-
ciate anything, he had no mind to put
Il period to those innocent lirtatiOns in
which he delighted. by marrying her.
Such girls as this were his legitimate
prey; such scenes as this, sweet in
ceusu under his selfish nOstrilS. some
vague realization of the true state of
the case slowly penetrated TO Charly's
consciousness. Gradually she stopped
sobbing, and her heart stopped its wild
beating. She waited a moment longer,
and drew herself ont Of NictOr's arms.
lie would have kept her there, but
she insisted with such new IirmneSS
that he let her 90,
Crossing to the opposite side of the
fireplace, she stood there, her head
leaned against the mantle piece, her
eyes dOwncast careless now of the
curious glance that watched her.
Really, in those few moments, Chmly
had fought her little battlcnd won the
day, Doubtless some anger mingled
with the current of her thoughts, and
made her strong Just then; aud by Just
so much as she felt her humiliation, in
having shown Victor Disbrowe her
heart so plainly, she hated him for ac-
cepting, in such a matter-of-courSe way,
the loving homage he had wooed by
every art short of words.
Yes, gentle, sweet-tcmpered Charly
hated him, for the moment. There are
very few women who are incapable of
hating under such circumstances, and
it is perhaps Is good panacea as any
for a heart diseased as Charly's was.
Victor sat Il moment looking at
Charly, and warming his shapely feet.
Then he rose with smiling nonchalance,
brushed her cheek with his good night
kiss, and sauntered away,
Little he guessed that his empire
was really over in that innocent heart
but as his sleigh bells clashed in the
frosty air, farther and farther away,
Charly actually smiled, not very bitter
ly either.
She opened the door promptly when
there came u second knock, and Thad.
BondrOn came gravely yet pleasantly
into the room Victor had just left, suf-
fering nothing in his face to tell that
he had been there before that evening.
lie had knocked half an hour before,
but nobody had heard him; and being
very much ut home there, he had
opened the door himself and walked on
to the parlor. lie had barely opened
that door and shut it again instantly,
and quietly stolen away for a time.
He took no notice Of Charlys swollen
eyes, but he saw them, and read Alright
the troubled gravity that shone out Of
them. 81 will be ready in q moment
she said, and ran away to bathe her
flushed face, and tie on hood and cloak
In her mood, the gentle Difference
the kind pleasantness of Thad. Bon
dron's manner was inexpressibly sooth-
ing; and though when Mr.. Thad., rs
the girls all called him. carefully
tucked her among the buffalo robes
she missed peculiar tenderness with
which Victor managed to envelop the
same performance, she remembered il
with thrill that was perhaps as much
repugnance as pain. l do not NEAR
that if she could have had him there
beside her again, she would not have
felt in a measure the old thrall; but il
would have been more from habit thar
real inclination. Her acquaintance