Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-02-14

"Of course that makes no difference,
Belton," he said after pause.
Belton, who was by no means bad
fellow, had no sooner done the deed
than he was sorry for it, and manfully.I
said as much on the spot.
81 don't care fig about this an
swered Camlion quietly; "but, . he add
ed, with the grim tenacity which was a
feature of his character "you ought to
make it up to Mrs. Clapper."
The upshot was that Belton yielded,
and presented Mrs. Clapper with $25
and handsome apology. But the in
cident reused a good deal of discussion,
and opinion was for while somewhat
divided as to Camlion's behavior. Some
declared that he ought to have sent the
Southerner challenge but most of US
felt duel would have been gratultous
absurdity for man like Camlion; and
it was a sign of the general confidence
felt in him that no one ventured to in
innate that the fact of Belton's being
notoriously dead shot had anything to
do with the pacific termination of the
affair. Camlion himself never alluded
to it in any way. but, as | have said,
the two men afterward became firm
friends, and Belton. who had before be-
longed to the fast set, gradually mend
ed his ways under Camlion's influence,
and joined the athletic party.
/ Another follower of Camllon sand
he had many. though his intimates
were few-was Frank Capel, also a
Southerner, and well-mannered, pleas
ant fellow enough. He was chiefly not
ed, however, for his fanatical devotion
to certain famous sister of his, to
whose praises his friends were obliged
to listen in season and out. She was,
according to Frank, the cleverest, most
fascinating creature above ground. Her
dancing. her riding. her music, were all
perfection and Frank used to declare
that she could beat even Fred Bolton
hollow at shooting.
"Why, I've seen her" Frank exclaim-
ed, stake her revolver and put bullet
through each of the five fingers of my
glove while was throwing it up in the
air ten PAGES away from her!''
} In short, she was the ideal of all
that woman can or might be, and we
, looked forward with interest to her
promised appearance on our class day.
"We'll introduce Camlion to her, and
; he shall make her an offer of marriage p
f said Belton, with chuckle.
The joke of this suggestion lay in the
fact that the less heroic Camlion was
r what is called "afraid" of young ladies
a that is. he could seldom be got to oper
] his mouth in the presence of any woman
who was not over thirty and married
:. and if brought to bay, be would STAN
j mer and blush like a schoolboy, anc
0 stand twisting his great hands behint
: him and glancing anxiously this wa,
t and that for chance to bolt. To imag
e inc him carrying on courtship was to-
: daring flight of fancy for any one bu
y Belton. With children, however, Cam
0 lion was completely at home, and b
;, would spend hours of uproarious happi
r ness in nursery, tumbling his giganti
e frame about on the floor amid tn
d screams of delight of the small people
e He treated them with ardent reverenc
and abject forbearance, and they le
j. him unreslstingly captive.
: Our class day came round at last
: the longest aud loveliest day of sunme
3. with its spreads" In the mems room
e its dancing on the college green. its i
n Elimination in the evening, and its var
e our other diversions. Miss Capel wa
|, there, and beyond doubt she was, in az
It pearance at least. nearly all that Fran
g had declared her to be- But for m
b own part, while recognizing the bewitct
1t ing brilliance of her face and manner,
d found her slender lips too satrical an
IF her clear brown eyes too unsympatheti
= to command my entire fealty. She wa
c OF those women, who, as bare retur
y for condescending to exist in the pre-
d ence of man, demanded from him
y devotion scarcely distinguishable fro
It slavery. She was witty, rapid, and
l. once subtle and daring. There was
her, | fancied. more of intellectual a
r probation of passion than of passion i
n self. She seemed to think that IL
It proper place for her arched foot was {
y the neck of the rest of humanity. 81
b had never been opposed, much less r
le bufed or humilitated she expect,
le that your eye should fall before hel
D. Her figure was tall and 1.-THE, and mob
st proportioned. graceful, erect, and alel
a But was brutal enough to think th
q some of the ear-boxings which she b;
doubtless administered to her slaves
sc home might have been wholesomely r
turned to her own defiant head. FIR
IL Belton, on the other hand, consider
her divine" and 'squired her abo
d. most inveterately; she accepting |
homage in good part. and laughing WI