St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-10-06
! Mary b. Burnett

Ashley COwper, hat in hand, was just
turning the handle of the street-door,
when soft call from the stair-top
made him pause.
care you going to the post-office,
Ashley ?"
"NO, not exactly, but near it. Is
there anything you want done ?"
"Only this letter to post" and girl
ish shape fitted down the stair. Asst
lev watched as she descended, and
with suddenly sharpened recognition
of the fact, said to himself, ''W hat Il
pretty girl RosamOnd is "
Brothers are no always so alive to
their sisters charms, but the fact was
that rarely in her life had Rosamond
COwper been so near to perfect beauty
as at that moment, when she came
down the old staircase, letter in hand
her checks flushed with deepest pink
her eyes shining, and her red lips part
ed with | know not what happy stir OF
emotion and expectancy.
Two long braids of pale brown hair,
thick and glossy as those of German
Gretchen, hung down her back. On
the fair forehead clustered il fringe OF
light waving rings, not cut and trained
after the manner of the conventional
bang, but a happy freak of nature and
accident.
The slender figure in its white dress
had all the rounded grace of youth and
perfect health. Over all was an air OF
virginal freshness, indescribable but
charming. 1t was one of those bel mo
menti which come at times to most
Young creatures.
But ROsamOnd was too much preOc-
cupied to be conscious of her looks, Us
she handed the letter to her brother,
with fingers which trembled Il little,
and said, anXiously, "You won't lose
it, will you, Ashley ?"
"Certainly not :" with Il superior
smile. He stuffed it carelessly into Il
side-pocket of his coat, coat made,
like the rest of his suit, of that immac-
ulate white duck, in which our youth
full swells delight to array themselves
in hot July weather.
Forth he went, clean, alert, hand
some, the very picture of "A luXuriou,
Young fellow enjoying Il summer holi-
day. No thought of betraying Rosa
mOnd's trust was in his mind, and his
steps had already turned toward the
pOst-office, when dog-cart drew VI
suddenly and IA CHEEKY hail reused his
attention.
"Well met, old fellow. | was .ius
going round to ask you if you felt likt
a game of tennis. The Porters sent /;
note early in the morning, to ask mt
to drive down to the Croft for luncheon
and a game, and to bring you"
"All right | will" Ashley jumped
into the cart and in another moment
was bowling down the road toward the
CrOft-a pretty country place some
three miles distant. ROsamOnds com
mission was clean forgotten.
Tennis was followed by luncheon
that by more tennis, and cOnversa-
ton under the shade of the branching
cedars which tianked the ground. Ther
pretty Mabel Porter proposed walk
and led the way through a grassy val
ley to the gorge beyond, where little
brook tore its wild way from higher
levels to the water meadows below.
The rocks over which the party
climbed were slippery here and there
and in saving Mabel from fall, Ashley
himself had a tumble, tritling in itself
but damaging to the duck suit /; 81
damaging in fact that the suit went Il
the laundress next day.
Before its return, the weather haC
changed to that odd, almost autumna
GOODNESS which checkers and temper
the heats of our American summers
1t was some time before Ashley ha'
occasion to wear it again. When i
was taken for use, by mere accident
he was searching for something i'll TIN
pocket, when his astonished finger
encountered and drew forth rathe
thick, fiat, hard square of paper fo
which he could in no way account.
His first sensation was one of un
mixed bewilderment.
"Why, what on earth A letter
and what letter ?''-and he proceeded
to smooth the rumpled mass out on tn
table. A few family written character
were discernible on what had been IA
envelope.
Mr.. D,C- Edg r,
Z. Bor 8
Neip Y
Dwight Edgar. Why, what doe
| this meanP | have had no letter iron
him." reflected the astonished Ashley
still intent on the disorganized frag
ments. "But stay-this isn't a lette
from him-but to him. How could
get into my pocket p
Here and there sentence could b
made out, or parts of sentences. -
am so very, very happy, but | can
tell you about that until"-"Ougl
to have got your letter four days ago.
$50 you needn't go to Europe yo
see. for''-and then blurred sigma
ture. "COme soon to your own ROs"-
1t flashed across him then. Thi
was the letter which ROsamond ha
! niNnn him To I.nSt fnnr INnnl.s nmn