The Northern Pacific farmer., 1882-10-12

Brahazon.
Rosa NODDED her fair little head.
'Bu'," she questioned, rather dubious
ly. "w'ere is the ring?"
''Ihe-What?'
'The engagement ring, Mr.. Brabazon,"
exclaimed Rosa reproachfully. Don't
| you know there's always a ring in the
novels? And most generally it's a dia
mOnd.'
eff you'll believe me-" said Mr. Bra
bacon, tragically, "I never thought of
the ring. But here's little opal that
used to be my mothers, hanging on my
watch chain. Won't that DOR
Rosa held out her brown finger, while
| he fitted it on.
"You-you haven't kissed me yet!!'
she said, when this ceremony was com
plete. Lovers always kiss their fancesw
Mr.. Brabazon laughed.
"Come,' said he, this is getting scri,
| GUS. But here's the kiss, before the rest
of the chestnut party get back. And,
! tween you and me.
Rosa ran back. home with a vague sen
| sation of mysterious delight, and thought
how nice Mr.. BrahaZon looked, all the
time she was munching her roasted
| cl,estnuts; and Mr.. Brabazon himself
! took advantage of the little joke to pro-
| claim himself an engaged man. Nor is
it an exaggegeration to say that the young
ladies were genuinely disappointed.
''It must be recent thing" said Kate
Kennedy, tossing her head.
"Oh, quite recent" acknowledged Mr..
| Brahazon.
Glove at first sight?" asked Miss Day.
| IN no, not exactly" said Brabazon
| ''ln fact, may say that have admired
| the young lady since her infancy
"What a delightful enigma" said Bel lie
| Vernon, looking anything but delighted
'But of course, Mr.. Bratazon, you'll tell
| us her naIne?"
Il am pledgedt to secrecy" said the en-
gagged man, solelnnly.
And when he left the Mountain Notch
in the late autumn, and forgot all about
the wild little woodland sprite who
| climbed trees and petel him with chest
nuts wadded with brown, dimpled feet
in the foamy waters Of tne"glen torrent,
! and conducted him 50 mysterlously to
the barn chambers to show him her
empty birds nests, butterfly wings and
diamond bright pebbles, how was he to
! under the ycllOW-leaVcu chestnut trees
as a red letter day III her calendar?
| "lie ought to write to me-" said Rosa,
| gloomily, as the weeks and months glid-
ed 10y, and no epistle came. Il do hope
ne isn't going to turn out false, like the
| wicked cavaliers in story books"
And when Mr.. Bral,azon bought a
| huge wax doll, with lis miniature Saratu-
ga trunk and complete outfit Of elegant
| ly-made dresses, ut Christmas, Rosa flew
| into q passion.
Gas if were baby" said she. IA
| doll, indeed, and twelve years old in
October! | wonder if he takes me for q
child? Who ever heard of a gentleman
| sending doll to the young lady he was
| engaged to?"
"Aly dear Rosa," SAID her mother, half
| vexed, half amused, "what nonsense you
are talkingv'
"We are engaged!' said Rosa. "See
the ringn'
And sho shy]y pulled it out from the
| bosom Of her dress.
| <'It Was only a JOKE" said Mrs Dale.
"It was sober earnestW flashed out
| Rosa.
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Dale, "haven't
| you heard? Mr. Barbazon is to bt. mar
ried to Lady Helen Hartford, Mrs Pail
letons English niece, next month. TIE
cards are already out"
"What1 cried Rosa, her sapphire blue
eyes blazing, her rosy lips apart. ''To
bc married--and he engaged to mc!!'
And then Rosa rushed away into the
larn-chalnber, and hid herself for full
two hours, to sob out the current Of her
childish grief.
| Mrs. Dale smiled and sighed.
"Who would think the child would
have attached SO much Importance to a
piece of nonsense like that?" said she.
Really, Pm afraid I have made a mis-
take in allowing her to read novels. But
she was always an impetuous little crea-
! tureW'
Rosa wrote several narrowing letters
! ly tore UP, and when she saw the mar
riage proclaimed in the papers she gave
| the big wax doll to little girl who was
| only eleven years and 81 months old.
"Shc won't have any associations con-
| nccted with it!' sighed Rosa.
At about that time she was promoted
| to higher grade in school, began les
| sons on the guitar, and put her unhappy
| love affair out of her mind.
1t could not have been more than
| eight years subsequently, that the collis-
sion occurred on the Grand Canal at
Venice, in which one Of the gondolas
| capsized, and a beautiful young Amer
| lean lady, niece of the United States
| Consul, received an involuntary duck
| ing.
Perhaps the romantically dressed gon-
doliers were intoxicated; perhaps Miss
! Barony had as they asserted, risen hast
! lily, to point out something, and destroyed
| the balance of the mouldy, black-velvet-
| lined old conveyance. At all events,
100 t(1r RI
! ofthe Palazzo Iii Silvia, where Mr., Bra
| bacon occupied the first floor, a marble.
| paved desolation Of old pictures, broken
| nosed statues, and orange-trees in tubs.
| OF course, Mr.. Brabazon sent out his
valet to offer his services. OF course,
they carried Miss Barony in, and laid her
on sofa (draped with tapestry which
somebody said Lucrezia Borgia had
helped to embroidery, and made mucil
of her.
"But how: ridiculous alb this ISL sa1q
| Miss Barony, with lnerriment cleaning
in her beautiful, dark-blue eyes II am
a little wet to be sure, but otherwise l
am entirely unframed. Why didn't
they put me in the gondola again and
send me back to nv uncle's Dalazzo?"
t~- Mr.. Brabazon, however, was far too
| hospitable for that. His capped and
spectacled old house-keeper was ready
with spiced drinks and great baskets Of
grapes and cake, and he himself was all
politeness and chivalrous courtesy.
Miss Barony gazed curiously around
How angelicaliy beautiful she looked,
wrapped in the violet velvet cloak,
edged with ermine, her cheeks flushed
with softest rose, her eyes sparkling, her
hair hanging fringe Of dark, gold over
her forhead!
"Where is Lady Helen Brabazon?"
she asked abruptly. = +
Mr.. Brabazon WINGED.
.'She has been dead for year," he
said. 81 am widower. You were ac-
quainted with my late wife,"
."Oh, no, not at all!'' said Miss Barony.
"Only, of course, all the world had heard
other. She was famous beauty, wasn't
she?"
'She was very lovely" said the
widower
When Miss Barony was carried away
in newly-summoned gondola, whose