The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-01-05
is beached. Leaving the task of haul

ing her up to David and fellow
fisherman who happens to be standing
near, Lionel hurries off, and ten min
utes afterward is seated in the solitude
of his studio, dazed and bewildered,
with great sorrow clutching at his
heart.
Thousands and thousands! Yes,
there they were; repulsive in their
coarse, barbarous glitter, whole bas-
tions and battlements of them, form
ing an impossible barrier between him
and the woman he loved!
The woman he loved He started up
from his chair, and restlessly crossing
the room stood before the easel which
supported his recently finished picture,
and gazed upon her face. All, how he
did love her He had never quite re-
alised how much till then.
Subjected to one of those mental
freaks by which, with strange over
sight of relative magnitudes, some
trivial issue is temporarily obtruded in
place of one of vital moment, his eye
became arrested by some trifling tech
nical omission; and taking up his pa
lette and brush he proceeded to rectify
it. Yes, that was better, he reflected,
as he leaned back and regarded it criti-
cally. While he gazed his thoughts
hurried tumultuously into the future.
Her father would settle down in Eng
land; and the exigencies of her wealth
would throw her much into society, and
the old life in the little island would
fade in her memory till it remained
only as a dream-a pleasant dream,
perhaps, but still mere dream-and
she would grow conventional and
worldly-wise; the pity of it
A knock at the door. All he had
forgotten.
1.-THE private view," he mutters to
himself, with a CHASTITY attempt at Il
laugh. "Come in, David"
Enters the Guernsey Lilly, and with
folded hands and meek eyes which seek
the ground, says, "Sir Painter, Sir
Painter, am no David, but simple
maiden, who has just had tidings of
your return, and bears mandate from
her father bidding you come and smoke
pipe with him over some beautiful,
new, old fossil remains. And the
chamber of Bluebeard being invaded,
perhaps he would stand on one side and
let me gaze upon his treasurer"
The hazel eyes are raised demurely,
and the sunshine of smile is lighting
up the fair petitioners face.
Inarticulate from conflicting emo
tions, Lionel steps silently from before
the easel and discloses the picture;
and with rapturous little cry of de-
light Doris recognizes its subject. For
moment or two she stands leaning
forward and gazing intently upon the
canvas; and then, dimpling and blush
ing in her confusion, timorously holds
forth her little hand and eXclaims:
"Oh What am l to say, Mr..
Painter? Can't you find me words to
express my appreciation Can't /"
Her eye suddenly catches the title of
the picture, and she clasps her hands.
"See " she cries, 81 can give good adj
vice. Let me promise to give you
good advice whenever you may ask
for it,"
His forehead is clammy and cold,
and his tongue cleayes to the roof of
his mouth.
"Tell me the news, Doris; tell me
what has happened helsays, hoarsely,
The news?" she repeats, sur
prised.
About this death and this WILL" he
blurts out, almost angrily.
"Oh haven't you heard ?" she asks;
then, with laugh which bubbles forth
spontaneously, protests, ut was too
cruel !"
Cruel If she had any intuition of
the anguish he was suffering could
she allude to the tragedy in that light
wayy He motions her to chair, and
with the laughter still dancing in her
eyes and dimpling her sweet face, she
sits down and recounts.
"YOu must know, Sir Painter, that
many years ago my dear innocent ia
ther was seized with passion for
business, and persuaded an equally in
experienced friend to enter into gil
gantic scheme with him for supplying
London with iced soda-water at some
abnormally small sum per bottle"
He bows. Yes, he recollects the
doctor having alluded to the scheme in
some "reminiscences.
Somehow" she continues, demurs
ly, the saltwater fell fiat. 1t is Il
laughing matter now, but it wasn't so,
by any means, at the time. Poor papa
lost very large sum of money; and,
what he felt far more. his friend lost a
very large sum, too. He never forgave
papa-eXcept-that is, till he died the
other day" And her face, from which
the laughter had momentarily faded,
again becomes dimpled over with ire
pressible smiles.
81 See" murmurs Lionel, with his
heart, sunk to an abyssmal depth. feel
ing like lead. "And so he came to
think better of his churlishness, and
now has died and left will in the
doctors favor?"
Yes" whispers Doris.
made over those thousands and
thousands of which David snoka ~