Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-10
After the Summer.

head droop down upon his shoulder.
After the summer.
CHAPTER II.
81 hate school," frankie Poole inform
ed her one morning, as he sat on the table |
while she sewed a button on his trousers
'I should like to be sailor"
Goodness Master frankie, what's
put that into your head ?"
ooh, nothing only Tom Dawlish was
telling me about it ; what they did in
the wrecks, you know, and all that. |
should like to be on n raft, I should, and
he drew his naked toes on to the table,
and wriggled them about ut the thought
of the great things he would do. "Tom's
coming to-day, heard mamma say so
and if he isn't gone when come back this
afternoon, shall ask him more about it. "
.Td tell him not to be filling the
child's head with such nonsense, only
don't want to get in his way" Mary
thought But somehow Tom got into her
way in the afternoon.
"Look here, Mary" he said, 81 want
to speak to you. 1t isn't that / want you
to look at me if you haven't mind to,
tho goodness knows I'd do anything for
you but I don't want to see a nice girl
like you n lowering of yourself by walk
ing out with chap like Alfred Hill"
"What's it got to do with you?" she
asked, angrily.
"Why, Just this, that I've found out IL
bit about him, and he's only laughing at
you, and thinking you are nice looking
girl when you are dressed up to walk
about with; but as for marrying you,
he'll no more do it than that"-and he
snapped his fingers, tho what that action
had to do with Mr.. Alfred Hills inten-
tions ho did not explain. "Why, he's
going to marry the daughter of MIR.
Brooks, what travels for the firm. that's
| what he's going to do. Ask him, and see
| if he can deny it. Why it's coming off
directly only she's nothing to look at, so
he isn't fond of showing her off, but she's
got some money, she has, and plays on
the piano, and locks lady"
"How do you know?' Mary asked, her
very lips turning white, for her exacting
heart knew that he had fallen off lately,
and that he was not what he had been in
the spring Ohe summer was over) Not
that for single moment she believed
| Toms words.
| "Why, work there, and the servants
told me. Besides, I've seen him go there
counting"
81 don't believe it. You ought to be
ashamed of yourself" and she rushed
away to hide her gathering tears and
frightened face.
She wrote to HIM, asking him to meet
her that night, but he replied with an ex-
cuse that made her heart sick. He would
meet her tomorrow Saturday afternoon
in Kensington Gardens, if she liked, he
D.. d., nf,l, boil nd for.
the first time, and for his sake, was false
to her charge of Frankly.
"You run about, Master Frankly, dear,
she said. Il want to talk to friend OF
mine. But don't go out of sight" and
about him. Alfred Hill looked rather
and shiny as ever. She hardly greeted
him when he appeared, but she looked ut
him with all the admiration she had ever
felt for him intensified by her fear. He
sat down beside her, and, elegantly cross
ing his legs, began tapping his highly
polished boots with his bone-hcaded
cane.
"Alfred," she said, crossing her hands
it true that You are going to get married
dircctly?"
"Who's told you sop
at isn't any account who told ; is it
true that you are going to marry Miss
Brooks because she plays on the piano
and has money, and" The tears
came into her eyes, and her lips culver
ed with anguish. "Oh, it isn't true! /
know it isn't r. and she touched his hand
in her dismay, and looking up into his
fun wifi oil tfsn in
her eyes.
81 don't see why it shouldn't be, and so
there's the long and short of it. It's no
use making fuss about it, my dear
girl"
"But it isn't it isn't, she said, appeal-
ingly.
"Well, yes, it is true" he said, slowly,
not daring to look her in the face $50
you may as well know it at once"
She stood up before him. "True! DO
you mean to say, Alfred, after all that's
passed between us, that you are going to
be married to some one else?"
81 really don't know what you mean by
what has passed between u.s.. You really
couldn't think / was going to marry
your
"Why couldn't II"
"Well, l don't wish to hurt your feel
ings, but consider the difference in our
positions. One walks out with pretty
servant girl, but one doesn't marry her.
''You are not gentleman, as you
think yourself, Alfred Hill," she said
slowly "You are dressed like one, but
you are Just bit of a clerk, not any bet
ter than respectable girl like me you
are not n gentleman. Agentleman doesn't
try to take girls good name and win
her heart, as you have done" Mary
often wondered she fought her battle as
she did but she seemed to have no feel.
ing then, only to realize that which would
come hereafter.
I'm very sorry that you let yourself
fall in love with me" he said, tapping his
boot again. 81 thought you would have
asked"
"More pride What do you take me
for?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.
''Do You think I'd walk out with one,
and talk to him, and let him talk to me as
you've done, if l hadn't cared for him
I've too much pride for that, and I
shouldn't be fit company for any honest
man if ] hadn't. And you know us I've
liked you, for you made me say it, and
You know it ; but it isn't you as like,
but the man took you for, and he isn't
here at ALL"
"Well, I'm sorry you are disappointed
in your hope of lettering yourself by
marrying one above you, and l think,
after all you've said, we'd better part"
"The sooner the better" and she let
him go and then she sat down and al
most sobbed her poor foolish heart out,
and spent the bitterest hour of her life
beneath the trees from which the leaves
were falling. Suddenly she looked up
for Frankly he was nowhere to be seen.
She called at the top of her voice ; no
answer. With fear that deadened all
other feeling she ran to and fro in a wild
endeavor to find him. She asked the po-
liceman at the gate he had not seen him.