The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-01-18
A PROUD WOMAN,

6hOd over Its meadow bloom. Nat
urally he forgot or never knew that
somewhere and sometimes there We're
sodden paths to tread; that the mead
ow bloom turned to rustling broom
stalks, and the sky to "under-roof of
doleful gray" lie was sunshiny be-
cause he had never peered into the
shadows. To have purse Well-iilled
without knowing who fills ii, to open
your hand for a gift of fortune and
have it drop in carelessly, to win love
without seeking tin short, to play
at living is pleasant occupation, but
very poor discipline. Perhaps John
Vandor was trihe selfish, in spite of
his ineXhaustib,e good nature, his in
telligence, his invariable Good FORM
Agnes Earle was the sort of girl
men call dashing WOmen-Out of re-
spect to their own preferences-dar
not classify. She had dark and unread
able eyes, matched TO a shade by a
profusion of crinkled hair, and set off
by long, almost curly lashes--lashes
that would have made the SiStine Ma
donna half coquette. Her complex
ion was that rich, deep, yet perfectly
best Spanish portraits than in Amer-
can life. From remote ancestors she had
perhaps Spanish blood IN her veins.
In figure she was neither 50 tall as
Diana, nor so mature as Juno; neither
1.-the or willowy described her exactly,
though either may help to indicate the
subtle something in her carriage which
made her as graceful in movement as
in repOse, in speech as in silence, in
alert attention as in self-Saturated rev.
erie. Indeed Agnes Earle would have
been almost beautiful if she had no
other charm than the wonderfully
pretty hands which had made John
Nandor fall half in love with her
when they first met. and had helped
to persuade him that he loved her ever
after
Nandor was not exactly handsome.
lie was fne-looking. One could not
but admire his physique, and one could
not help noticing in looking him full
in the face, that he had brains
These two began by liking each
other somewhat blindly and altogether
unreasonably. lie liked in her the
brilliancy and dash of her style, the
suggestive tluency of her small talk,
and above all, her compelling beauty.
She liked in him a certain strength,
certain suggestion of restrained pow
er, which seemed to underlie his OBJ
vious conceit and his superficial empir-
icism of thinking and she liked his
Open-handedness, his big, brave ways,
his love of dogs and horses and of all
outdoors"
These young people were second
cousins, but they had not met or
known much of each other until he
was man of 26 and she woman of
10. He had come to California for no
good reason-fOr no reason. One sat
urday afternoon, after a week of some
comprehensive doing" of san Fran
cisco, he walked into Richard Earle's
study at Berkeley, bearing note of
introduction from Cousin Mary, who
lived in Albany. He found bronzed
grizzly, curt and gruff man, who scowled
him a dubious welcome without rising.
"Ilow long have you been in the
state, young man, asked the host.
"Just ten days-two in Sacramento;
eight in san Francisco"
Are yoH broke?"
"DO you mean out of funds ?" asked
the guest smiling in spite of himself
81 mean broke-b-r-o busted
p'raps you say. Come here to Dor
row :"
NO, thank you. l came to pay my
respects, and wish you very good
day" And second cousin Vandor,
turning on his heel, quietly left the
room.
In the hall he was arrested by the
unmistakble rustic of feminine drapery
just in time to avoid collision with a
lady.
Il beg your pardon, - he said rather
stif1ly.
Have you been quarreling with
papa"
The young lady smiled while she
asked the question, and all the stiffness
had gone from his voice as he replied
Not exactly; | am cousin of your
father s-of yours too, by the way
and had come to he very civil to my
relative. Your father thought l had
come to borrow money"
lie had forgotten his anger; forgot
ISh lldI Hc ouSll W idNc DCeu III lull
retreat.
"Come back with me, and let me ex-
plain. I'll make him apologize. Our
cousin must not go away in such a
fashion, with the afternoon sun about
to go down upon his wrath. l don't
wonder you were angry, but then,
twas only father"
"Your cousin had much rather ac-
cept the family apology from you, -
said Vandor, laughing "Howeyer,
I'll go back and try and explain that
Pm not broke"
Agnes led the way, and marche
straightto her fathers side. She ben
and kissed him lightly, and then stand
ing directly in front of him, she shook
at him one taper finger, saying, with
-.