Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-12-12

ing. And these would have marveled
had they read her heart, and known that
here had been a life of bitter disap-
pointment, as we'll as of entire self-abne-
cation; yet such it was.
The intuition which grasps at truth,
even unknowingly, had seized the secret
of her heart in its furtive decision on the
merits of the hidden miniature romance.
Twenty years before, Miss Bridget had
loved and been loved by the curly-headed
young man whose portrait she preserved;
and the separation of the threads of theil
lives, which ought to have been woven
together perpetually had been a sad, sore
episode which had chastened and sad
dened spirit full of bright enjoyment
and capacity for the perfection of earth
ly happiness. He had been poor, and
she had been rich; and their story, like
most sad ones, was short one.
A few months Of constant association
and of growing love and then sickening
disappointment OF blighted hopes, and
the young man had donned the blue
jacket in which the artist painted him,
and had departed across seas, and they
had never met since.
Even correspondence was forbidden
them by her parents-who loved their
only child with that ignorant love that
does not foresee; and as she was dutiful
and he was proud, the thread had been
cut, and they had drifted widely asun-
der.
1t had been in the autumn that he had
gone away from her; and ever since, and
now, when the season had returned, and
the brown leaves battered on the stone
walks in the garden, she had felt the sad
ness of her crushed out longings and
hopes press heavily upon her.
Now, when the shrill blasts were vail
ing mournfully outside, and the Christ
mas tide-which promised to be green
that year-was only day off, the de-
preston of her spirits seemed almost be-
yond the control of her dearly bought
self command.
1t was toward dusk on Christmas eve,
and she sat alone by the bright fire in
the sitting-room, and that she might for
once accept the painful pleasure of rem
iniscence she let her memory carry her
back to those halcyon days twenty years
gone.
She had been surrounded by group
of young and happy beauties all the after
noon; but they had dropped away and
left her all alone; and so she sat, deep
in thought, when loud rap of the
knocker startled her for moment, and
she came out of her reverie, thinking it
might be the return of one of her late
visitors, or new one; and so her face,
which had for few moments become
hard with lines of unrest, softened into
its usual placidity.
The door of the sitting-room opened,
and the butler appeared, bearing a small,
rough looking box.
cts box, marin, just left here by a
sailor chap, who said he was sent by the
captain of ship and told to leave it, and
no answer. Will l bring it in here,
marm2n
eyes Joseph" said Miss Bridget.
"You may place it here at my feet, and
bring something to open it,"
The butler placed it on the rug at her
feet and left the room. Miss Bridget
examined the direction curiously.
1t read thus:
"To Miss BRIDGET CULVER,
No. - Street,
New York"
1t was bound with hoops of iron, and
bore the appearance of having travelled
but the outside gave no clue to its
source.
The butler returned, and after some
trouble removed the lid, and retired.
The contents of the box were wrapped
in covering of oil silk; end Miss Bird
get removed this, and found beneath
worn-out and faded blue jacket, a
sailors hat, and knife, and, wrapped in
a bit of the same silk, the companion
picture of the miniature of the curly
headed young mana portrait of a
beautiful girl, apparently about twenty
years of age.
Miss Bridget held these things for q
moment in her hands; then she folded
them slowly together and rising from
her knees, walked quietly out of the
room and upstairs, leaving the empty
box on the floor.
When the maid knocked at her bed.
room door, half an hour later, to cal
her for tea, Miss Bridget answered that
she was ILL., and desired not to be dis
turbed until morning.
That Christmas eve the winds mounted
higher and higher, and whistled more
and more drearily about the old stone
house. and ratified the window panes,
and banged the blinds of the f1arins
brick houses in the neigborhood, and was
altogether wild and uncomfortable anG
pitiless.
At about midnight there came up
terrific snow storm, and at once ami.
hilated all the possibilities of 'greer
Christmas" which according to ancient
superstition, ''makes a fat church
yard.
And on the Christmas morrow the
snow lay heavily upon the trees, and
was banked up in drifts all about the
stone fence; but the sun shone merrily
and flashed brilliantly on the bright
crystals; and early sleigh bells awokt
Miss Bridget, where she had thrown
herself, in her clothes, on the couch il
her bedroom, with her head resting OF
the old, torn, and weather-st stained blut
jacket, and the two miniatures clasped il
her hand
And late she rose and made her toilet
and went down to ca
her lonely Christmas breakfast
and on the stairs she was met by tn,
maid, who said there was a gentleman
in the sitting room who insisted on see
ing her. And so Miss Bridget, who
though in trouble herself, would incon
venience no one else entered the sitting
room and saw by the window tall gen
= tleman, with thick curling brown hair