News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-11-27
THE BRAVEST AND TRUEST.

SbOOo
before the mirror combing out her soft
brown tresses with the utmost delibera-
ton. "Your Canadian air is exhiliara-
ting, Nora. Winter in England means
fog, damp, and general disagreeable-
ness. Here it is the perfection of wealth.
er. Quite too lovely, isn't it?"
And Stella, who had gone out to Mon
treal on visit to her uncle-General
Markham, commanding the garrison
there-only month before, gave a sigh
of pleasure as she gazed out of the win
dow at the glorious prospect being be-
fore her.
Her cousin Nora sat at the window
looking out upon the same view with
perhaps as much of admiration, but
hardly the same amount of enthusiasm,
for she had been nearly two years in
Montreal, and the novelty was of course
worn off in her case.
"Oh, I don't know!" she said with a
covert smile of deep significance. "If
one had two lovers always in attendance
L suppose even desert might be made
tolerable."
A dead silence fell upon the room;
then Stella went on placidly arranging
several rows of ringlets over her fore
head, wondering what had started Nora
on the war path, but venturing no
remark until her cousin said, with abrupt
emphasis:
"Wbat do suppose will be the end of
all this, Stella ?"
'Of what, pray Put it in plain Eng
lish.'
"You know perfectly well what 1
mean, and you ought to be ashamed of
yourself. You have no right to tride
with such men as Alan Douglas and
Major VaIcour."
my dear Nora you are, without ex-
ception, the most absurdly inconsistent
person of my acquaintance.
81 do not deny thatI have had various
title affairs in my time, but L never car
ried a Irritation beyond my bounds as
you have DONE"
"Indeed p
ST am really in earnest, Stella. Ire
fuse to be party to any such perform
auce; and if this sort of thing is to con-
tinue shall leave you to end the affair
as you see fiji"
"Dear me what fuss about nothing
/ don't think they intend to murder each
other just yet.
Perhaps not; but you know they
both love you devotedly, and why do
you keep them hover1ng around? You
can't marry them both, and doubt very
much whether you intend to marry
either"
81 don't know that I do" she an
swered, but the color in her cheeks
deepened somewhat, and she did not
meet her cousins questioning glance.
''Then you are worse than thought
you were p cried Nora, with righteous
wrath. 81 never would have belie7ed
you capable OF such wickedness, Stella.
It's sin and shame for any girl to act
as you have done It's what L call con-
temptible 70
"Is it, though ?" she answered, with.
little embarrassed laugh. "Don't get
II such rage with me, Nora. 1t isn't
any fault that I can't make up my mind.
[ am sure would be perfectly willing
70 oblige you by marrying one of the
gentlemen, but I can't, for the life of
ne, find ont which one to prefer"
"You had better not have either if
you've any doubt about it." Nora said,
bluntly,
'Now you are going back to what
you said before" - =
81 wish you would have done with
his trifing."
Nothing was further from my
thoughts, Stella answered. SO gravely
nat Nora said, in quite a different
tone:
''You are not in love. with either of
them. then2"
"I-I don't think am. i believe 1
like AI-3Mr. Douglas best; but the
yaIcour fortune and family arms quite
balance my preference. So you see l
am in dilemma. All, there they are
aowl We had better put on our things
before we go downstairs, hadn't We?
What very great swell Major Valcour's
caachman is. It's handsome sleigh,
TOO"
Nora went to the wardrobe and got
out her hat and furs. As she put them
on, preparatory to q ride with her
Cousins rival suitors, she vented her
feelings in the brief remark that Stella
was the queerest girl she had ever met.
The gentlemen were waiting for them
in the sleigh at the front door, and it
was not long before the robes were
warped about them, and they were off
pt a rafting pace on the road leading
out of the quaint old town.
1t was clear, breezy day, but not too
cold for pleasure, and the ice-boats-
those swift winged sleighs so common
on the Canadian rivers in winter-were
skimming over the frozen surface of the
water like beautiful white gulls.
To see those dainty little vessels.
mounted on runners, cutting along over
the ice at rate of sixty miles an hour.
thrilled Stella's venturesome soul with
envy,