Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-01-25

a scoundre to endeayor to win her heart
The poor Frenchman here raised his head
and said, sadly, in his own language, "Hou
have reason, mademoiselle.'
Then Betty could stand It no longer She
turned to the Professor and said "Why
don't you defend yourseltY Since they do
not scruple to insult you, why do you not, in
your turn, tell them they are liars aud foolst
that you did not tell me of your love for me
It was that told you of my love for you. II
was that made the proposal-whch he has
rejected. ladies'. added Betty, now gaining
pitch of the family fury. "He has told me
in a much nicer way, however-all the truths
you have expounded; that he il too poor to
respond to my sentiment, and he was about
taking final leave of me when you 30 impo.
| litely broke in upon US. Yes, he is going,
cried Betty now breaking into tears and sobs,
| her voice rising to a high treble but If l
can not have him, 1 will have nobody. You
| may take your Colonel over whom you have
been fighting so long, and chop him in pieces,
aud divide him between you; but will have
none OF him"
Hold there, my pretty little termagaut,
cried another voice, that doomed terror and
dismay to hearts that were already quakinR,
and martial form loomed up in the main
| doorway. "Do what battle you will for your
frog eating friend, but don't give me over to
]
on thy family altar, aud to save further trOub.
| l. / will retire from the field and will forth.
with leave the town; but l have brought
! bauble here which is now of no uso to me,
and I'll leave it with Miss Betty as an offset
| to all the trouble I've unwittngly brought
upon her, for which, on my conscience, I'm
heartily sorry" Here he lifted Betty's limp
hand and put the ring on her finger. May
| it bring you luck aud prosperity ~ he said,
] 4 l.. 4,
! Professor was soon gotten rid Of and Betty
WAS dragged to her room, where the door was
! locked upon her, aud she was left alone with
her bursting heart For half hour or SO she
remained stunned, bewildered and conquered.
| Had her relatives come to her door during
that period they might have made almost any
terms with her but at the end Of that time
she began to gain strength and recuperate.
! She dried her eyes, and lifted her aching
head. 1t must be remembered that Betty
was but sixteen the June before, aud had
been left to grow as wild and free as the
grapevine that clambered by her chamber
window the vine, unpruned and unbound
covered half that side of the house, and the
| parent stem was nearly the thickness of Bet
tvs erm. Her heart was bursting, as l have
said she felt that she III )ul1 choke in that
hot, stuffy room she would &c. away where
she could at least breathe and think, and up
| went the easement; it was bu. two low 5to
ries from the ground. Betty graspsd tn
friendly vine, and let herself down in the
twinkling OF an eye. She ran around the
corner of the house, and there, standing pa
tiently by the gate, was the old horse and the
old carry all, waiting, Of course for the usua!
trip back Of tn Professor.
Betty jumped in and coaNed the old crea-
ture into "a brisk trot She rode on and on,
her faculties gradually beginning to rally
She smoOthed her hair with her hsnds and
touched the stray locks under the hat, which
had all this time been hanging loose upon her
shoulders then she smoothed out the folds
Of her dress, and by this time the old horse,
left to himself, went straight upon the old
errand, and stopped before the door Of the
Professor. Betty started and blushod, but the
thought Of seeing him once again consoled
her for everything. She ran lightly up the
shabby porch, aud was met by the news that
the Professor had just gone to catch the
train for the neighborng town. Back again
she fled to the carry all, and this tima urged
the poor beast to its highest speed. She
reached the depot just a, the train did. The
Professor nearly fell of the platform when
he saw Betty. She lifted up her hands to
him. intending to say last good-by, bu. just
then all power of articulation was lost to her
there was no time 10 wait for its restoration.
Catching Betty's hands in his own, the
Professor drew her to his side, the whistle
blew, and of they went.
Scarcely had they been seated and gone the
length Of fence when all the enormty OF
her misdesds fell full upon the consciousness
Of Miss Betty She knew there was no train
back till midnight; the old horse and carry.
all were left behind, with all the rest of her
conveniences. What in the world was to be.
come of her? She pulled the hand that the
Professor still held away from him, and, turn
ing her back upon him hattened her it'll,
nose against the window OF the car tt
crown all her misfortunes it began to rain
heavily. Betty's big tears were on one side
the pane, and the rain drops on the other
The Professor saw that she was shaking with
her sobs. It melted all the difficulties away
from his troubled vision. L,aning obhquely
forward the better to screen her from the
gaz. of the few humdrum passengers, he be
gan as usual with his "Soyez tranquille
mon enfant.
"Oh, do hush with your everlasting 'B
tranquil" cried b -tty I'm nearly wild
What shall do? I've given you 80 mucl
trouble and got myself lutj such a dreadful
scrape." Theu she went on to tell him o
her imprisonment, her escape, the stupid
bluudering of the old horse in the old direc
tiou, her foolish wish to bid him a last good
by, aud the iual leap upon the fatal train
What shall do I, How shall / get back
said poor little Betty.
The Professor shrugged his shoulders. II
truth, there is no getting back" he said
Heaven has decreed that our paths shall Ii
onward and together We will find som
, good priest at the neighboring town, VIII
2 shall make our destiui-s one. We will leay
the sst to the good Cod
Once warmed to this theme, the Professor
, language would have been ravishing to ever
, an Indifferent ear, SO fraught was it wit
grace aud feeling, delicscy and devotion
Betty listened to him in half dream, it wa
so sweet to know that she was not to be SCI
. arated from him-not to be taken back to he
now dsgraced and infuriated relatives
restful to hear him at last declare that low
n was all and everything so nice not to b
4 hushed up with that "Soyez trauquille." Sh
= was very tired, witha Her eyelids bega
to droop her breath came soft and softer
presently she fell of upon the Professor
, shoulder into a sleep shaken sometimes b
q one of those little after-sobs that mark IL
/. slumber Of an infant.
It The Professor began then to knit his brow
a aud wonder how he should manage in th
= scrape in which he was plunged by this ado
/. able woman. Now that their fares were pal
h he had Just five dollars in the world, and
Al the purse which B ltty had knitted for him
Il to his landlady there were other little obi
Y cations in the village youder-to the barbe
G to the lauudress, to the person who dealt
l. stationery. In fact the Professor had live
!. beyond his means which would not be VOL
> dered at if the limit of those means wei
10 known. He had, of course, meant to retuI
" and settle those little claims his visit to Il
town was merely preliminary; now it vi
le impossible to return. Betty had settled q
X that. To go back was ruin. He WAS bran'
is ed in that vicinity as villain, Scelerat, a XII
le napper of children Yes, if he persisted
G. his flight, he might even be arrested as
l abscondug debtor. And he had tried
ID bard to live in Obeisance to his ancient nam
Ii aud the noble sentiments that had been han
le cd down to him through the faultless gener
lt tons
le The Professor sighed heavily, and near
knitted his brows into a bow knot over the
ne perplexities but in the midst of them {
or his arm frightened around Betty, and he vo
d. cd in his heart that she was worth tenfo
II, the agony he was suffering, and she was
10 really his own He would have her no
1y come what would, He even felt frmer a.
ce freer in this resolve that the old nObless obi
at had been broken through. He was sceleI
be now, mdlgre hi, and he secretly snapped
fingers at the grim proprieties while he 81