Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-05-15


tie Of laughter and carriage-wheels
Lefty settles herself back ia her chair with
little sigh and plies palinleaf fan az II 10
blow away bit of a cloud that seems TO have
sprung up from nothing, as clouds do, on her
pretty face. II might be supposed that she
we're jealous, were her prettiness sufficient to
justify such indulgence in the luxury Of feel
ing. Aud IL her pink cheeks aud yellow curls
have really been the attraction that has kept
Tom Porter dangling with compliments about
her path TO and from the station all the sea.
son, II Is only natural that she should feel a
certain anxiety on the introduction Of black
| eyes aud brunette beauty on the scene Toms
attentions have already plunged the station.
master into savage gloom, whose outward
manifestation takes the form of strange hos
tilty TO the baggage of innocent passengers
aud If Squire Porter had known what terrible
thoughts racked the soul Of Billy johnson,
the engine driver, he would never have risked
the safety OF his family on the rails behind
that one Of Letty's lovers, who, TO tell the
truth, was the most favored.
As the case stood however, Letty's heart
had expanded towards Tom Porter, under the
light attentions Of that young man, Just
enough to permit her to owe him a grudge
should he transfer his fancy-And this, with
an intuition not surprising under the circum-
stances, she foresaw was very likely to hap
pen.
70 say that Lefty turned with gratitude and
satisfaction to the assured. affection of her
/ engine-driving admirer would be TO do inius-
| tice TO her capacity for ambition which the
| squire's son bad aroused and az she huttered
her fan she blew up little fame Of animosi-
| ty against all of them together. Nor was she
| far wrong in her estimate OF the situation.
The houses Of Porter and Van Amden we're in
no way averse 10 AN alliance that seemed the
l Il Al. Al i
whose possibility had been foreshadowed in
the winter gayeties of the city would receive
impulse in the rural festivities Of the summer
| to the qualification Of all concerned.
The gossips of Smyrna soon had this bust
ness, as well as much more pertaining TO Af-
fairs OF the neighborhood equally private,
among high and low, satisfactorily arranged.
II was not determined by this authority
whether the wedding was to take place before
the close Of the season or early in the winter,
but preference was generally given to the lat
er date and this was the news which Sammy
one day brought his sister, the development
OF the talent of gossip bearing having com
mtnoementin in early youth among the Smyrna
ties.
Sammy was, indeed, precocious child, and
| would perhaps have been a more valuable
member of society than one ought to be at
his age had it not been for the compensating
circumstance that his precocity was wholly
unreliable. He was at once useful and dan
gerous, amusing and exasperatng and never
did these qualities expand and glorify them
selves a. among the events with which he
managed to connect himself this summer.
Tue mysteries of telegrapby were never too
| deep for his probing, a. the arcana Of love
was not too sacred for his investigation aud
mastery. He not only had, for a small boy,
a wonderfully accurate comprehension of his
sister Letty's romantic tendencies, but he also
developed practical usefulness AZ the Ariel
to speed with her messages and the Caliban
to scrub the coTroded metal elements OF her
battery.
While the summer days passed quietly and
hotly enough at the station, the augmented
household at Squire Porter's spread itself over
the country round about in daily junketing of
the most hilarious sort. Such q genius for
picncs, such talent for fishing. such an en-
durance in mountaineering, Miss Van Am
den showed herself to possess, would have
captivated the great Pan himself, and Tom
| Porter, who WAS a worshipper of the wood
land deity, found his devotion turning more
and yet more strongly towards this handsome
priestess. Talk of the glamour of .gasight
| and bot house flowers, OF the infatuation of
the dance in crowded bathrooms of all the
destinations Of stereotyped fame why,
young woman Of good parts can work more
havoc in fortnight of rural pleasuriDg than
in whole season Of artificial campaigning.
II Tom Porter did not confess to this fact
in 80 many words, il was none the leas true
that Miss Van Amden conquered him in less
than week after her arrival at Smyrna, aud
dragged him willing captive over hill and
valley, attuning his soul to what he believed
to be concord with nature, but which was in
reality the romance of his own heart II was
on their return from a mountain party, filed
but not surfeited with picturesque views, that
the two found themselves in advance OF the
rest, walking quite alone.
There are the carriages just ahead of us,
said Tom. Suppose we sit down here aud
wait for Mily and the others 2"
What pity We left them so far b, hind !"
suggested Miss Van Amden, affecting TO Rd-
just her jaunty hat at a more sedate angle
mot bit Of it had almost forgotten
they were anywhere in the world replied the
Young man, eagerly and unsuspectinRly ac-
eepting the suggestion his companion had so
delcately limited. Let's imagine we have
| quite stepped out of it ourselves for few
minutes longer. They will come soon enough,
and then We go home to dinner and civiliza-
tion again"
"Do l look very uncivilzed now 2" asked
the glrl, gancing up in Toms face as she
sank on an old tree trunk by the side of the
road.
mo, can't say that you do, replied Tom
with glow of genuine admiration. 1T is
something altogether better than that"
sit down here by me, and I'll spare you
telling me what it is. You we're never very
bright in analyzing your impressions"
But there are some feelings that can an
alyze we'll enough, Florence" said the young
man, seating himself, not by her side but on
the moss at her feet. 'If at first l couldn't
tell myself what made our trip up the noun
tain two weeks ago so pleasant, l believe
know it now"
'Do you 2" she said softly, and as il uncon-
scious that Toms hand had sought hers and
displaced frond of sweet-fern in order to
possess hor fingers.
'Yes, know it only too surely Florence.
May tell it to you ?"
Florence's firm brunette face, with its light
ly disarTanged hair in which was stuck fiery
cardinal flower, seemed more beautiful than
ever as it was half turned towards Tom. Her
eyes rather than her lips gave the desired per-
mission. Tom now had both her hands in
his, and WAS gazing with a lovers admiration
at the lovely cheek whose curve rounded
against the dark hair so softly. He was no
epicure in sentiment, and was very much in
earnest just then but he delayed one instant
from pure ecstasy at the sensation. His heart
was humping furiously, and in another mo-
ment he would have become eloquent, at least
TO Florence's ears, had not a sudden splash,
accompanied by the shrek of childish voice,
broken in upon the silence and sentiment of
the occasion.
Perhaps there was no necessity for formal
completion of Toms remarks; certainly there
was no opportunity. For the cries continued,
and the young man was speedily dashing
down the hillside, through the bushes, toward
the stream that flowed few rods away.
II was the work of an instant for Tom &
long arms 70 drag out a kicking, struggling
boy from what might have been watery
grave had the brook been deeper, but which
was earthly enough in fact, TO Judge by the
amount of clayey soil clinging to the wet gar
ments of the involuntary bather.
There you are, Sammy !" said Tom, as be
set the dripping boy on bis legs for drainage
purposes. "What in the world have you been
doing here p
"Fishin'."
"Do you chase the fish into the water ?"
"No l scoop 'em up. There's my hal
now, and the young fisherman pointed out
that article, escaped from employment as q
net, floating down the stream, ,gyrating through
eddies and around rocks, aud slowly filling
with water
"Take of your jacket and wiring II out,
said Tom, chasing the vagrant hat with his
mountain-5tRf and rescuinQ il iuat az IL be.