St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-04-02

| and Mr.. Lynde were practicing a duet
! for the Operetta, both too rapt to OBJ
serve the intruder-a fact inexplicable
on musical grounds to poor Mr.. Cole
man, whe did not know the notes
apart, or care to know them. Accord
ing to his inference, the young people
were absorbed in each other, and he
was eft In limbo. Under these circum-
stances it may not be strange that his
| face, that instant spied by Miss Rue,
was not the face of an amiable man.
1t promptly reminded Mr.. Lynde of a
waiting pupil, and having congratu-
lated Mr.. Coleman on his safe return,
he hustled his music under his arm and
departed in haste.
| Miss Rue wheeled the big easy-chair
in front of the CRATE, playfully forced
her sullen suitor into it, and perched
herself on its arm to hear about his
journey. Had he been ill No? Then
he must be fearfully tired. She knew
his head ached. Shouldn't she try to
magnetic it, and put him to sleep?
| No, he preferred that she should not
He had kept his eyes closed too long
already.
AS well might a zephyr have at
tempted to pet an iceberg. With a
shiver Miss Rue slipped from her perch
and seated herself with her work in n
neigh boring rocker. What had come
over John? She had never seen him
| like this before. He did not seem a
bit glad to meet her. He turned away
from the dlstracting vision, mentally
preparing his brief-this astute lawyer,
as ignorant of the nature of a girl as
an elephant of the structure of rose.
Presently he began about the festival.
He admitted that Rue had once con-
| fded to him her intention of partici-
pating in an Operetta, but he had sup
posed an Operetta to be something like
an OratoriO, not tumble of silly love
songs. Did she think it becoming in
herself, an engaged young lady, to
carol amorous ditties from morning to
night with tuneful swain?
"They are burlesques, JOhn-Only
burlesques. If | had dreamed of your
disappearing, | wouldn't have prom
Used to sing; but | can't retract now"
''NOt when l particularly request it.,
Rue 2"
"Tndeed, no, John. l have the lead
ing part. | can't refuse to act without
offending Mr.. Lynde."
"On the other hand, you can't per-
sist in acting without offending me-"
"Now, John, do be reasonable. How
should | feel, announcing at the next
rehearsal that | must be eXcused-Mr.
Coleman was not willing to have me
connected with the Operetta What
would Mr.. Lynde think ?"
ooh, if his opinion has more weight
with you than mine, | will retire"
"JOhn, you're too absurd. Can't you
see how ridiculous it would look for
me to throw up my part the moment
you came home ? People would say
you were Jealous of Mr.. Lynde."
"The jackanapes ~
"And that you were a Bluebeard.
John, I'm not sure but they'd be right"
eff Pm tyrant, Rufelle, you're an
amazingly fearless Fatima."
81 don't propose to be your Fatima,
john
What did Rue intend by that ? The
wrinkle in Mr.. COleman's forehead
deepened into trench, his brown face
flushed like an oak in October.
"Please lay aside paradoxes, Rufelle
Do you mean you don't wish to marry
me Rumor has told me as much"
| In truth Miss Rue had meant nothing
of the kind, but her lovers insulting
tone eXasperated her into silence. Had
it come to this, that she could not
wink without first consulting his lord
ship? Her blue eyes flashed OminOus
| ly, the steel hook in her fingers darted
in and out of her crocheting with a
murderous rapidity.
"Rumor has told me as much re-
peated Mr.. Coleman, as impTessively
as if he had been addressing jury.
"And you let people talk about me,
John, and listen to what they say :"
81 might have known that Il girl
who would not respect my dignity
could not value my esteem. Tyrant
or not, Rufelle, at least I've no desire
to rivet CALLING letters. Henceforth
YOU are free to smile upon Mr.. Lynde
or any other gentleman"
Had he omitted the last sentence,
affiectionate, kindly little Rue could
even then have "made up" with John,
but this was too much for her temper.
Snatching the golden circlet from her
engagement finger, she flung it at her
lover, with checks aflame.
'Take back your ring" cried she,
'the girl who wears it should be
saint or simpletOn, and I'm neither.
Good-by, John"
Auburn head erect, chin in air, she
swept out of the room with all the
stateliness possible to slight girl of
five feet two. She felt hers to be
righteous Indignation. John had no
her so. She would not personate pa
tient Griselda for the amusement of
the village.
Inh 70 no l,n1
world to his WILL" unused she, angrily,
peeping through her chamber blind as
he stalked away chewing his black
mustache che wants to bend the
whole world to his will, and | won't
be bent. Our engagement is broken,
and I'm glad of it,"
For full fifteen minutes she was I'M
equivocally glad.
John Coleman thought that he too
was glad. Walking fercely on, he
squared his broad shoulders, and told
himself that the engagement had been
a mistake-an error of judgment. A
grave, self-made man of thirty should
have been wiser than to trust his hap
piness to the keeping of gay capri
ciOus maiden. Why had he been so
dotingly fond of the child, so hood
winked by her coquetries Blind,
dwelling idiot that lie was, the sooner
he was buried again in the law the
better. The mans soul was hot with
in him. He reviewed his lonely, joy
less orphanhOod, his sharp tussle with
the world to wiring from it his presen t
competence. Not until the latter had /
been secured had he allowed himself
to think of marrying this bright young
beauty, who as a schoolgirl had first