Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-09-01
eyes, and Mr.. FELTON, aaid 1t was a
hamc to treat flower So" put In little

boy.
The captain listened impassively, but
Mily gave half-pained glance at the
flower. "That was just like you,
Stephen" she said, softly, and
Stephen frightened for the first time that
day.
1t seemed to Stephen, looking back,
that his love for Mily had begun when
he was boy of five and she was baby
in the cradle. He could not rccollect
the time when he did not prefer her to
all other girls. At school he was her
knight, his sled, his jack knife, his help,
always at her service. Stephen taught
her to skate, to row. 1t was he who
brought her the first map'e sugar, the
first arbutus; he who took her on Sleigh
rides, and walked home with her from
church and the village tea parties Milly
absorbed these services not migrate uly,
but as a matter of ursc. She had been
used to them from her babyhood, and
could have almost as well dispensed with
sun or air out OF her life; but sun and
air being never withdrawn, are rarely
noticed or alluded to. "Dcar, good old
Stephen" she called him. NV, it is
not well for a man to lavish himself on a
woman VIII thinks Of him only as "dear
old Stephen"
And now Stephen was doomed to
stand by and sec stranger appropriate
the object of this lifelong devotion. He
had sown, and another WAS to reap his
labors. Day by day all that summer
long the glamour grew and dccpcned.
+. Captain II ,llett's leave of alb ence seemed
of the most elastic description, permit.
ting him to stay the entire season at Bay
mouth. His mornings, his evenings, his
moons, were spent with MiI,y. Stephen
sclcncl at the inevitable g,ld.bauled
crp hat met his cy S whenever he enter
ed the house, and proved his rival in
possession OF the field. Milly greeted
Stephen kindly always, but there was ,
sense Of interruption; he felt himself
a third party. Then he tried staying
away; but that was worst of all, for his
love id not notice his absence beyond
careless "What ages is it since we saw
you, Stcphcn2' This state Of affairs, of
course, set people to talking, but Mily
was bIushingly indignant. ut was hard"
she declared, "if girl couldn't have
pleas mt friend without having such things
said" But her pretty poutings and pro-
testings made little difference, and it was
generally understood that the affair, If
not an absolute engagement, amounted to
can understanding" whatever that may
mean.
At last the long, lovely summer came
to an end, as summers will Scarlet
boughs famed in the forests, go'dcn-rod
burned along the brook-sidcs, the birds
flew, and with EN- Captain Hallctt pre-
pared for flight His orders had come to
report in Galveston, Texas, and his leave
takings were hurried. The last moment
was Milly's, and though no one knew the
exact situation of affairs, it was taken
for granted that another year would bring
orange blossoms and wedding.
MIlly's own expectations were not so
definite. No definite promise had passed
between her an her lover; but she
trusted him and waited brightly and
hopefully. Letters came and went; the
scarlet boughs burned into ashes AMI fell
to tie ground in pale heaps; then came
snow and the winter, to be in turn
scourgcd away by the whip Of the free
New England spring. Still Mlly
waited; but not so brightly now, for the
letters came less regularly than at first.
By and by they ceased altogether
Weeks passed without a worl. MilIy,
with visions of yellow fever and lndims
chasing each other across her terried
bra n, wr te and wrote again, but no
presage Of the real danger which threat.
cned glanced over un il one day,
opening tie newspaper, this met her
eyes:
AT Galveston, Texas, by the Rev. Pierre
st. Cloud, assisted by the Rev. Thomas Dix,
Captain Edward HlIlett U. S. A., and
| B anche Emily, only daughter of the late
Pierre St. Coul of Pllatki, Florida. No
cards
Mrs, Graves upstairs hearl no sound,
but when she went down M.lly lay on
the sofa white and rigi |, the newspaper
still claspcd in her cold fingers. 1t was
long before her senses camo back.
Her mother famed with anger,
but the girl hushcd her with weary
, sob.
"Wc were never really engaged, you
know"
"Not engaged! Oh, Millyw
But MiIly turned her face to the wall
and said no more.
Baymou;h was stirred to its drpths
next day by the news that Captain Hal
lett was married to u Southern lady, and
Mlly Graves was down with typho. d
fever. Everyone wanted to help to
nurse, above all, to know the particulars.
Such masses of b,ancmange and jelly
wcr1 sent in tina, poor Mrs. Graves was
at her wits end to know how to dispose
of them. But no one could readily aid,
not even poor Stephen, who scarcely left
the house day or night, or ate Or slept,
til the ciis.s passed., AMI MiIly was pro-
nounccd out of danger.
Out of danger, but it was weeks be
fore she could sit up, and weeks longer
ere she came down stairs, thin, white,
shrunkcn-.a mere sha low and wreck of
| the bloominu little beauty who walked