The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-10-27
Stlrtteo Storm.
Sweet Peas.
BY FRANCES +. wADLEIGH.

to the bunch of sweet peas in her hand
the flush on her fair face deepened and
her blue eyes grew yet more blue. The
words which so pleased her were in
Will Topliffe's hand, and were inscribed
on the back of one of his visiting cards.
If Chryssa had been suspicious girl
she might have thought it little queer
that Will should not have enclosed his
note in an envelope; but she gave no
thought to anything but the fact that
he had sent her the flowers, and had
accompanied them with few signili-
cant words. He had written:
If you really mean that you wish
to hear what told you 1 had to say,
dear Miss Prescott, may | hope that
you will wear some of my favorite
flowers, the sweet peas l send you,
when you go to Mrs. Marcy's to-
night"
After she had read his message at
least dozen times she placed the pres
cious flowers in glass of fresh water
and stood them on her dressing table
where she could not possibly overlook
or forget them when she began to make
her toilet for the evening.
Will Topliffe was tall, handsome
fellow. of about seven and twenty who
who had been the favorite cavalier of
all the girls in general but no one in
particular until Chryssa came to live
here in Seabury with her aunt, Mrs.
Hammersley. Ever since the first even
ing he had met Chryssa he had been
her devoted slave; everybody could
see, with half an eye, what was to
come, and as both the young people
were popular there was no one-with
two eptions-who did not encourage
this budding romance by all possible
means.
" Mamma" said Eugenia Hammers
ley, dashing into her mothers room
while her cousin Chryssa was reading
Will Topliffe's note, :" that Chryssa is
designing little wretch! Didn't | beg
you not to have her come here until
Will Topliffe had proposed to me, as l
knew he was just about to do when her
father wrote and asked you to take her
here for the summer. Now she has
completely cut me out"
" Nonsense, Eugenia," replied her
mother, " Topliffe may be flirting with
her little, but that is ALL"
50 No it isn't all either; he has Just
sent her bunch of sweet peas, with a
note asking her to wear them tonight
if she wants to hear what he has to say
to her-and of course you know what
that means"
" How do you know Surely you
must be mistaken" cried Mrs. Ham
mersley; she had intended to have
Will Topliffe and his money for her
daughter.
" Pm not mistaken; / took the
flowers myself when the florists boy
brought them and | saw for the envel-
ope was very thin, that several words
were written on the card he sent, so |
took the envelope off and just fastened
the card on again without it. She'll
never know that there was any envel-
Ope. Now, mamma, she shall not wear
those nasty things tonight; can't you
fall violently i'll so that neither of us
can go to Mrs. Marcy's?" answered
Eugenia earnestly.
"That would no no good; that would
only stave off the evil for one more
day; | must do something-ah, | have
an idea. Eugenia, does he know you
took the flowers from the boy?"
'No, she was out, so | just left the
horrd things on her dressing-table.
/ was in hopes she'd stay so long they'd
be all wilted and past wearing; but not
she.n
"Ihen keep your own counsel; know
nothing about them; you are not in the
habit of going to the front door so you
will probably not be questioned. AT
Mrs Marcy's tonight be as pleasant to
Topliffe as you can; leave the rest to
me-"
Having implicit confidence in her
mother Eugenia resumed her usual
placidity, and thinking precaution the
better part of valor, was especially
agreeable to Chryssa when they next
met, at the tea-table.
After supper the girls went up stairs
to dress for Mrs. Marcy's party, and in
a few moments Chryssa went flying
first into her aunt's and then her cous-
ms room, asking each if anything had
been seen of her bunch of sweet peas
sc left Them" she explained, or
my dressing-table when | went down to
supper, and now they are gone"
Mrs. Hammersley professed to be
surprised to hear that she had had any
such flowers; she questioned the ser
want as to what she had done with - the
flowers that you put in Miss Prescott'S
ROOM" but of course the girl was il
the dark.
"Eugenia, did you take them away?'
asked Mrs. Hamersley; but Eugenis
convinced her cousin that she had not
and that she had not the least idea
where they were.
"Of course you cannot think that
have taken them, Chryssa," said he
aunt blandly, " assure you that have
not even seen the mysterious flowers
Are you sure you did not dream yoi
had them? No one seems to have seer
them, or even have taken them at the
front door. Really, | do not know
what to do about them"
Now Chryssa had been three months
with her aunt and cousin, and hereto
fore Gas Eugenia had been blind t
admiration of Chryssa until within
week or SOY had not had the least occa
sion to believe or suspect them to b,
untruthful; so she at once dismissed
from her mind the possibility that the,
could have been the culprits.
Chryssa did not know what to do
she did not know any one in who's
garden there were as yet any swee
peas in bloom, and the nearest horis
was at the other side of the town, en-
tirely too far for Chryssa to send to ge
At