Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-03-26

to Little Bel, for she had not been woman
had she failed to recognized on tue previous
day that the rugged Scotchman's whole ma
ture had gone out toward her in sudden and
overmastering attraction.
Sandy looked at her keenly. "Ei, ye
know't aresdy,' he ssid-"the thing l came
to say T. ye; and be paused still eying her
more like a Judge than lover.
Little Bel turned scarlet. This was not
her ideal OF wooer. Know what, Mr..
Bruce - she said, resentfully. How should
1 know what ye came to say p
'Tush, tush, lass dinna prevarcate,
Sandy began, his eyes gloatiug on her lovely
confusion "dinna preteend-" But the
sweet blue eyes were too much for him.
Breaking down utterly, he tossed the guineas
to one side on the table, and stretching out
both hands toward Bel, he exclaimed
"Ye're the sweetest thing the eyes o. a mon
ever rested on, lass, an I'm goin' TO win ye
il yen let me !" and as b 81 opened her mouth
to speak, he laid one hand, quietly as a
mother might, across her lips, and contin-
ued "Nl, ma I'll not let ye speak yet I'm
not a silly to look for ye to be ready to say
me yes at this quick askin' but I'll not let
ye say me nay neither. Yen not refuse me
the only thing I'm askin' the day, sn' that's
that ye'll let me try TO make ye love me-
Yen not say nay to that, lass. I'll gle my
life to it :" and now he waited for an answer.
None came. Tears were in Be's eyes as
she looked up in his face. Twice she open
cd her lips to speak, and twice h ,r heart and
the words failed her. The tears became
drops and rolled down her cheeks. Sandy
was dismayed
"Ye're not afraid o. me, ye sweet thing,
are ye?" he gasped out. "I'd not ve1 ye for
the world. II ye bid me to go, I'd 60.
mo, Pm not afraid o. ye, Mr. Bruce"
sobbed Bel 81 don't know what it is makes
me 80 silly. I'm not afraid o. ye, though.
But l was for few minutes yesterday" she
added, archly, with little CLINT of roguish
smile, which broke through the tears like an
April sun through rain, aud turned Sindy's
head in the twinkling of an eye.
"Ay, ay," be said ~ minded it weel an
l said to myself then in that first sight had
O. yer face, that I'd not harm q hair o. yer
head. Oh, my little lass, would ye ma gle
me kss-just one-to show ye're not afraid,
and to gle me leave to try to win ye out O.
likin' into lovin' p he continued, drawing
closer and bending toward her.
Aud than a wonderful thing happened
Little Bel, who, although she was twenty
years old, and had by no means been without
her admirers, had never yet kissed any man
but her father and brothers, put up her rosy
lips ss confdingy as little child, to be
kissed by this strange wooer, who wooed on
ly for leave to WOO.
And if he'd only known it, he might ha'
asked a he wanted then as we'll as later"
said Little Bel, honestly avowing the whole
to her mother. "As soon as he put his hands
on me the very heart in me said he was my
man for a my life An there's no shame in
it that can see. II a man may love that
way in the lighting of an eye, why may not
a girl do the same2 There's not one kind o.
heart \ the breast Of a man an another kind
/ the breast of a woman, as ever l heard"
In which Little Bel in her innocence, was
wiser than people wiser than she.
Aud after this there is no need of telling
more-only a picture or two which are per-
haps worth sketching in few words. One
is the expression which was seen on Sandy
Bruce's face one day, not many weeks after
his first interview with Little Bel, when, in
reply to his question, An now, my own
lass, what II ye have for your weddn' gift
from me? Tell me the thing ye want most
/ a the earth, an if it's in my means ye
shall have it the day ye gle me the thing
want maist / the whole earth"
I've got it already, Sandy" said Little
Bel, taking his face in her hands aud making
a feint of kissing him, then Withdrawing CO.
quettishly. Wise, innocent Bel! Sandy un-
derstood.
"Ay my lass; but next to me. What's
the next thing ye'd haver'
Bel hesitsted. Even to her wooer's gener-
osity 1t might seem a daring request, the
thing she craved.
Tell me, lass" said Sandy, sterny. "Tve
msir money than ye think. There's no lady
in a Charlottetown can go fner than ye if
yeve a mind"
For shame, Sandy !" cried Bel. "An'
you to think it WAS fine apparel I'd be askin'!
It's a-A"-the word refused to leave her
tongue-'a piano, Sandy" and she gazed
anxiousy at him. "Tll never ask for snoth-
er thing till the day of my death, Sandy, if
yen gle me that"
Sandy shouted in delight. For a brief
space fear had seized him-of which he
now felt shame indeed-thst his sweet lassie
might be about to ask for jewels or rich at
tire, and it would have sorely hurt Sandy's
pride in her had this been so.
"a piano ~ he shouted. "An' did ye not
think I'd that already in my mind o.
coorse, a piano, an every other instrument
under the skies that yen wish, my lass, ye
shall have The more music ye make, the
gladder the house II be. Is Aere nothin'
else ye want, lass-nothn' p
Nothing in all this world, Sandy, but you
and piano" replied Little Bel
The other picture was on New Year 3 day,
just twelvemonth from the day of Little
Bells exhibition in the Wissan Bridge school
house. 1t is a bright day the sleighng is
superb all over the island; and the Char
lottetown streets are full of gay sleighs and
jingling bells; none so gay, however, as
Sandy Bruce's, and no bells so merry as the
silver ones on his fierce little Norwegian po-
nies that curvet and prance, and are all their
driver can hold. Rolled up in furs to her
chin, how rosy and handsome looks Little
Bel by her husbands side, and how full of
proud content is his face as he sees the peo-
pie all turning to look, and to look, at her
beauty Aud who is this driving the Nor
weRian ponies Who but Archie-Archie
Mcleod, who has followed his young teacher
to her new home, and is TO grow up, under
Sandy Bruce's teachings, into a sharp and
successful man of the shipping business.
And as they turn the corner they come
near running into another fur-pied, swift
gliding sleigh, with grizzled old head look
ing out of tartan hood, and eyes like hawks
-Dsgetty himself; and as they pass, the
head mods and the eyes laugh, and sharp
voice cries, 'Guneas it is !"
Better than guneas !" answered back
Mrs. Sandy Bruce, quick as flash and in
the same second cries Archie, from the front
seat, with a saucy laugh, "And as long as she
lives, Mr.. Dalgetty!"