Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-22

HlNUnlnR HtbOUI Jilt ildHllllOnS
II suppose they are still in New York"
said Nell
ave don't know" said Hester lowering
her voice still more. There is Il hOrrid
story about them, at least about Jack.
We keep hearing scraps Of it. 1t seems
that he is Odious-OdiOus-a always has
been-only his cousin has tried to take
care of him because his mother is so deli
cate and suffers so through him. Lately
he has been behaving better They really
had hopes of him when his cousin brought
him here. He had promised and vowed
sisted on going to New York and they say
he was worse than ever. We don't know
what he did-it must have been CHASTITY.
OF course people won't tell grs-but
Marion heard Uncle Francis tell mamma
something about his being turned out of
some club by force"
Hester" said Nell suddenly, "why
should we speak of it. 1t is detestable. |
hate it,"
ut makes one feel cold" returned
Hester. ITO think we played tennis with
him."
1T was mistake in his cousin to bring
him here" said Nell.
Yes" put in Marion eagerly, but only
mistake. He thought he was doing him
good and he really believed in him this
time. Don't let us say a word against
Will Hamilton. Privately, YOU know,
self, but heroic people-people who do
things you admire them form the abstract
always are geese more or less. ! simply
delight and revel in viii Hamilton. |
like even his mistakes"
Nell went back over the beach road
slowly. She tried to gather herself to-
gether as she went. She wanted either
to become accustomed TO her pain or to
shake it off IN some way before she
ached North Brahant. 1t was too hor-
rible to bear and hide.
Though, perhaps she said with a
gentle, piteous humbeness, as she half
unconscously passed her hand over her
strained eyes, perhaps it is only because
| am not used to suffering. | have been
so happy. Perhaps this is nothing to what
some people sutfer-perhaps- don't
know; cannot tell how look, but |
must not let mamma see me feeling like
this.
She did not look like herself at all A
certain pedest rian who had chosen to
walk over from North Brabant, and who
was coming towards her-a pedestrian
VINO thought he had reason to know
her face better than any other man, seeing
it in the first moment was so struck by the
look of it that he almost stopped short by
the roadside.
He was SO intent upon her that he did
not notice where he was going, and as she
did not see him, in Il moment or so more
that she glanced up quickly.
What she saw was Jack Hamilton-as
unlike himself as she WAS unlike her
self pale, haggari, worn out, with all
the marks OF his sins upon him, even his
dress a little Observation-Disclosures Hamilton
looking at her with great hollow beauti-
full eyes.
She scarcely breathed. Her heart gave
one wild leap, and then seemed to stand
quite still for several minutes, though the
whole crisis only occupied few seconds.
The most terrible thing a woman with Il
tender soul can be compelled to do she
did. She saw HIM make an involuntary
motion with his hand rs if to lift his hat.
She let her unanSwering eyes rest upon
him moment, turned them away and
drove past, leaving him standing on the
Notwithstanding actually stock still.
Before she had lett him six yards be
hind she was trembling from head to
foot, her lips were quivering and her eyes
were blinded with tears.
Il never was Obliged to do anything like
that before" she said breathlessly. "Oh,
it is a cruel thing-it is cruel. But it is
right. 1t is women who muSt-whO must
do it. But, oh was 1t right for me -
She mad never felt it so hard to face her
mothers soft eyes as she did when she
reached home. She was obliged to con
fess that her drive had not cured the
headache and that it was in fact little
worse.
Il think dear" Mrs. Huntington said
you had better lie down and have Il cup
of tea in your room And she went up
stairs with her and arranged her pillows
for her. and gave her the tea herself and
then shaded the room and came and stood
by her "A moment, laying her hand softly
on her forehead
"Gou never used to have headaches,
Nell, dear" she said
mo, mamma" in the lowest of humble
voices.
Il think you must see DR.. Bennett"
"Oh, no, mamma, dear. 1t is not bad
enough for that
How would you like change, Nell
We could 90 to the mountains
There was a moments hesitation and
then Nell turned her face IA little and
kissed her mothers wrist
perhaps perhaps" she said. have
thought it might be a good thing If | do
not get better, dear. Shall be down to
dinner Iou will see. And she kissed
the slender wrist again
She did come down to dinner still look
ing pale, but very pretty ana soft-eyed,
and being dressed, her mother fancied,
with little more than usual care. She
had put on Il new white dress whose lace
rutlles and jabots were lighted with loops
and knots of datfodil-colored ribbon and
in fact she had chosen it III the hope that
it would make less of the shadows under
her lashes.
Perhaps it did so, for at last she per
suaded her mother that she must keep
the engagement she had fol. the evening
leaving her at home to enjoST her conva-
lescence
only because | want to be idle" she
said. And because am II little tired OF
lights and people and music
But somehow the house seemed very
still after the carriage rolled down the
road and she could not even hear the dis
tant sound OF the wheels. And the rooms
seemed very empty and the hours before
her very long. She wondered what she
should do with them and for II few sec
onds almost wished she had not renamed
She took upa book and tried to read it,
1t contained an intensely sad love story
whose hero was man with pathetic
grlevance-he was very Interesting and
treated with the Cruelest injustice by
everybody, She read n few pages and
laid the book down. 1t seemed to be illus