News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-02-11
ESTELLE.

Theron BTOlUIl

"Estelle, are you rcady?"
A little shrek of horror is the answer,
and in another moment Estelle Vcrries
comes flying down stairs, boots unbut-
i toned, neckerchief unfastened, hat and
gloves in hand.
my angelic Mary, Il you scold me
shall diet Blame the chair you have put
into my room. Its positively too seduc-
tive-I could not keep awake in it. Sud
denly hear great strike of the clock;
/ jump up and find have only little
tiny five minutes to dress in! All! dear,
patient Mary, forgive the foreigner and
| her abominable ways"
''Never mind about apologizing, child,
but button your boots and put your hat
on"
'My boots!" Estelle looks down at
them in despair, and then dropping on
her knees in the hail. tries to do them up
with her weak little fingers.
Mary Cotterell pulls her up, orders her
| peremptOrily into hall chair, and draw
ing a button-hook from her own pocket
proceeds to do up the high foreign boots.
''Therel Now turn slowly round, and
let me see that you are all right"
Estelle Obeys submissively 'Ihandn't
time to do my hair again." she explains.
80 | see; but as it is always rough,
that makes very little difference. l sup
pose you must do now Put on your
gloves; and where's your parasolN'
''Up-stairs. don't want it"
'::Yes, you do. I'll get it for you"
Estelle doesn't object at all but when
AIA4s-eetttes- down again she filings both
arms around her, and calls her her best
beloved cabbage.
Tell me, Mary" she asked, as they
walked down the garden on their way to
Mrs. Charlesworth's tennis party, will
that dreadful d-haired engineer be there
you know; the man who is so stupid
and gauche?"
Sure to be, " said Mary, dryly. "He's
| devoted to Eva CharleswOrth -
Poor girl! Ipity her," observed Mile.
Verries, emphatically.
'Oh, you neen't do that; she doesn't
care Jig for him. And beside, the
dreadful red-haired engineer, as you po-
htely call Arthur Rivers, is a very good
fellow"
Il call him beast~ said Estelle, with
exceeding frankness.
Now Estelle," said Mary, sharply, 81
won't have you pick up bad words from
my young brothers, and won't have YOU
speak rudely of my fricnds.n
Do you like him?" inquired her com
panion, stepping forward, so as to get a
good look at her face.
''Certai"ly," replied Mary, not the least
disconcei ID by the mischievous scrutiny
Of the dark eyes.
Estelle let go of her arm, and held up
both hands in amazement.
You are funny, you English! You
positively like people because they are
goodr" /
Certainly" replied Mary again.
but men never are good" answered /
Estelle, changing her ground
"Oh indeedr
My mother says so, and she knows"
''Your poor mother was unfortunate in
her experience Of them; but surely, be-
cause one Englishman was a wicked hus-
band to her, she would not condemn all
the rest?n
ooh, that is only part of what she
knows" said EsteIle confidently. ''She
has seen a great deal of life, and she has
always taught me never to trust any man
at all, however good he may SEEM
Mary was silent, not liking to say what
she thought of such training.
Estelles French mother had been
forced, when hardly more than a child,
into a marriage with wealthy English
man, who had treated her with neglect
and brutality, and finally deserted her.
Released from CALLING bonds by the in
tervention of the law, she had immedi-
ately quilted his hated country, and re-
tired with little Estelle to quite suburb
of Paris, where the child was brought
up to call herself French, and to hate
everything that was English. Yet, when
an invitation came from Mrs. CotterelI
for Estelle to spend whole summon with
her at Coppenham, the girls reluctance
to go was overridden by her mother, who
never forgot that the CottereIls, husband
and wife, had been the only people in
England whose sympathy she had been
able to accept or rely on. So Estelle
nerved herself for visit to her native
country, and, once at Coppenham, found
to her surprise that she was going to en-
joy herself. She found English country
life charmingly novel; she particularly
liked the admiration accorded to her
beauty and vivacity: and she took at
once to Mary Cottercll who had much
of her mothers intelligent tact and
The two girls had walked on another
hundred yards or so without speaking,
when Mary was reused from her refec-
tons by feeling her arm suddenly
pinched. Looking up, she discovered
rapidly approaching them the young man
whose goodness had been so sum-
marily disposed of by Estelle few min
utes previously.
He certainly was not beauty.
Slightly above the average height, and
disproportionately large, he not only had
no good looks to boast Of but carried I
himself particularly badly, with kind
of undignifed shamble his head forward
and his hands forever in his pockets.
Estelle managed to convey her opinion of
him to Mary by rapid little grimace and
shrug of the shoulders before he came ;
up to them.
''How do you do, Mary2 How do you
do, Mademoiselle-er- / really forget
your name"
He put out his hand in an unthinking {
way, much to her displeasure. He ought
only to have bowed; and how dared he
to forget her namel Her reluctant little
fingers Just touched his.
Rivers saw now, and his lips twitched
with amusement.
"Beg your pardon, Pm sure. I'll only
bow another time he said, bluntly.
Hate shaking hands myself, it's a bar I
bsrous custom. | suppose you are bound,
like me, for Charlesworth's, Mary"
On her asserting he turned and walked '
beside her, without asking whether his
was desired or not
''If you were polite, Arthur, you would s
offer to carry my racquet and shoes, " OBJ
served Mary, laughing. ''You can't i'm
agine what bad opinion Mademoisclle :
Verries is forming of you"
He took the things from her. rapidly {
glancing up and down Estclle, who !
looked bewitchingly pretty under her l
rose-lined parasol. =
"Quite right too" he returned, with ]
4 smile. "You see, Mademoiselle, I've t
no sisters to lick me into shape
Estelle was not sufficiently well up in '
English slang to understand quite what S
be meant by this; but gathering from ]
the pleasantness of his smile that it could c
not have been anything rude, she con +
descended to answer. Q
GIVE no sisters, or brothers, either" t
she said, naively. t
'Ah! | thought SO"
''Why?"
Rivers had guessed it from her man '
ler which was very much that of spoilt h
only child, hut he had managed to escape
from telling her so. BY this q
line they had reached Mrs. Charles Y