Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-26

| sea of pale green. Blake, who is anything
| but ncrvous-whose heart hardly gains a
| throb in that awful moment when,
| gripping his oar handle, he waits be-
tween the Ready and the "Go"
feels his face flush, and draws his
| breath hard moment, but only for mo-
| ment Mrs Mackenzie, let mo present
| Mr. Blake"
"Mr. Blake and I have met before,
think" says the beauty, and puts out a
ready hand. cordially enough "And Mr..
Blake is charmed to have the pleasure
again, says the young man, quite self
| possessed now Mrs. Mackenzie and he take
| stock of one another; the Vanvoorsts
| stare; there is al awkward pause, which
| is broken by the little person before re-
| ferred to, who never did an awkward
| thing in her life and who now leaves her
| escorts arm and comes up with the pleas
ATTEST possible smile,
| Here is another surprise for YOU Mr..
| Blake What cloud did you fall from?"
| Then, a trifo lower but very frankly,
I'm awfully glad to see you" And she
| gives Mr.. Blake 5 brown paw "A little pinch,
which no man in his senses would dare to
! think a squeeze. She is honest in what
| She says; she really is glad to see the young
man, She is fond of the society of men,
and men like to talk to her. Kate Stuart
is not a firt; she is simply cordial and
unaffectedly easy with every one; but
hardly any man can help fancying, as he
talks to her, that she really rather pre-
fers him to the majority of people. Some
men have possibly been conceited enough
| to get themselves in love with the little
lady; but is that her fault? She honestly
| does not like to be annoyed by sentimen-
tai boys, and our friend Blake is an i'm
mense favorite of hers because he has
carefully kept III the background what
little sentiment there is in his compost
ton and has always been perfectly frank
and simple with her. And TO tell the
truth, Tom likes her just little better
than any one else he knows, but keeps a
tight rein on himself For Miss Stuart
is, as he thinks, too large game" for
him. She is the only daughter of an old
gentleman well known and much re-
spected in the vicinity of Wall
and Broad streets, and she would
undoubtedly be very good specu-
lation for Mr.. Blake, whose fnan-
cial abilities are principally in the line Of
getting credit and whose law practice
does not pay his Office rent. But strange
as it may seem in these days, Blake has a
kind of an idea that he would be as un-
comfortable i'll marrying money as he
would be in marrying poverty; so when
ever he thinks of the subject at all. he
puts it by with shrug of the shoulder
and says, Its too expensive
So he is pleased to see the little girl
now, and says So Then the old gentle
man, whose happiness he has come to de-
stroy, appears on the scene, and well
comes him with a cordality that makes
him feel like II pickpocket; and after a
little sweet converse about the weather
and the dust, and other interesting topics,
the arrivals are allowed to make them
selves little comfortable, and are served
with dinner in a big dining room where
about twenty people have dined an hour or
sobefore. Blake has begged off from joining
III the festivities of the evening but Van
worst appears in full dress, which he has
assumed, with much grumbling, at the
command of his wife That lady leaves
her guests for a moment, having been
told Blaie's errand, and comes into tho
dining room after the young men have
somewhat appeased their hunger.
"Well, Mr.. Blake, you are evidently
better prepared to tell us who Mrs. Mac
kenzie is than you expected" says tho
impatient Mrs. NanvOorst, as soon as the
absence OF the servant permits.
Eyes, answers Blake very deliberately
al fancy NAV as well be driven back 10
the station, and take the late trair
down"
"\Vhv what do Won mean9"
"Whv. really, when | tell YOU what
little there is to tell about Mrs Macken-
zie. YOU will agree with me that there is
nothing to be done-nothing at least that
can do.
"Who is she?'
she used to be Miss Maburv-Laura
Maburv-lived somewhere down in
PENNSYLVANIA. where | used to know
her" saws Mr.. Blake. with a piece of a
bird on his fork, to which piece of bird he
apparently utters these condolences.
Southern family. Very great belle. and
quite well known in Baltimore, and also
in Philadelphia. Internally stupid of me
not to remember her married name
really, though, had quite forgotten it.
Think the man was navy man-didn't
know he was dead before.
Isis she all ripht9" osks yanvoorst
with his month fulj