Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-08-08

he made answer. NV nat mas LICK peen
telling your
She looked at him sharply.
"Why do you think Dick has been telling
me any thingln she asked, in rather care
! full voice.
How else should you knowl" Boughton
said. easily. "But of course don't tell me
unless you wish"
Suddenly she leaned forward, setting one
hand back down in the other as they rested
on her knees. Hernecklace swung forward
from her bending throat, and the nre-hgnt
cast dainty, circular shadows from its beads
upon the snowy white Of her neck.
ayes. / will tell you. she said, suddenly.
"Dick is in debt-the old, old story to sis
ters-for how much do you supposef"
~ don't know" said Boughton, stupldly.
He was not thinking in the least Of Dick
lust then. He was wondering how many OF
those little soft round shadows there were
on her white breast, and whether he could
count them If he tried.
"Well, then-for eight-do you heari-for
Observation-Disclosures"
THAT'S not so very bad. y said Boughton,
reassuringly. ave can pull him through"
"wep' SAID the girl, haughtily, on the de-
feusive at once. "Who do you mean by
swePn
I, All at once he got his arms about her. She
felt his hot breath in her hair, on her
throat.
"Who should mean but you and I-you
and I-you and III he went on repeating, IN
a sort of IntoxicatioD. "Judith-kiss me"
kiss youl" she said, sKIss you!"
She was absolutely rigid with fury. Was
ever man so blind as Boughtonl-so deaf,
one might say. He leaned forward and
kissed the pretty blue bow, and the spaceof
white flesh encircled by the blue beads. He
looked up and would have kissed her lips,
but was stopped by the furious light in her
eyes. He started back and freed her In q
moment.
This is the second time" she said, with
shut teeth, as he remembered her once be-
fore TO have spoken-'.the second time you
have behaved like a beast 10 me-"
judith ~ he said.
"Yes-a beastr' she said, biting down on
the word, as it were, with her sharp little
teeth
"Judith," he said again, ''take care-take
csrel'
take care" she repeated. "Take care
OF WHAT or the womanhood that you don't
respecti Therei Your lips have touched
them. they are viler'
She jerked at the blue necklace with
sharp movement which broke it. and the
pretty beads went rolling this way and
shat over the fur rug and the polished floor. |
fhe kitten in the Toby-collar pursued one
into distant corner, and thought the epi /
sode gotten up for her especial benefit. One |
or two rolled down into Judith's bodice, |
and felt very cold and disagreeable, but she
was too much wrought up just then TO think
OF physical discomfort
She stood opening and shutting her hands 4
In sort Of helpless gesture Of rage.
show dare you treat me soln she said,
breathlessly. "How dare youi-dare youl
dare youi"
He Was on his feet, Of course, by this
time, and stood facing her with his head
well up, and his hands well down in his
pockets, an extremely angry man. The
lover was quite taken up with indignation.
"How dare vou treat me so." he returned,
with rather ominous quietness. do you
think II is very-er -ladylike 10 call people
'beastsfn
"'Ladyhkep" painted poor Judith, who
Tor the time being could not resist echo;ng
him. ''Ladylikel" she cried again.
"Ladylike-the DEyILr' she SAID for the
ihird time, bringing down her teeth with
vicious little snap over the terrible word.
Boughton was actually livid.
Pardon me, p he said, bowling and turn
ng on his heel. Good evening" But as
he reached the door be wheeled around and
anne back to her. judith he said, in
Toice that she did not at all find familiar,
meant TO ask you just now TO be my
wife. OF course / leave at once. Iwill con-
oct some story 10 tell your father and Dick.
}ood-bye.n
He went without so much as touching her
land, and closed the door, opening it again, J
iowever, TO thrust little mat out Of the
way. He did not again look over in her
direction. Then he went finally.
And she stood staring at the closed door,
linking in vague way that 1t was Christ 4,
las Eve, and that she had better ring for /,
er maid to gather together the scattered !
eads and that Boughton had gone, and that !
be had lost her temper and forgotten her.
elf utterly
There was rigorous wind a-romp In the /.
arrow Railways and the locust trees with
ut, and in the distant corner the kitten
'as still scrabbling about with one Of the
allen beads. 1t was quite still save for {
iese noises, and the sound Of the wood Z
re, which was busily threading snow" :
She stood there until the room seemed
seeding in golden haze, and then she
lrned stifly, and, STOPPING down, began to p
ok up the blue beads from the floor. The .
tten, seeing her kneeling, sc.mpered up, d
tpectlng a frolic. She lifted the pretty Ia
tie brute 10 her white breast ana held IL
us while she went on in her laborious IN
arch 81
Judith did not see Phil again until three OF
ars afterward. when she was twenty-one, W
ID the civil war had broken out in all its h'
rror he was a Colonel on General IS o,
All, and happened TO be encamped near
larlottesville. and Colonel Page asked th
msef and the General TO dinner. The th
ter declined for some reason or other, VIC
L, much TO Judith's amazement. Bought0n
me. VI
She watched him dismount from his WI
rse, looking through her closed window
nds, and her heart emuiated the action Of Fl
or Trumpeters diaphragm on the memoir
lie occasion three years ago. She saw br
1t he had broadened great deal and was he