The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-19
A SLIP OF THE PEN.

'Lovew snoerod Queen Elizabeth,
what nonsense!n
Don't you believe in it, mother?"
Not as | do in its opposite"
But hate would never have sent these
dainty missives-"
Vanity would, and self-cOnceit, and
there! Show them to me; without a
doubt | shall be able to read to you the
characters of the writers for these brief
superscriptiOns.
Sir Walter Raleigh smiles as he puts
the bundle of envelopes upon the table
beside the stiff, jeweled sleeve of his
beautiful mother; then, bending above
her as she lifts them, one by enc, and
glances at the different styles of purely
feminine chirOgraphy, he the idol of the
glrl-world of the metropolis, listens lazily
TO his mothers comments.
! And this"-a much palmer envelope
than those which have preceded it is held
in air why, how odd, Blanke, this is
for mel"
For you, mothe? Oh, no. A quick
breath-a sudden rush of color-a grasp
ing motion of the hand which the trdge-
dtenRe deftly eludes-all these tell a
story that he is 10th to have her read.
Blake, nave you dared" her own
violent emotion causing an interruption
of speech as she rises with cracking of
stiff brocades, and stands before her
son:
Your majesty" with nervous laugh
that for all its weakness has strength to
stab the parental heart-''your majesty
may"
"Silence!"
II shall not be silent, mother. Upon
what do you base your right to posses
stomp
Upon the upturncd curve of this let
ter. Sect is Mrs. and not Mr."
Yet | tell you it is for me"
You are too sure. Gather up youl
own missives and leave the room.n
But the valentine
rs mine, to open at my pleasure.
The door closes. Alone and wrathful
| Queen Elizabeth tears the poor little
envelope into tatters and spreads the
folded sheet upon the table. The mis-
sive ran:
my DARLISG-This is a sorry valeh-
! tine, but must write to you and tell you
that al hope is over. | thought if this
came with the host of other valentines
| you were sure to receive, there would be
less risk of it's falling into your mother
hands. | have tried to be so careful, my
darling, and have not written to you
when would have given worlds to have
poured out my love for my dear boy, who
has been faithful to me in the midst OF
the alteration he receives nightly from
the admiring world.
81 have told you that all is over. Not
only would your mother crush us with
her bitter disapproval, but my father, my
own dear, tender, cOnsiderate father has
at the close of tie confession | warned
you | should make, became all at one q
savage, cruel and hard-hearted man. II
frightens me to hear him rave at your
profession, and he threatens me will
disinheritance should persist in think
ing seriously of you. True, there is lit
tie of worldly loss should sustain by
any such rebellion, but disinheritance il
this case means the loss of all that, save
your own sweet love has made life wortl
the living. And think, dear, how would
it be if | should leave him and come tC
you; your mother The dread Queer
Elizabeth, whom, with my reluctant
father, saw last night from the balcony
land whom he said, in tones indescriba
BILE, that he once knew, would put mt
spiritually to death; for, am sure, in
her awful presence my soul itself would
die of fear
'And so must leave you, my love
forever. Come once again tonight t
the old place of meeting, and bid an eter
nal farewell to your heart-broken
"FoRTIA DEANE.'