Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-04-17

did not rejoin until long after the Christ
mas holidays.
Old Blauvelt by this time had been
sent before the retiring board which
recommended him for permanent shelly
ing, and he was still on leave until the
needed vacancy should occur. Hm.rn
meantime remained III command OF ms
troop, no longer encountered by the
presence of Trooper Welsh, who had
been formally "sent to Leavenworth."
Corp. Brcnt had won his sergeant's
chcvrons. and was looking onward to
examination for promotion.
Everything was guuS blithely ut tho
post, but for the sadness that seemed to
have clouded one young soldiers life.
and for the anxious look on Mabel Lanes
face when Porta was asked for, as
Portia often was. Teaching children
all the fall and winter was telling on
her" wrote an old school friend, and
when April came she was reported i'll,
though her own letters made no mention
OF it. The family would move to their
country seat in week, and she would
be so glad, she said, to see the trees and
birds again.
The first of May had come Tho
lovely suburbs of bustling city were
shroudod in the richest, freshest green
The sweet breath of the early summer,
laden with the perfume Of lilac and
honeysucke and of myriad blossoms,
was signing through the foliage of a
park of grand old trees and ripping the
surface of a grassy lawn. Robin and
bluebird, oriole and crested woodpecker
flashed and fitted through the sunshine,
now splashing in the basin of the fount-
ain, now chasing each other in chatter
ing glee through the slanting light and
shadow The drone of beetle and hum
of dragon fly fell soothingly on the
drowsy ear,
The little knot of Jerseys browsing III
the paddock down the eastward slope
huddled together sleepily III shaded
corner. The tennis court was deserted
the mallets lay sprawled about the
croquet ground, and a pair of Maltese
kittens that had been scampering about
playing hide and seek among the cul1unt
bushes, seemed at last overcome by the
lAngorous spell in which all nature was
hushed, and with the confidence of kit
teuhood proceeded to Chamber into the
slowly swinging hammock, hung well
back in the shade, wherein was reclining
tie one human being visible in the en-
tire picture-a tall girl with big dark
ewes and u wealth Of somber brails of
hair-a girl whose soft checks were al
most as thin and pale as the slender white
hands loosely clasping an open letter that
lay i'll her lap. And it was this that the
foremost pussy, atteS clambcring by
swift springs up the pathway afforded
by the trailing white skirts, now inpa-
ticutly paved to one side and curlcd her
self up in its place; there she was
promptly joined by her playmate. Slow
ly the thin white hand was lifted and
gently strol:ed the fur Of the pretty
graceful creature.
1T is Il holiday for us, isn't it, Fluffy
kim lnurmured the girl. THE children
and doggy both gone, and it's almost
time for us to be thinking Of tca-tca all
alone There's the whistle of the sunset
train now.
For moment the wooded slopes on
both sides of the valley echoed to the
rattle Of the incoming cars. the sharp
hiss of steam, the distant sound of voices
at tho little station down tho winding
village street, arched over with rustling
foliage Then the clang of the bell and
the hurrying engine again pushed north
ward impatient Of delay y few light
ID,
ing swiftly by; few Of the occupants
waved hand or handkerchief to the re-
Ginning figure in the hammock, but far
more passed by on the other side without
sign or token, and presently silence
and solitude again settled down upon
the shaded lawn, and the last rays of the
westoring sun kissed tho tree tops good
night and slowly died away.
Surely there should be another letter
from Mabel tonight; this one is week
old now" said Portia. But, old as it
was, there seemed one page which de-
served re-reading, and the white hands
sought and found the letter and lifted il
before her eyes.
MIR. Hearn has been gone week
now, and we miss him sadly. He had
almost made his home here with Us dur
ing the winter, and rarely spent an even
ing anywhere else. His fathers death
seems to have been very sudden, and il
was great shock. Ho has u month
leave, with permission to apply for IN
extension. Georgia - Portiu-l could
say so much, so very much, if you would
only listen. If you would only release
me from that promise was thinking
but yesterday how blessed the day that
my pride broke down and gave Inc Fred
and happiness. Sometimes | cannot bu,
think that only pride-foolish, unwar
ranrable pride-srands between you and
life ms blessed rs my own"
Impatiently the letter w1.s hurled upon
the grass, and, half turning, Georgia
| buried her wan face on her arm. Oh
what was she thinking? Surely those
were hot tears tTickling through the
| long white fingers; surely there wae
| little evidence of stubborn pride in the
! abandonment Of that silent, lonely
sorrow, All dayshe had been at leisure
the family and children away in town