Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-08-27

her cousin; put she had been very fond
Of him, in a tender, c~aretaking way,
and she had missed him out Of her life.
And now she was overjoyed to see him
again-so happy that once, when a pause
came in the conversation. she caught her
self vaguely wondering why her heart
felt SO strangely heavy. Joy for the
moment had utterly routed trouble from
her mind.
"But you are looking thin and pale"
she anxiously exclaimed, when there
had been time to study his face clearly.
Surely you have mott hope 0 have
not been ill.,
sob, no." with a little cough that
struck terror to her heart. They grow
keen to recognize the weapons of the
grim enemy. they who live in that dry
air where doctors send men to make
their fight with death. Il caught a little
cold last spring-a mere nothing, but it
seems TO stick in my throat. Paris was
a little too much for me, I'm afraid; and
then. you know, it is never easy to get
rid of a cold in warm weather."
II know that you never would half
take care Of yourself" retorted Anita,
her eyes luminous with exceeding kind
ness.
And nobody else ever seemed to feel
called to undertake the job" with a rue
full grimace.
"Ah, who could:" laughing.
"Who could, wouldn't" retorted
Gray. systematically, with his careless
laugh
1t was inexpressibly pleasant. with her
sore and fretted heart, to have this old
comrade beside her, to feel that his re-
sentful wrath at her had been swept
that she might lean again upon
his steadfast affection. There was no
time for gloomy thought in their lively
conversation, continually starting anew
with, "Of course you remember this"
or "You cannot have forgotten that"
And Anita discovered that she had room
for two distinct trains of reflection in
her mind at once-the one full Of remi-
niscent jollity and laughter, the other
full of bitterness ~unspeakable. With
Gray beside her, dipping into the past,
laughing at his jokes and odd slang,
tIOuDlC nuSb NC hCpb III dDCg dhSCs Oub 10
was with her non the less, to share her
pillow when at last she was at home
again, mocking her in the darkness until
it seemed she must cover her head with
the sheet to stifle her oan
Another day had come, laughing in
the joy Of Colorado's lavish sunshine.
Gray was lazily rocking in the sitting
room hammock, while Anita, neal by,
sat working at a bit of embroidery. The
morning light fell tryingly on her
pale, weary face.
do you know, nina mia" he said, II
think | must emulate your delightful
frankness, and remark that you look just
a wee bit the worse for wear? You too
are thin and pale"
''But you must remember that / am
well" hastily, with her brightest
sit has its disadvantages too, you
know, to be so m~onotonously sound
in health in a country where the even
ness of the temperature leaves so little TO
be said about the weather. One suffers
such a paucity of conversational
''Yes?" smiling perfunctorily, while
still with keen eyes studying her face.
Il hope there is no powder on my
nose!' she ~irrelevantly exclaimed, quiz
meeting his searching glance.
"Worse than that, Nita," he said
gravely. Something is wrong with you.
| know you too well TO be deceived. /
wish you would tell me all about it."
"Well, if you insist upon it-though
| am afraid you will only make light of
my sufferings when l tell you" drawing
a long face, ''the fact is that my new
bonnet-and | sent to New York for it
a perfect failure. am racking my
brains as to whether / shall send it back
and have a row about it, or give my
vanity the discipline of wearing it as
It is
"Vanitas vanitatum," with a queer
Did she think to take him in
any such stuff as this?
Il have to make the most of my OPP
portunities to indulge in vanities, don't
you know? have to make up for such
4 lot of lost time. Do you remember my
chronic condition of nothing to wear in
he days of old? 1t was pitiful."
Nobody ever looked so well dressed
rs you, always" protested Gray warmly.
"And the worry and trouble | used to
rave to appear even decent!" she went
IN musingly. 1.-THE ripping up Of old
lresses-the braid around the bottom is
he worst of an old dress; you can nave
10 conception of the nastiness and dust
t can hold"
81 suppose not" with languid amuse-
nent.
"And the plotting and contriving to
make old look new-to induce skinny
lraperies to seem abundant-and withal
be grateful. Aunt Martha thought if
he gave me a home it was but fair that
he rest should contribute my clothes,
md each was continually limiting to the
'thers that the burden of my expenses
not fairly distributed. Isabel
Annie would say, why don't you
i've that old brown silk to Anita? 1t is
most hideous shade imaginable, and
on have worn it nearly to tatters. It