Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-09-23

Prescott fostered her dislike to st. Ives;
she quarreled constantly with Annot
about him, and finally forbade Annot to
see him.
The result might have been foreseen.
1t. Ives contrived to meet Annot out
somewhere, swore that he loved her too
well to live without her and made her
believe him. Late the following night
a carriage was waiting not far from
Mrs. Prescott's residence. Annot crept
softly down from her own room and
stole out toward it, and they were driven
swiftly away, Annot sobbing in hys-
terical fright at the step she had taken.
1t had been understood that they |
should proceed Immediately to the house
of clergyman and be married, but st. |
Ives proposed that they should leave
the city for that purpose, and, as it was
too late to render it probable that they
would easily find a clergyman, postpone
the ceremony till morning dawned.
1t was far into the next day before
they stopped at little country hotel
miles from the city, and Annot, haggard
from sleeplessness and red eyed from
weeping, was conducted within.
st. Ives ordered breakfast and went
out afterward, as he said, to look for
minister. Annot waited, still very much
depressed and not feeling at all as she
had supposed people did who were about
to be married. Some one Knocked.
Blushing guilty, she opened the door;
but instead of st. Ives and his expected
companion, a woman glided into the
room, and throwing back her veil
showed a face of surprising beauty,
and fixed upon the shrinking girl pair
of dark, burning Italian eyes.
"Who are you? What do you want:"
stammered Annot at last, rallying her.
self.
The woman's glance softened.
"You are such child" she said-"so
young. am very sorry for you"
"Sorry for me? I-don't-understan
YOU" Annot said, wishing that st. Ives
would come, and thinking that this
strange woman must be crazy, and then
with low cry sprang to meet st. Ives,
who had just entered the room, and
stood glaring at the stranger with en-
ragged eyes
Banging the door to behind him, and
pushing Annot from him almost saw
agely, he spoke to the woman with the
dark Italian eyes.
"Have you told herr" he asked.
The woman shook her head.
He laughed bitterly.
"You thought it was too pleasant q
task for me to be deprived of, eh?"
st. Ives turned sharply toward her.
"Theres no use in dilly-dallying now.
Annot," he said abruptly. II couldn't
deceive you any longer if l wanted to.
l think you and l won't be married this
morning"
Annot dropped trembling and uncom-
prehensive into a chair
'For the very singular reason" he
went on, "that have already one wife
and she's too much for me-"
The strange woman glided to the side
Of the bewildered girl.
Il am his wife, dear" she said almost
tenderly. Don't mind, it might have
been worse, you know"
st. Ives seemed touched by the face OF
, white despair Annot lifted at the wo
mans words.
You're only ten miles from Jaynes
, vile, Annot," he said almost remorse
fully, land there's stage, l believe
| You can go right home and nobody bt
: the wiser Here is money to pay you,
way"
Annot rose mechanically, and as sht
} did so the bills he had upon her knee fel
to the floor.
, He picked them up and offered then
3 to her again, as she was tying on hel
/ bonnet but she left the room withou
r looking at them or him, and went slowl,
out of the hotel, with her veil down, he
head dizzy, and her heart so heavy i
Y could hardly throb.
9 The stage drove up at that moment
Q and while it waited she eagerly entered
it, and took her seat, without glancin!
: toward the single passenger who wa
Y already there. An exclamation caused
e her to lift her eyes.
. 1t was too much, too much, that tina
S face of incredulous surprise should be
@ long to Rollin Dracut. But it did. H
e caught her as she fell fainting.
f She walked from that swoon to burn
r ing fever and the unconsciousness o
delirium; and Rollin, supporting her al
:, the way till they reached home, gath
IS cred from her crazed lips the whole sa
g story, or enough of it to wiring his hear
d and make his own brain whirl.
d She lay i'll weeks, and he went ever
IS day to see how low she was. Ther
n when she was pronounced out OF danger
4 he left GAINESVILLE without seeing her q
d all.
J. Two years after he came back. Il
re went to see her as any old friend nigh
and he found her SO sweetly like til
" little Annot who had been his promise
1t wife once, so gently penitent for tn
re past, so resigned to any fate that migf
lie await her in punishment, that he fe
t. more deeply in love than ever, and aske
m her to be his wife as though nothing ha
er happened. Annot had long since wake
TO to consciousness of his worth, and 81
a. did not say no.--C. c. in New YoI
n News.