Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-04-14


visits: his interest in Pocahontas had in
creased; the chord, instead Of merely
vibrating. was beginning to give out
faint. sweet notes, like far off dream
Of music, just stirring toward embodi-
ment. He took Il keen. artistic pleasure
in her. she satisfied him. and at first he
was almost shy of pressing the acquaint-
ance lest she should fail somewhere. He
had been disappointed so many times,
had had so many exquisite bubbles float
before him, to break at a touch and
leave only dirty soapsuds. He let him
self be interested slowly, drawing out
the pleasure and getting its full flavor
Then. when he found that it was true
metal and might be worked at will with
out fear Of baseness or alloy, he gave
himself up to the pleasure of it. Then,
his instinct being always to draw to
himself what he desired, he strove to
awaken an interest in her He was a
man Of unusually brilliant attachments
and he spared no pains.
lie began to seek her society, and,
when in it, to exert himself and appear
always at his best, trying to fascinate
her as she was. unconsciously, beginning
to fascinate him. He would entrap her
into ventilating her old fashioned ideas
aud prejudices; her primitive notions of
life and conduct. Her straightforward
ness, simplicity, absolute truthfulness
struck him as quaint and delicious; even
al. =.
ment were attractive to him. He felt
like scientist who discovers old truths
in an absolutely new development. Ear
liz in their acquaintance he discovered
her fondness for old legends and her
perfect acceptance of and faith in them;
and it was his delight to beguile her into
relating tales of her kindred and of the
olden times so dear to the hearts of Vir-
ginians Her remarks and comments
often touched, always interested, him,
although sometimes they well nigh con-
yulsed him with amusement. To the
mind of the man of the world they APP
peared so-almost obsolete.
Pocahontas was generally willing
enough to tell her stories, unless indeed
Norma happened to be present, and then
the improyvisatrice was dumb. Poca-
hontas was not in sympathy with Nor
ma. Norma thought old stories great
rubbish, and did not scruple to show
that such was her opinion, and Pocahon-
tas resented it. One evening in the be-
ginning of their acquaintance the three
girls had walked down to the old will
lows at the foot of the lawn, and Poca-
hontas, for the amusement of her guests,
had related the little story connected
with them.
II think it was all great foolishness,"
Norma declared. ''If she loved the man
why not marry him at once like sensi-
Die woman? The idea of making him
wait three years and watch a publishing
little tree just because his brother would
have made scene. What if he did
make scene? He would soon have sub
mitted to the inevitable and made
friends. The lady couldn't have cared
much for her lover to be willing to put
up with that driyeling probation.
She did love him." retorted Poca-
hontas with annoyance, land she
proved 1t by being willing to sacrifice a
little Of her happiness to spare him
the bitterness of a quarrel with his own
brother. The men We're twins and they
loved one another, until unnatural riv-
alrypushed family affection into the back
ground. If the matter had been settled |
when both were at white heat an es-
Management would have ensued which |
would have taken years to heal-if il |
ever was healed. There's no passion so
nnyielding as family hate. They were
her hnsmen. too, men of her own blood; |
she must think of them-outside of her
l.lf
The welfare of the man she didn't love |
must be considered as well as that of the |
man she did love-more, if anything, |
because she gave him so much less
now could she come between twin |
brothers and turn their affection to
natred: She knew them both-knew |
mat her own true lover would hold firm
Tor all the years of his life, so that she
could safely trust him for three. And |
she knew that the lighter nature would,
ID all probability, prove inconstant; and
II he left her of his own free will there
could be no i'll feeling and no remorse."
Norma laughed derisively. "And in
ms hne self sacrifice she had no thought
oil her lover" quoth she. ellis pain was
nothing. She sacrificed him too
And why not: Surely no man
would grudge a paltry three years out
o. ms whole life's happiness to avoid so
dreadful thing as i'll blood between
twin brothers. If she could wait for his
SAKE he could wait for hers. A woman
must not cheaper herself; if she is worth
winning she must exact the effort.
think it is lovely story" Blanche
i,a'erposed decidedly. "The lady be
laFed beautifully, just exactly as she
should have done. A quarrel between
eiothers Is awful, and between twin
'tethers would be awfuler STILL
~ her eager partisanship. Blanche's
language was mora so,,