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

Annot Brunson's liquid brown eyes
searched her lovers face wistfully.
Rollin Dracut frowned slightly.
"Where is the use of my saying any
thing? You've made up your own
mind"
II don't know why should always
stay just here" pouted the girl, "but of
course shall stay if you wish it."
Would you really?" the young man
questioned, putting an arm around her
and drawing her to him. II believe you
would, and l won't vex you by saying q
word against your going. You mustn't
forget me, though"
"Indeed I shan't; you know, Rollin,
couldn't if l tried"
81 hope so but l don't know it" Roll
| lin said, with an involuntary sigh. "The
first city beau you have you'll be asham
ed of me"
Annot colored. She was pretty, and
in spite of her love for Rollin she could
not help throb of pleasure in the
thought of being admired by city eyes.
The next week she went to the city
with her Aunt Bella Prescott-to stay
month or two. But the "month or two"
swelled to six, and there seemed no more
prospect of Annots quitting the city
than during the first week after her ar
rival there.
The truth was that, aside from the
fact that Mrs. Bella Prescott-a gay and
somewhat attractive widow, and young
still-had taken decided fancy for her
lovely little niece, she found that she
added so much to the charm of her ele-
gantly appointed drawing room that she
did not know how to spare her from it.
One morning as Annot finished read
ing a letter from Rollin, Aunt Bella said
to her with a laugh:
"Rollin won't be coming here to see
you, hope"
Annot blushed without replying. In
deed, in this very letter Rollin had an
nounced that he was coming, and An
not did not know for the life of her
whether she was glad or sorry.
Mrs. Prescott looked seriously annoyed
when she understood the state of the
case. Annot saw her displeasure, and
her own uneasiness was increH.rd.
Both might, however, have red any
anxiety concerning Rollin Dracut.
He had brown hands and bronzed
face, but he was large, splendidly
made man and carried himself easily.
Neither Mrs. Prescott nor Annot, / am
sorry to say, met him with quite the
cordiality they ought. He had antici-
pated something of the sort from the
tone of Annot's letters, and he had come
to the city to see for himself just what
the mischief amounted to and whether
anything could be done.
If he could have remained his cool
self, content to rest the matter patiently
on his own merits, Annot might have
seen in time how infinitely superior he
, was to most of those who surrounded
her and returned voluntarily to that al
legiance which was really considerably
shaken by the batteries that had of late
turned her pretty, silly head completely
But he loved her too well. He was
too impulsive and impatient to be able
to stand calmly by and behold his pure
little blossom tossed upon the bosom OF
such stream as this which bore her
5 now.
Annot, too, in her foolish vanity
could not forbear Showing Off for hi;
benefit some of the new and fashionable
i airs she had acquired. She laughed and
chatted with her various admirers and
{ threw arch, smiling, enticing glance,
this way and that, just as she had seer
the city bellies do. In short, Rollin Ora
!. cuts love, his emblem of daintiness anC
pure simplicity, flirted just as any beau
tiful coquettish wording might hav'
= done in her third season.
He was terribly shocked and yer,
I angry. He demonstrated quietly. Blu
Annot had been petted too long to TAX
rebuke quietly, above all from on
whom she had expected such unhesitat
ing alteration and indulgence as iron
him. He went home without seeing he
; again, and never so much as wrote t
her afterward. He considered her com
"a pletely lost to him, and Annot, thong
scared at first, felt rather relieved t
~ have everything got along with s
easily.
n About this time appeared upon tn
scene the "conquering hero" in the pei
n son Of one Raymond st. Ives, hand
some young Englishman Of superior il
tellect and fascinating address. Ammo
had been fiattered and admired to tn
extent of her desires, but, strangel
70 enough, she had not once imagined hel
u self in love with any of those gentleme
B. who adored her so gracefully and dresse
a so unexceptionally.
d 1t was quite different thing whe
IS this young Englishman came. He col
"a trived to impress her with vague ide
~ that he was some great parsonage {
rs other in disguise, and he certainly a
&c sumed naughty enough airs for gres
r. lord at tha very least