Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-04-21


stantly increasing Indignation that over.
Swallowed the rrlnorse | felt at having
disappointed his hopes. Soinccnsed was
| at his aspersions OF Roger tuat almost
laughed when ne spoke of disinheriting
me But the taunt that Roger was
counting me for my money was most
CALLING of all by very force Of reitera.
ton. started to my feet once more
with deiiant air.
at is not true. You misjudge Mr..
Dale cruelty. 10 show you, father, how
free our love is from the base and paltrv
motives you inipute, and that we do not
need your help, see there"
| rushed through the open window
which led to the piazza, and before ethel
my father or Roger OWNED my inten.
ton hurled with all my might the box
Of securities over the railing into the sea
beneath. 1t opened just before reaching
the water, and the contents were sub.
merged by the seething surf
/ re-entered the parlor with a tri-
umphant air. Rogers face wore half
scared look as he began to realize what
had done
Mad girl" cried my father with
sheer. MIR. Dale will not thank YOU
for that, fancy. You have. however,
done me an infinite service He turned
and left the room
When he WAS gone, exhausted and
unncrvci buried my face on Rogers
shoulder anl sobbed bitterly. He tried
TO soOthe me, and finally induced me to
sit down. He sat beside me, holding
my hand and urging me to calm myself
AT last turned to him and said with a
sudden transport of new happiness, and
smiling through my tears:
Il promised to remain true to YOU
Roger, AMI have"
Yes, dear, know. When You are a
little more composed we will talk the
matter over seriously"
There was something in his tone that
chilled me: he was so calm, and / so car.
ried away by excitement.
do not thinl; of my fathers words,
said. Forget them. | shall be per-
fectly happy SO long as you love me-"
He will never relent.' he answered
gloomily. He is known down town as
man who makes up his mind once for
all time"
Il would rather disobey my father
than be false to you," responded
firmly.
Eyes. But how are we to live?" he
asked, rising from the sofa and prone
nading the room nervously, with hi,
hands in his pockets,
Liver l echoed
Unfortunately we should have to eat
and drink, like everybody else. 1t was q
pity" he continued rehectively, that
you flung that money overheard we
might have been very comfortable with
that"
Yes" Ireplied, in dazed sort of way
"Was it the wholei' He stood looking
at me with his head on one side.
"The whole of WHAT"
"Was all the property your father gave
you in that box"
Certainly. l wonder why you ask,
Roger"
He walked up and down few times
and then took a seat beside me-
Let us look ut this matter in a com.
AIlOAi SClISc way, IlBIIlld. I1tdNCl KNOWS
! love you. and that am as romantic il,
my feelings as any one could desire
But suppose we We're to marry without
your fathers consent, what would be
the result? We should starve. To speak
frankly, find it difficult enough to make
both ends meet as "a single man. You
are used to every luxury and com
fort, and have not been accustomed tc
economic. Do not misunderstood
me, Virginia" he continued, speaking
quickly, struck perhaps by my expires
SION which, if my emotions were AIDE.
quately reflected therein, must have
made him uneasy. II know that vor
are capable of any sacrifices it is who
am unwilling to permit you to give VI
your fortune and your family for my
sake. If there were any chance of YOU,
father relenting, if thought there wa,
a possibility that time would make a
difference in his views, | would not
speak 50. But as it is | see no alterna
tive for us but an unsuccessful struggle
with poverty, that would end in unhap
| piness. 1t breaks my heart to come tc
this conclusion, but justice to vow. AZ
wen as common sense, will mol lel III,
suffer you to commit a folly which after
the glamor of the moment was over you
would regret.
IL was the manner even more than the
matter of his speech that stabbed me t.
the heart. Had he spoken less calml,
and deliberately | might have believed
that he shrank from accepting my sell
sacrifice, and have regarded his dampen
ing words as mere cloak for his OWL
generosity, But his mconcerned and
dispassionate air left no doubt in my
mind that it was he who was unwilling
to face the romantic but desperate cir
cumstances in which my fathers decree
had placed us. Instinct told me that he
in whose constancy and in whose devo
ton to ideality | had believed with al
the ardor and trust of which | wa,
capable, was false, and ready to subordi
nate a love like ours to temporal consid
eratlons
Yet with the persistence Of one whc
| clutcheS at anv Gam blance of bona hon,