Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-08


I Think know you well enough to be sure
that you would not have married without love-
and love is the greatest thing in the world
May all its fullncss and blcsscdncss be yours
now and in time to come so prays the friend
Of your earlier years, ELEANOR GRAY.
She addressed this letter to "Thomas
Rhodes, care of John Riding, Esq,
Denver" She sealed and posted it, and
then the 30-year-old young woman felt
that she had indeed turned the last page
of her youth and the appendix" Of
her life was already begun.
1t was not long after this that new
conner to the quiet old town of Rycfcld
made Miss Gray's acquaintance. Here
at last-so it seemed-camo the verita.
BILE knight of romance of whom Eleanor
had dreamed. Austin Bland was poet
and painter both. One glory was not
enough for him. He had come to the
little Connecticut town to paint some of
its beguiling bits of stream and meadow
land, some Of its famous Old trees that
seemed fairly human-they had lived so
long and We're so full of Maynard indi-
viduality His pictures, he said, were
for sale. His poems, OH the other hand,
were not the property of the world. He
supposed it was unfortunate, but the
truth was he was utterly subjective
His verses, such as they were, were the
very cry of his heart, and surely they
did not belong i'll the market place
From the first Bland seemed to take
an especial interest in Eleanor. Nat
urally this interest flattered her. 1t had
been many years since any man had so
persistently sought her society, and
now, here in her appendix" of life
came the conquering hero, ready to
turn her subject for her sake, eager to
paint her charms and to sing her praises
Was it, then, for him that she had I'M
consciously been waiting, and was it
when she was past 30 that she was real
ly to begin to live? 1t seemed so Just at
first
Bland had brought one or two good
letters, for even in rural Ryeficld letters
were necessary, and he had met Eleanor
at high tea at the rectory the very
first week after his arrival. 1t was the
glorious midsummer, the long golden
days when the sun seems so III love
with earth that he sets reluctantly,
when all the world is at its best and
the birds sing its praises and the but
terflics tluttar lazily about as if to see
in what beautiful sphere they are al
lowed to pass their little day. There
were soft mists at evening i'll the valley
of the Quinebaug, mists that followed
the splendor Of the setting sun and fled
before the rising moon.
Austin Bland never tired of saying
how infinitely precious it ali was
Sometimes he studied the trees, and
sometimes he studied Eleanor. He
sketched her as Cleopatra, whom she
certainly did not resemble; as IsoulU,
whom she might have been; as fair Rosa
mond, with the fatal cup i'll her hand;
as herself, in score of attitudes. He
wrote verses to her in French meters
rondeaux, triolsts and ballades-and
these, he told her, were for her only,
that cry of his heart which none other
than herself must hear. 1t was all so
delightfully."- romantic that Eleanor be-
gan to think she was quite sufficiently
in love with him, though love was
somehow less strenuous and exciting
emotion than she had hitherto suppos-
ed. She was rather glad sometimes to
be left alone at the close of an afternoon
of art and of romance. OF course this
was because she was 80. There could
be no doubt that it was the right thing
this high bred passion that wooed her
with all the resources of art. Bland had
not spoken of the future, but that must
be because 20 was too delicately re-
served to approach her rashly.
At last there came July twilight.
Bland and Eleanor had been watching
the sunset together. He had been talk
ing about his theories of sunset effects.
He was always talking about his theo
ries. They were for him the one signifi-
cant and sufficient theme. Then, when
the sun had fairly gone out of sight,
Bland got up to depart also and stood
for moment looking thoughtfully at
Eleanor.
II must see you tomorrow" he said.
"Shall it be o clock? 1 have something
to say to you"
eyes, at 3, if you will, " she answer
ed, and then he was gone, and she sat
musing in the waning light OF course
he was coming to ask her to be his wife.
His whole manner had expressed his in
tention. She was as certain of it as if
he had already spoken. Why was she