Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-01-17
HER MISTAKE.

Agure and ia round, rosy face. She wore a
black cape over "A gray skirt, and carried q
queer little dogs cared volume entitled
"Hymnody." Her eyes were big and soft.
She had an Irish mouth and "a Welsh chin,
with II dimplo in IL.
We mot, for the first and last time, on
the towing path between Windsor and
6tainrs. | noticed her when she was quite
q hundred yards away, and admired her
grace OF movement. The towing path was
nc-row and rugged just at thai point, so
thnt we touched elbows as we passed and
cur eyes met. Immediately she uttered a
lttle cry ana fixed "A pair Of pinco noz
across her nose.
"Why, it's Jack! - she cried. How are
you, jack Who're have you been all th.,e
years? And what haVc you been d~oing?"
My name is Arthur. but her hand was
too small and soft to r%clinquish with IN
necessary suddonncSs.
81 knew YOU at once" she affirmed. 81
emit say I think tho mustache an i'm
provemeht."
Nor" | murmurcd douhtfully.
No. ii has taken all the character out
al your face"
l felt quite sorry for her. She would be
~ confused. | still held her hand.
Well. - :. said, scrcwing her eyebrows,
'Hnd what have you done since l saw you
b--acquired modosty?"
1T would be very awkward.
"N-no exactly, " l stammered.
She laughed.
IN walk with you rs far as Windsor"
she said. Il suppose you are going to
:nds0r1 Or will you walk with me to
S,aines2 Bust as you like. am living at
Sininos now, you KNOWN "a little room
overlooking tho rivrr-at IL pound sterling
per week auclusiVe-OccaSional use of the
parlor.
'Oh, lock at the sky!'' she cried sud
dolly. "AIl those s%prawling gray dragons
il las relief against tho blue. Isn't it
wonderful1 Yet they say my skies are i'm
I~c-iblc. Nothing is impossible, Jack. is
Nothing, except to contradict YOU"
Even that was not impossible in the
old days"
There was another silence. 1t lasted till
we reached Staincs. l WAS grateful for the
pause. We stopped outside Il white, flt
fronted housc facing the river. l held
forth my hand.
Oh, honscnse, Jack She said, ''you
must come in and see the parlur"'
We went into the house. The street
door was not locked. The parlor was IA
small, ugly, comfortable room, with "a big
bow of flowers in the window, uthwart
which fel, q hand of yellow sunshine.
i want to show you some of my poor
little pict urcs."
We went into her room, a large apart
ment, lighted from above. A modest lit
tie he'd was iE the corner, squeezed away
into the mirk as If rest had but a small
part in the life of its owner. At the head
nf fhn I,nI .xr.- a ct,aII ,Af,,,, ,,I ..I.-
toilet accessories on u white drapcd dress
Ing table. At it's foot stood IL deal wash
stand In the center of the room sprawlod
a great yellow easel bearing IA canvas.
There were other easels and canvascs dis
tributed throughout the room, and plaster
casts and clay figures, all the usual para
phernalia of the painters craft added.
The little lady snatched down the large
canvas from the great yellow easel and
stood it with its face to the wall.
Not that. " she said. THAT is IA study
In failures. | will show you something
more modest" She went to "a stack of
pictures in the corner. "See here" she
said. holding up "A tiny sketch before mo,
Light ON the Bar, moro modest still.
And here, throwing me an odd glance,
compounded Of cuquetry and laughing
doubt, is II picture the subject of which
Is not modest. "
She put her hand on my arm and led me
10 the center Of the room, Then she gave
tho picture into my hands. 1t was the
portrait of a man, strangely resembling
myself, drawn in the style of the Dutch
school, with the light concentrated IN the
eyes and brow.
"Do you like it, she asked mo.
1T Is wonderful, - L whispered.
81 did it just-just after that night"
she said.
II was troubled at heart, for there was
"a note other than the mucking note Of
light comedy in her voice. | feared the
trend of the situation was toward perhaps
tragedy.
1t seems so strange that we should
meet again like this, " she said, land yet
not strange. For our corner of the world
is a very little place, after all. You have
grown very old and manly and grave.
Jack. l am just beginning to realize that
now. | didn't at first. You mustn't
think that l mean to be rude to you, Jack.
Perhaps | hardly ought to call you Jack"
Yes - l said eagerly, call me Jack"
"Thank you, Jack, she murmured,
beaming. "YOu arc a dear old boy. The
same old Jaokl l was sure you wouldn't
mind, Jack"
Yes"
"Did-did it-did / hurt you much,
Jack, that night? You know, / hadn't
thought of you in that way at all. 1t came
on me 50 suddenly. And my art was SO
much to me. To marry meant to give 1t
up, you SOC. And, then, l didn't under
stand myself, and you were so force and
foolish and wild. l have wondered ever
aince that 1 had tho courage to refuse you,
Jack, yOu-were such a splendid tempest OF
boy"
was filled with oontrition and shama