The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-06-17
The Heart of a Girl.

Was Ethel James a beauty l could
never quite make up my mind. Every
man had begun by asking the question,
and some of them had answered it in
one way-some in another. She had
eyes it was convenient to call gray,
though sometimes they looked as if
they had caught and held the blue of
the summer sky, and sometimes they
looked dark hazel, and held the brood
ing melancholy Of moonless night.
Her nose was Just the least bit tip
tilted. Her color was bright, yet deli
cate as that of wild rose. Her hair
was insubordinate, and broke into de-
fant little curls that did not even sug-
gest crimping pins. She was hardly
tall enough for the present fashion;
but from head to foot dainty creature
&c sort of Lilith," some one said, but
he had asked her question which she
had not answered as he hoped.
Her mother had slept quietly, for
many years, in the churchyard of Sea-
view, and her father was at the head of
"Seaview Academy" 1t was very
natural that the numerous students I'M
der his care should know his daughter;
but that to know her would be to fall in
love with her was the very last proba.
bility that would have suggested itself
to President James. To him she was
his little girl; and no whit more dan
gerous to the hearts of men, or boys,
than when she wore pinafores. So
class after class came, and saw, and
were conquered.
Only a few of them were brave
enough to give fair Ethel an opportu-
nifty to say " no." but,one of these few
bold knights had told the others what
that eremony was like:
"Her eyes get big-don't you know?
and green comes into them like the
green of the sea. and she seems, above
all, surprised, and looks at you, by Jove,
till you feel how young you are, and
wonder that your mother doesn't rock
you to sleep"
The young fellows were not mortified
or embittered by the refusal to be en-
gagged, or to correspond, or whatever
they had asked for; since one is not
humbled when one has plenty of fellow
sufferers, or embittered when one is
keenly conscious of his own unworth-
mess.
DR.. Gentle looked on.
DR.. Gentle was very young doctor.
His stepfather, DR.. Crane, was the old
est and ablest physician in Seaview.
Guy Gentle had been one of President
James, best Students; but while he
was in the academy Ethel had really
been little girl; and it was only since
Gentle had finished his medical studies
at Harvard and had come back to share
his stepfather's practice in Seaview that
he had discovered that Ethel James
was really the girl of girls, and had be-
thought himself of contributing, in
some way, to find the key to her heart.
1t was Ethel's nineteenth summer,
and she had just begun to realize that
she was, at least, quite grown up. She
had dismissed the latest group of un-
fledged spirants-vacation had come,
and with it the usual summer visitors
to Seaview. Among them, this year,
was newcomer, Horton Stanhope of
New York. Stanhope was cookbook
ing enough, but not quite handsome.
He had clever tailor, and he had
horses to drive, and horses to ride; and,
in short, he was the typical young and
rich New Yorker, and he quite dszzled
Seavlew, whittier he had come because
his doctor had said that the air would
be good for him, and that he needed
season of rest, after winter of balls,
and meets, and all kinds of excitement.
OF course, he fell in love with Ethel
James-that was the natural conse-
quence of coming TO Seavie w-and he
began to show it in all manner of grace
full and expensive ways. He under
stood to perfection the language of
flowers; orchids and roses are eloquent.
1t was just at this ill-chosen time
that DIR. Gentle, with truly masculine
gift for meddling, concluded to tell his
love. 1t took the beauty of Seaview
by surprise; for she was accustomed to
homage, and hitherto DIR. Gentle had
shown her none of the small atten-
lions which were her daily food. She
could not help realizing that this new
aspirant was handsome and manly
fellow. She had been aware of that. in
fact, ever since his return to Seayiew.
His voice was eloquent, too, and she
liked to listen to it, But she had never
thought of loving him. A girl does not
think of loving man, usually, what.
kl9s M-WtsEE FOURTH COLUMN