St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-10-22
miss Cicely. | expect. sir"

oil the hedge. Cicely walters looked
up as he came toward her. Il beg
your pardon" he began, "butlthink
O must be Miss Walters, and as
O are likely to see a great deal
more of me than you will care for, |
think I ought to introduce myself
with as little delay as possible"
Miss Walters laughed, and made
some conventional remark OF greet
ing.
Decidedly" John thought, "she is
different from other women. | won.
der what it is?"
Have you been robbing the nests ?"
he asked her.
Eyes; I've found two eggs; yester-
day there were four. | believe the
cat eats some"
"Do you always feed the chickens
in the afternoon?"
NEARLY always, except when it's
wet"
Curiously enough, John always re-
membered this on his subsequent
visits, although he forgot moreimpor-
tant matters, such as business ap-
pointments and invitations to at
homes.
John asked where his aunt was.
"She's in the awing-room, read
ing a sermon on the sofa. Wouldn't
you like to see her 7"
"Er-I think I'll go presently.
That's an odd sort of sermon, isn't
tia sermon on the sofa ?"
Cicely laughed. She had even teeth,
which showed tor a moment as her
lips parted. John rested his elbow
on the gate and did not laugh. After
a moment he suggested thatit would
be as well to 60 into the garden.
"In their natural state" he said,
81 prefer roses to chickens, and con-
versation to either"
Cicely pulled her hat down to shade
her eyes from the sun, and followed
him through the gate. 1t was quite
tea time before they disturbed Johns
aunt in the perusal OF her sermon.
AS the summer went on John
looked forward with o eagerness
than had been customary to his Sun
days at Hendon. He started a little
earlier and returned a little later,
until one morning he actually got
there in time for church. His aunt
did not 60 to church in the morning.
because she wished William to go,
and the house without herself or
William was, to her mind, as a castle
unguarded. So it fell out, with an
odd directness of consequence, that
John and Cicely were late for lunch
con. And John said the mutton was
the best he had evereaten; but Cicely
seemed %preoccupied and could not
say what the wears text had been.
And Johns aunt said she had mislaid
her spectacles and felt quite blind. at
which even the immaculate William
sighed thankfully, as he remembered
a wine stain on the table cloth.
When the luncheon had been re-
moved, William placed on the bare
mahogany table the fruit and a de-
canter of old port, whose color was
like the rubies that fell from the
magic song-bird's mouth. John tilted
back his chair a little and looked at
Cicely, who blushed and looked at
her plate. Then he turned to his aunt
and said quietly, with a gentle smile
on his lips, Aunt Jane, Cicely and
are going to be married
His aunt gasped in astonishment.
"You John, at your age! And you,
Cicely! Oh, my dears, | am so glad,
Come close to me and tell me about
it,"
John nearly missed the last train
that night. Some gates must be very
pleasant resting places; we linger sc
long at them.
John and Cicely were married If
the new year, and, for a time, tn,
affairs OF Green, Richards & Var
Schaacht were left to the careful care
lessness of clerks. John was rich
and Cicely had something OF her own
but he disliked what he called Show
aud urged Cicely to be content with
a small house and three maids. H,
was not stingy, though, for he or
dered a carriage and horses andgav'
her a very liberal allowance in add
ton to her own income.
The first year of their life together
was a delightful time OF happiness tt
both. 1t was necessary, OF course
for John to be away all day, blu
Cicely nightly enjoyed the n%ovelt,
of being married, and found it yer,
amusing to order things at shop
and give her name as Mrs. Green
Her mother had not allowed her tt
read many novels, deeming them per
n%icious, and so a subscription t
Nudes seemed like Aladdin's Lam
for richness OF possibility. John lef
the city as early as possible and wa
generally home at hall past six
Frequently they went to a theate
or dined out, and there were Satur
days to Mondays at Brighton o
Eastbourne, besides visits to tn
Hendon house, where William greete'