Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-06-15


--"the rose, mean. )"
"What for?" demanded Priscilla
cit reminds me, remarked Storm
mouth with assumed nonchalanoe, "of
a girl knew once who was faithful to
herself, to her womanhood, to her fu
ture; who spurned with horror any
thing less than her birthright of prin-
ciple and integrity.
Priscilla trembled visibly.
"a paragon, no doubt, your FRIEND"
| she replied in choked sort of voice.
mo-" returned Stornmouth coolly,
"only that best and sweetest of Gods
creations-a true woman.
"Since when" demanded Priscilla,
her vivid color fading to delicious
pink and her lips pouting rebelliously
-"since when have you constituted
yourself judge of the opposite sex?"
Her eyes met Stornmouth's steadily.
Hers were cold and hard.
"Since loved-a woman, announc-
ed Stornmouth unfiinchingly.
Then, before she could retaliate, be-
fore she could turn to leave him as she
had intended doing, he stepped forward
and laid two gentle albeit powerful
hands upon her shoulders. 1t seemed an
age that they stood there in bitter ST.
lence, his forbidding, stern eyes steadi-
ly endeavoring to force her obstinate
lids to lift. Her lips quivered helpless
ly, like the lips of a grieved child.
"Let CO." she finally managed to
burst forth, but her strangled voice,
which she was endeavoring to make
natural, came only in hoarse whisper,
to her intense surprise and shame. 1T
is unmanly of you to hold me thus. Let
me go"
"No" said Stornmouths voice, very
gently--it seemed very far away to poor
Priscilla, whose pulse was beating in
incomprehensible wild thuds against
her ears-"no, l will not let you go,
my beloved, until you lift your eyes to
mine and tell me that you do not love
me and that you do love the count"
There was a long pause. Then Priscil-
la whispered something very low, to
attain cognizance of which Stornmouth
was obliged to stoop his head very near
to hers.
Cruel" said the little voice.
mo" asserted Stornmouth. "Only
just"
There was another silence. Priscilla
miserably remembers years afterward
street cry she heard just then which
rang against her unduly sharpened fac
ulties like the pendulum Of JOY clock
striking out the hours Of novel bliss
unspeakable and accentuating the nu-
cleus of the sweetest, strangest pain she
. had ever felt Then helplessly, as
though governed by an unseen and ire
! sistible force, her little facs mask of
, pain and frightened pride, she raised
her eyes to those stern compelling ones
above
, They held the righteous force Of q
supreme command.
When souls meet and greet one an
other, acknowledging conviction across
the almost insuperable gulf of conserva
tism and custom, laying bare a vita
truth which storms order out of chao:
$ and sublime peace out of past turmoil
+ the recording angels fold their wings
I and steal away appeased.
Then came Stornmouth's voice, al
though out of a mist.
"What folly is that other craving?
it asked peremptorily. Whereas before
the tone had been harsh and almos
cruel. it was now rich and full.
Only a little helpless gesture, q
sweet as birds song in thicket
And you would struggle against ou
inevitable, my beloved, such swee
and rich inevitable"
Still silence.
Stornmouth's hand crept strongly IN
der the mutinous chin. my little girl,
he said, "never mind how or wig yoI
have chosen to almost break my heart
will forgive everything you have no
said or done in the past few miserabl
weeks if you will lift those arms an
lay them about my neck, and in the dc
ing trust me rs child trusts ii
mother. ~
Il cannot" said Priscilla's voice
~ broken and trembling, but very firm i
the settled resolve it contained.
"Why so?"
There was another pregnant silence
u Then, very positively she lifted he
> soft palms. and, quite steadily pushe
/ Stornmouth's hands off from her shou
: ders. She raised her head and confron
ed their owner.
"a "There are reasons" she said enit
i matical1y. Her eyes, to Stornmouth
intense CONSERVATION, were filled wit
~ binding tears. Quite unaffectedly 81
wiped them away.
~ Reasons?" quoted Stornmouth, wit
J. extraordinary emphasis, his sternly col
III trolled wrath and jealousy sudden
springing to life and quenching h
sense of justice. "What reasonsF'
T. Never mind" she whispered mise
u ably
T. "Never mindl" he repeated. eff tn
III is not like a woman Can't you s
IL that this is the crisis of my happine
. and yours?'
u, Priscilla shook her head trife o
III stinately.
IT, VERY WE'LL" he continued, ST
III more wrathfully, beginning now
4 pace the room with strong, impatie
strides "We will never mind, the
CT All, you willful woman, don't you knc
that with man a joy like this unta'
lis ed is as cruel as jagged wound u
10 nursed?'
an "Let me go!" cried Priscilla sudde
10 ly, wildly now, her sweet face strick
y as though with mortal illness, b