Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-11-12
I want TO speak to your

The girl was probably not unprepar-
ed, for she stepped through half open
door and said, Here l am, generalr'
Then the general did quite uncon-
sciously what so far he had forgotten
to do. He saluted, at the same time
critically examining, the girl who
threatened his family with a misal-
lance.
She was slender, but Of a majestic
figure. She had an exquisite head of
soft blond hair and magnificent blue
eyes suspiciously red around the edges,
as if they had shed a good many tears
There was so much dignity about this
young girl, whc was a schoolteacher,
that she seemed entirely out of har-
mony with the surroundings in the ia
theirs hut.
The general turned to the tailor and
asked in a considerably milder tone of
voice, ''Is this your daughter"
But the girl opened the door into the
sitting room and said firmly, Kindly
step this way, general The next mo-
ment the general saw himself alone
with her in the scrupulously clean sit
ting room. He took chair, while she
remained leaning against the mantel.
But the general did not remain seated
long. He almost Immediately arose
again. He walked out of one corner
of the room into the other, fIriously
twirling his mustache. He looked
right and left and up and down and
then became aware that he did not
know how to begin. Finally the girl
said, 81 thought you wanted to speak
to me?"
The general struck a martial atti-
tude, grabbed his sword and suffered,
Eyes, yes, but perhaps you have al
ready guessed what have come for?'
81 think have" faltered the girl.
The old general heaved a sigh of re-
lief. "In that case" said he, II have
not much more to add. You seem to
be a superior sort of a girl and will
therefore understand that this mar
riage is not
ITO be thought OFF, the girl managed
to finish, with a choking voice. She
was as pale as death and her features
set and expressionless, but she stood
straight before him and looked square
ly into his eyes.
The general retreated a step. He
was very much embarrassed and decid-
eddy uncomfortable. 1t seemed to him
as if he would much rather have been
in the thickest Of the battle than where
he was. An unaccountable feeling
akin to fear began creeping over him,
and in order to do something and re-
lieve the tension he said in a voice of
thunder, My nepl. " is a good for
nothing, God fOrsaken reprobate"
Something like q red flame shot into
the girls eyes. do not SANDER him in
my presence" said she threateningly.
The general was effectively silenced.
He felt as if his mission was at an end,
and yet he did not want to acknowl-
edge himself beaten nor yet leave with
out having made his peace with the
girl. He had the need Of saying some
thing comforting to the girl without
exactly apolOgizing. He approached
her again and said in q soft, hesitating
voice: Excuse me, my child! l am so
Sorryi' At the sound Of this gentle,
appealing voice the outward composure
which the girl had been keeping up
with difficulty completely forSOOk her,
and she broke down. Selling both the
arms of the general with an iron grasp,
she called out in a voice ablaZe with
passion: '"Then why do you want to
kill me? What has brought you here?
Whom have | dishonored and what
blot is there on me"
The general felt as if some one was
strangling him, and then he became fu-
rious at himself. He brought his fist
down on the table with such force that
everything danced upon it and, run
ming up and down the room, shouted
''Whatever did I come here for? Is
this my funeral? Am 1 a detective or
a hangman? Is it my business to per-
secute women?'
'Forgive me-" stammered the fright
ened girl tearfully. II did not mean
to-
Forgive you? On the contrary, 1
beg your pandon. What must you
think of me? l am a soldier, not
lawyer, and I shall see that no one mo-
Tests you. l came to see to things, and
L mean to do it, and what 1 am going
lowell, is going to happen"
With this he opened the door leading
into the workshop, where the father
and the mother Of the girl were, and
roared with a voice which made the
walls shake: 81 am asking for the hand
Of your daughter for my nephew, as
she evidently loves the rascal, and you
are not going to say me nay, but you
are going to let her marry him. There
now! At last everything is settled sat-
isfactorily.' Arrived at his sisters
house, he placed himself in front of
her and in a voice loud enough to be
heard by a whole regiment he said: 81
have seen to things. Everything is set
tied as it ought to be. All you have to
do now is to see that the wedding is
celebrated at once, for you cannot ex-