Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-01-04
CHAPTER I.

was a girl In hort dresses. Il WAS i'm 1
D garden surrounded by Ugh red brick 1
walls which were half hidden by clus-
tiers Of green vines and at the base Of |
which nestled earth beds radiant 'vi.h /
roses and poppics and pponios and
bushes OF lavender lilacs. all splitting
their delicate ambrOsia en- the mild air
Of passing May. | stood, straw hat in
hand. wondering if had not stumbled
into some sweet prison CT flowers
which. having run diSOhcdient ways in
the pay. had been placed here 10y Flo
RI and forever denied their native
meadows and wildernesSes. And this
vision of fresh youth in my path. per
hapS she was some guardian nymph. !
was only -, a most impreSsionablt
age. Her hair was like that rare Oc.
tober brown, half dun, half gold; her
eyes were cool and reStful, like the
brown pools one sees in the heart of
the forests, and her lips and checks
cOZened the warm verlniliOn of the
rose which lay ever so lightly on the
bosom of her white dress. Close at
hand was table upon which stood
pitcher of lemonade. She was holding
in her hand an empty glass. AS my
eyes encountered her calm. inquiring
gaze my courage fed precipitately,
likewise the object of my errand.
There was Il pause; ditiidence and en-
harrassment on my side, placidity on
hers.
well. sir?" said she in a voice the
tone of which implied that she could
readily understand her presence in the
garden, but not mine.
As | remember it, | was suddenly
seized with a great thirst. II should
like Il glass of your lemonade" | an
swered. bravely laying down the only
piece of money | possessed. Her stern
lips parted in Il smile, and my courage
came back cautiously-that is to say,
by degrees. she filled a glass for me,
and as l gulped it down | could al
most detect the flavor of lemon and
sugar.
1T is very good" volunteered, pass
ing back the glass. l held out my
hand, smiling.
"There isn't any change" coolly.
| flushed painfully. 1t was fully four
miles to Newspaper row. | was con.
scious Of sullen pride. Presently the
object Of my errand returned. Some.
what down the path saw gentleman
reclining in canvas swing. rs that
Mr.. Wentworth" | asked.
Eyes. DO you wish to speak to him?
Uncle Bob, here is gentleman who
desires to speak to YOU
| approached. "Mr. Wentworth" I
began, cracking the straw in my hat,
my name is John Winthrop. | am a
reporter. | have called to see if it is true
that you have declined the Italian port
folio"
at is true" he replied kindly. "There
are any number of reasons for my de.
clining it, but | cannot make them pub
lie. Is that all?'
Eyes, sir; thank you" and l backed
away.
Are you a reporter" asked the girl
as | was about to pass by her.
Yes, am"
"Do you draw pictures?'
"No, l do mott
'Do you write novels"
NO" with nervous laugh.
There is nothing like the process Of
Interrogation to make one person lose
interest in another.
"Oh, l thought perhaps you did" she
said and turned her back to me.
passed through the darkened halls of
the house and into the street. | never
expected to see her again, but it was
otherwise ordained. We came together
three years later at Block Island. She
was IS now, gathering the rosy flowers
of her first season. She remembered
the incident in the garden, and we
laughed over it. A few dances, two or
three evenings on the verandas watch
ing the sea, moonlit, as it sprawled
among the rocks below us. and the
even tenor of my way ceased to be. /
appreciated how far she was above me,
so | worshiped her silently and from
afar. | told her my ambitions, conf
dences 50 welcome to feminine ears,
and she rewarded me with small ex-
change. She, too, was an orphan and
liyet1 with her uncle, rich banker,
who as a diversion consented to repre-.
sent his couatry at foreign courts. Her
given name was Phyllis. ! had seen
the name thousand times in print;
the poets had idealized it and the nov
elsts had embalmed it in tender
phrases.
1t was the first time | had ever met
q woman of the name of Phyllis. It
appealed to my poetic instinct. Per
haps that was the cause of it all. And
then she was very beautiful. In the
autumn of that year we became great
friends, and through her influence
began to see beyond the portals of the
mansions of the rich. Matthew Prior's
Chloes and Sir John Stockings Euphe-
las lost their charms. Henceforth my
muses. name became Phyllis. | took
her to the opera when | didn't know
where | was going to breakfast on the
morrow. | sent her roses and went
without tobacco, a privation of which
woman knows nothing. Often | was
plunged into despair at my distressed
circumstances. Money to her meant
something to spend; to me it meant
something to get. Her income bother
ed her because she could not spend it
my income was mortgaged week il
advance and did not bother me at all
This was the barrier at my lips. Blu
her woman's intuition must have tolt
her that she was a part and parcel OF
my existence.
[ had what is called q forlOrn hone