The evening Republican., 1902-06-19
A R. RUINED LIFE,
BY WILLIAM CARR1NGToN.

very fragrance seemed part or her.
As least so Will Harrington thought
as he stood looking at her:
"Mignonette", he said, STOPPING
toward her, ''mignonette."
He would not have spoken so to one
who would have quite understood
him, but she. who had gathered all
she knew at the humble school OF the
small Vermont town had never heard .
that mignonette means "littIe darl-
ing" 10 was no new thing for him
to speak softly when he addressed her
| and she looked up neither surprised
nor startled. She said, "Yes, Mr.
Harrington, l love mignonette.
Just then he was inclined to forget
everything but that she was pretty.
He was more or less a man Of the
world, prided himself on Ills family
and spent generous income ia.a gen
e,ous way. TO his great surprise he
found amusement and interest this
summer In home that was very
dear to his mother in years gone by.
1t was true he had fallen In love with
a country girl, humble even among
simple people in her position, for
she was poor and the grandchild of
two old people who could leave her
nothing.
Will Harrington drew Rose toward
him and looked down into her eyes
and said: ''Rose. be my mig nonette?"
What he meant dawned upon her.
She blushed and trembled. Then
he spoke more plainly: II love you,
Rose; will you be my wifes" She
answered Yes"
| Afterward they sat just SO, his
arm about her waist, her work
dropped in her lap under her small
brown hands. Then voice broke
her charm, a harsh old voice with
nasal twang Rose" it said, "yew
come in tew tea and p'raps Mr.. Har-
rin'tun, view better come tew."
But the gentleman addressed de
clned and took his way homeward.
| Walking over the country road
to the fine house on the hill he
thought of many things. His own
thoughts were not altogether salts
flying.
Il shall take Rose away, "he NUT
tered. ''These people will be moth
ing to us. We will travel a year or
two and she will acquire the neces-
sary manners
When they parted he put ring
upon her finger and promised to
come for her in the autumn. They
were to correspond, of couse-and
that was a pleasant thing to Rose.
And he left her with moist eyes and
little bunch of mignonette. >
The summer holidays had ended
and the fashionable world had come
to the city again to keep its winter
holiday, and Harrington found
everything as of yore and as many
gay beauties ready to unite upon
him. There was an old Irritation,
too, which could not well be ended
while the lady was so willing it
should turn into something more,
between Miss Hastings, the heiress
and himself. AT first he did not
mention Rose to his friends, because
there was time enough. At last
because it was an awkward business
being put off SO long. And Rose
wrote too many letters and put
them into coarse yellow envelopes.
Her grammar WAS none too careful
and she spoke far too much of her
grandparents, who Jared upon
Harrington's sensibilities.
Amidst bells, parties and dinner
Miss Hastings began to reassert
her old supremacy. Reproaches
for neglected answers came from
Rose aud vexed her lover. Still he
smoothed this over and would have
hls troth in the autumn had not
Rose written him in the fullness Of
her reconciliation loving lett:r in
which she spoke Of the trials OF her
= grandparents and Of her JOY in
Iookiug forward to the tim. when
she would have home to which 10
welcome them. That letter was
never answered. lie burned it
with a savage oath. and that night
: proposed to Miss Hastings.
In a month they were married,
and there was wedding and re-
ccption in Il fashionable graystOne
house overlooking the Hudson.
Then came the honeymoon, spent
in Florida, for the chill was already
in the air Before the honeymoon
was over Harrington had discovered
that he never loved his wife. He
was always thinking of little black
haired girl in the mountains of Ver.
mont.
His wife, who had been belle in
society, discovered the truth in a
brief space of time. She intended
to be u true wife, but she now took
revenge in kind-to make her hus-
band jealous was the task of hel
life. She tlirted as she had never
. done in her girlish days. And as
! there is no danger of going too far
with one who cannot be angling for
husband, a married woman can
flirt when she pleases The husband
|. watched her with mad, jealous eyes
. and the unhappy match ended in n
quarrel, then u separation.
He went abroad and his wife led
q gay life apart from him and was
the subject of much talk One day
news came to him that she had died
He returned to his New York home
was seen at the clubs occasionally
. and took moreinterest in the worlds
; doings Rose and her mignonette
were slowly re-entering his mind.
!: 1t had been his fault that she had