Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-03-20

nearI peat ana paradise creating JOY
in everything!
After few minutes of gay conversa-
ton, in which we all joined. Mary ask
ed: what shall we do? Will one of
yoy suggest something's
I Jane sat there looking so dcmure you
would have thought mischief could not
live within league of her, but those
very demure girls are nearly always
dangerous. She said, oh, so innocently:
would you like to dance? If so, l
will play" And she reached for her
lutte, which was by her side.
Eyes, that will be delightful. Mas
ter Brandon, will you dance with mel"
asked the princess, with a saucy little
laugh, her invitation meaning so much
more to three of us than to Brandon.
Jane and l joined in the laugh, and
when Mary clapped her hands that set
Brandon off, too, for he thought it the
quaintest, prettiest little gesture in the
world and was all unconscious that our
laugh was at his expense.
Brandon did not answer Mary's invi-
tation-the fit of laughter had probably
put it out of his mind-so she, evidently
anxious to win or lose her wager at
once, again asked him if he danced.
"Oh, pardon me! OF course, Thank
you! And he was on his feet beside
her chair in an instant ready for the
dance. This time the girls laugh,
though equally merry, had another
tone, for she knew she had lost
Out they stepped upon the polished
floor, he holding her hand in his, await
ing the pause in the music to take the
step. / shall never forget the sight of
those two standing there together
Mary, dark eyed and glowing; Brandon,
almost rosy, with eyes that held the
color of dark spring sky and wealth
of flowing curls browning his six feet
of perfect manhood, strong and vigor-
Gus as a young lion. Mary, full of
beauty curves and graces a veritable
Venus in her teens, and Brandon, an
Apollo, with a touch of Hercules, were
complement each to the other that
would surely make a perfect one.
When the music started, off they
went, heel and toe, bow and courtesy
n step forward and a step back, in per-
feet time and rhythm-a poem of hui
man motion. Could Brandon dance?
The princess had her answer in the
first ten steps. Nothing could be more
graceful than Brandon's dancing I'M
less it were Mary's. Her slightest
movement was grace itself. When she
would throw herself backward in
thrusting out her toe and then swing
forward with her head a little to one
side, her uplifted arm undulating like
the white neck of a swan-for her
sleeve, which was slit to the shoulder,
fell back and left it bare-she was a
sight worth long journey to see. And
when she looked up to Brandon with a
laugh in her brown eyes and a curving
smile just parting her full, red lips
that a man would give his very luck to
but had better stop.
: "Was there ever goodlier coupler"
asked Jane, by whose side l sat.
Never" she responded as she played,
and, strange to say, l was jealous be-
cause she agreed with me. l was jeal-
Gus because l feared it was Brandon's
beauty to which she referred. That
thought would naturally appeal to her
Had he been less handsome l should
perhaps have thought nothing of it,
but knew what my feelings were to-
ward Mary, and l judged, or rather
misjudged, Jane by myself. l sup
, posed she would think of Brandon as
, l could not help thinking of Mary
, Was anything in heaven or earth ever
so beautiful as that royal creature
} dancing there, daintily holding up hel
t skirts with thumb and first finger, just
far enough to show a distracting little
foot and ankle and make one wish he
) had been born a sheep rather than 6
sentient ran who had to live without
Mary Tudor? Yet, strange as it may
! seem, l was really and wholly in love
with Jane. In fact loved no one bu
Jane, and my feeling of intense admi
ration for Mary was but a part Of
/. mans composite Inconsistency.
l A woman-God bless her.-if she real
r ly loves a man, has no thought of an.
b, other-one at time is all sufficient
. but man may love one woman will
: the warmth of a simeon and at TIT
: same time feel like good, health.
south wind toward dozen Others
That is the difference between mai
s and woman-the difference between
: the good and the bad. One averag
y woman has enough goodness in her t
i supply an army of men.
Mary and Brandon went on dancing
: long after Jane was tired of playing
n 1t was plain to see that the girl wa
t thoroughly enjoying it. They kept u
:. a running fire of small talk and laugh
o ed and smiled and bowed and courte
d sied all in perfect time and grace.
f 1t is more difficult than you ma
/: think, if you have never tried, to kee
r up a conversation and dance La Ga
2 lard at the same time-one is apt t
s. balk the other. But Brandon's dancin
IS was as easy to him as walking, and, a
t. though so small matter, could see
y raised him vastly in the estimation O
a hot riplc