Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-04-17

means being PIT upon pinnacle above
all the real pleasures of life, like FOOL
ish old Stylites on his column! Inc
queen is always preaching to me about
the strict maintenance Of my dignity
royal as she calls It. and perhaps she
il right. But out upon dignity royal
say 1! 1t is terrible nuisance. Oh,
you don't know tow difficult 1t Is to be
q princess and net fool. There! ana
she sighed in apparent relief.
Then, turning to Brandon: "You have
taught me another good lesson, SIT,
and from this hour you are my rrienu'
if you will be, so long as you are
worthy-no, | do not mean that; !
know you will always be worthy-but
forever. Now we are at rights again.
Let us try to remain so-that Is, l
will" and she laughingly gave him her
hand, which he, rising to his feet'
bowed low over and kissed, rather Ter
vently and lingeringly, l thought.
Hand kissing was new to us IN Eng
land, excepting in case Of the king and
queen at public homage. 1t was lit
tie startling to Mary, though she per-
mitted him to hold her hand much
longer than there was any sort of need
"a fact she recognized, as l could
easily see from her telltale cheeks,
which were rosy with the thought OF
1t.
So it is when a woman goes on the
defensive prenaturely and without
cause. 1t makes it harder to apply the
check when the real need comes.
After a little card playing l express
ed regret to Jane that could not have
a dance with her for lack Of music.
II will play, IL the ladies permit"
said Brandon, and he took Lady James
lutte and played and sang some very
pretty little love songs and some comic
ones, too, In a style not often heard In
England, SO far away from the home
of the troubadour and lutte. He was
full Of surprises, this splendid fellow,
with his accomplishments and graces.
When we had danced as long as we
wished-that is, as Jane wished; as for
myself, l would have been dancing yet
Mary again asked us to be seated.
Jane having rested. Brandon offered to
teach her the new dance, saying he
could whistle an air well enough to
give her the step. l at once grew I'M
easy with jealous suspense. for ! did
not wish Brandon to dance in that
fashion will Jane, but to my great
relief she replied:
mo, thank you; not tonight" Then,
shyly CHANGING toward me: Perhaps
Sir Edwin will teach me when he
learns. 1t is his business, you know"
Would l? If a month, night and day.
would conquer it, the new dance was
as good as done for already. That was
the first real mark of favor ever had
from Jane.
We now had some songs from Mary
and Jane; Il IN gave one. and Bran
don sang again at Mary's request. we
had duets and quartets and solos, ana
the songs were all sweet, for they came
from the heart Of youth and went to
the soul of youth, rich in its God given
fresh delight in everything. Then we
talked, and Mary and Jane. too, with a
sly, shy. soft little word now and then,
drew Brandon out to tell of his travels
and adventures. He was a pleasing
talker and had a smooth, easy flow OF
words, speaking always in low. clear
voice and with perfect composure. He
had way of looking first one auditor
and then another straight In the eyes
with a magnetic effect that gave to
everything he said an added interest.
Although at that time less than twenty
five years old, he was really learned
man, having studied ut Barcelona, Sal
amanca and Paris. While there had
been no system in his education, his
mind was a sort of knowledge junkshop
wherein he could find almost anything
he wanted. He spoke German. French
and Spanish and seemed to know the
literature of all these languages.
He told us he had left home at the
early age of sixteen as his uncle's es-
quire and had fought in France, then
down in Holland with the Dutch. had
been captured by the Spanish and had
Joined the Spanish army, as it mattered
not where he fought so that there was
a chance for honorable achievement
and a fair ransom now and then. He
told us how he had gone to Barcelona
and Salamanca, where he had studied,
and thence to Granada, among the
Moors; of his fighting against the pi-
rates of Barbary, his capture by them,
his slavery and adventurous escape
and his regret that now drowsy peace
kept him mewed up in a palace.
1T is true. he said. there is pros
pect of trouble with Scotland, but ]