Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-12

news from-from the trailsl Yesterday Mr.
| Falkner said the snow had recommended in
the pass Has he seen anything, noticed any
thing different
She looked so very pretty, with the rare,
genuine and youthful excitement that trans
| figured her wearcd and wearying regularity
| of feature, that Lee contcnted himself with
drinking in her prettiness he would have
inhaled the perfume of some flower.
"Why do you look at me so, Mr.. Lee" she
asked, with slight smile al believe some
thing has happened. Mr.. Falkner has
| brought you some intelligence"
"IIc LAS certainly found out something
did not foresee.'
"And that troubles you"
"It does"
as it secrets"
"No."
"'rhcn suppose you will tell it to mo at
dinner she said, with little tone of relief
| 81 am afraid if tell ii at all | must tell it
now" he said, glancing at the door.
! "You must do as you think best she said,
| coldly, "as ii seems TO be q secret after all"
She hcsitated. Kate is dressing, and will
| IOt ne uONll Ill some lline.
$50 much the better. For I anu afraid that
| Ned has made poor return to your hospi.
! tally by falling in love with her.
'Impossble! He has known her for
scarcely week"
Il am afraid we won't agree as to the
| length of time necessary to appreciate and
love woman. | think it can be done in
Il md ba ti,,,o,
| have been here"
Yes; but as Kate was not in when You
arrived and did not come until later, you
must take Off at least one hour" said Mr.
Hale gayly.
"Ned can. shall not abate a second"
"But are You not mistaken in his feel
/ ingsi" she continued huiriedly. "Iie GER
tainly has not said anything to her"
That is his last hold on honor and reason.
! And to preserve that little intact he wants to
! run away at once"
"But that would be very silly"
"Do YOU think so:i lie said, looking at her
fxedlv
why notf she asked in her turn, but
rather family.
I'm tell you why he said, lowering his
voice with a certain intensity Of passion un-
| like his usual boyish lghtheartedness Think
Of man whose life has been one of alter
nate hardness and aggression, of savage
disappointment and equally savage successes,
! who has known no other relaxation than dis
spatiOn or extravaganza; "A man to whom
| the idea of the domestic hearth and family
ties only meant weakness, eleminacy, or
worse; who had looked for loyalty and devo-
ton only in the man who battled for him at
| his right hand in danger or shared his pli-
vations and suifcrings Think of such a
man and imagine that all accident has sud
denly placed him in an atmosphere Of purity,
| gentcneSs and peace, surrounded him by the
refnernents of higher life than he had ever
| known, and that he found himself, as in a
| dream, on terms OF equality with "A pure
woman who had never known any other life
and yet would understand and pity his I'M
agine his loving her. Imagine that the first
| effect of that love was to show him his OWL
| inferiority and the immeasurable gulf that
lay between his life and hers! Would be not
fly rather than brave the disgrace of her
awakening To the trutht Would he not fly
rather than accept even the pity that might
| tempt h-r to n sacrifice
Quits Mr. Falkner all that
Nothing of the kind, | assure you.' said
he deinrUey But that's the way man in
| love feels
Really, Mr.. Falkner should get You to
plead his cause with Kate said Mrs. Hale
with faint laUgh
/ p-f, in hot
way for myself" said Lee boldly
Mrs. Hale rose. II think | hear Kate com
| ing" She said. Nevertheless. she did not move
away. 1t is Kate coming" she added hur-
riedlv, stopping to pick up her work basket,
which had slipped with Lees hand from her
| own.
| 1t was Kate, who at once flew TO her sisters
assistance, lee deporing from the sofa his
own utter inability TO aid her. Its all my
| fault, too" he said 10 Kate, but looking at
Ms Hale. 1T seems | have = faculty of up
setting existing arrangements withou. the
power of improving them, or even putting
| them back in their places. What shall | dol
| | am willing to hold any number OF skeins or
rewind any quantity of spoolS. am even
willing to forgive Ned for spending tho whole
day with you, and only bringing me the wing
OF hawk for supper
THAT was all my folly, Mr.. Lee said
! Katc. with swift mrnd0city; The was all the
time looking after something for you, when |
begged him to shoot bird to get a feather
for my hat. And that wing is so pretty"
1T is pity that mere beauty is not edible"
said Lee, gravcly, and that if the worst
comes to the worst here You would probably
prefer me 70 Ned and his muStachos, merely
! because Nv" been tied by the leg to this sofa
and slowly fattcncd like a Strashourg goose"
Nevertheless his badnage failed somehow
| to amu,e Kate and She presently excused
! herself to reioin her sister, who had already
slipped from the room. For the first time
| during their enforced scclSion sense Of re-
! straint and uueasiuesS affected Mrs. Hale, her
| sister and fahucr at dinner. The latter adj
| dressed himself to Mrs. Scott almost entirely.
! Mrs. Hale was fain to heStow an exceptional
| and marked tenderness ON her little daughter
Minnie, who, however, by some occult child
! iSh instinct insisted ON sharing il with Lee
her great friend to Mrs. Halc's uneasy con-
seriousness. Nor was Lee slow to profit by The
Child's suggestion, hut responded with certain
vicariouS careSses that increased the mothers
| embarrassment That evening they retired
| early, but in the intervals of u restless night
| X atp was aNor. from ba snunI NJ NcicpS