The Monticellonian., 1905-01-26
Returning the Presents By ARNOLD GoLswoRTHY

! shop and gazed Gismally out into the garden where the last brown leaves were falling from the lines to tic sogey l footpath below The scene was not al ] together an unsympathetic one for ] Sophie. since she was sad at heart that dull misty afternoon. Indeed, there 1 were signs tl-at she had been crying; and when Sophie Cried. her nose grew ! very red indeed, and a woman will not I incur q risk of that sort without the nest acute proyocation. In the spring l 1t had all been so different. David Trot- ] ter. who managed the village flour mill for his father. and who was besides a most eligible young man in every way. had asked Sophie to be his wife. and the earth seemed so fair to her then The song of the skylark had a new meaning fer her at that time, and the swallows nest that was building in the caves over her window developed, from great nuisance. into pleasing and blessed allegory. Summer had been spring intensified; and the brightness of life had seemed quite dazzling. And now everything was eheerless and damp, the sun was cold. and the fire of true and only love had spluttered out and left Sophie with bruised heart and a red nose.
 Everybody knew 1t was Davids-that is. MT Trotter's-fault; or, at least, every body to whom Sophie had men tiened the matter. Sophie,s mother had perhaps not quite grasped the full mean ing of the awful crisis in her daughters bright young life. The good soul had even spoken lightly of it. affecting to treat it as a mere lovers quarrel, and that at a time when Sophie had been seriously considering whether she ought to go into nunnery or just pine away and die in the back parlor at home. Sophie knew for a fact that Dayid-or, rather. Mir. Trotter-had been seen tiirt- ing with Faith Duker. the creature who set her cap at everybody The thing had been seen in the village; and after a likely bit of scandal had gone the round of a village like Dunstead. its own mother would not have recognized it at the finish. David had gone so far as to meet the creature a second time by appointment. and that, of course. capped his iniQuity. Every body knows that no self-respecting girl can put up with goings-on like that It would not have mattered so much if he had ad- mitted his error, and had endeayored to earn forgiveness by a fitting display of contrition. But David had had the effrontery to deny the charge, and had actually punched young Harper about dreadfully for just casually mentioning the matter to a circle of friends at the Blue Anchor. Which just show you the true character of people like Dayid-I should say. MT Trotter And yesterday Sophie had taken her pen in hand. and after laberiously studying the diction ary so as to be sure that she had got the long words right. had intimated to MT. Trotter in cold and dignitied terms that all was now over between them, and he would receive per bearer the presents he had made her and hence forth they were strangers for eYermore. Amen
 On other days Sophie would have been helping her mother in the shop; but to-day she could do nothing but sit and watch the leaves fall As it grew dusk she got up and lit the lamp. There was her knitting on the table The woolly squares hanging from the needles were the foundations of pair of socks that had been intended for him. Now, of course they would go to the heaven via the parish church and the missionary society. No doubt the aeathen would be more appreeiatiye, though perhaps woollen socks in the tropics might be little trying to the untutored savage mind. And then
 Sophie!"
 It was the voice of Mrs Meadows. calling from the shop. And a moment later the good soul put her head into the parlor, and added:
 Sophie. It's David He's come to see you.
 Sophie started to her feet. This was the last straw David-that is 10 say, Mir. Trotter-had been given to under stand that his presence was no longer agreeable to her and in spite of that he had lad the eitrontery to call upon her ence more.
 "Tell him 1 don't want to see him, mother" she said. After what's 'ap- pened don't want to speak to him again"
 Mrs. Meadows turned back to her shop; but before she could repeat the portentous message, David was already at the parlor door Mrs Meadows smiled significantly and preceded him into the room. She was about to retire again. discreetly, when Sophie stopped her i'm patiently.
 Don't go, mother" she said, with the imperiousness of the spoilt child that she was.
 David was a big, rosy-cheeked fellow with plenty of confidence The last was made evident by the deliberate way in which he put his hat on a chair, and then lifted a couple of brown paper par cels on the table. With a quiet Good evening" addressed to Sophie, he pro eeeded to deliberately unite the string of ole of the parcels. The knot was a little hard, and as no one spoke, the embarrassing silence was becoming in tolerable Finally, David looked up
 You sent back the few little presents ad gave you, he said gazing directly in front of him and addressing the op- posite wall straight in the eye, an so, o course, I'm bringin back those what you gave me"
 You could ha' sent 'em back, I snanDed Sophie "There waen f m need for to bring em yourself
 Well, you see" said David, address ing the wall with the assistance of his