Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-27
Returning the Presents
By ARNOLD ooLswoRrHY

C ufilIE MEADOWS sat in the little D parlor at the back of her mothers snop and gazed dismally out into the garden where the last brown leaves were falling from the Hines to the soggy 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 were signs that she had been crying; and when Sophie cried, her nose grew very red indeed, and woman will not incur risk of that sort without the most acute provocation. In the spring it had all been so different. David Trot- ter, who managed the village flour mill for his father, and who was besides 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 for her at that time. and the swallows nest that was building in the caves over her window developed. from a 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 cheerless and damp, the sun was cold. and the fire of true and only love had spluttered out and left Sophie with a bruised heart and a red nose.
 Everybody knew it was Davids-that is, MT. Trotter's-fault; or, at least. everybody to whom Sophie had men, toned 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 mere lovers quarrel, and that at 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 fact that David--or, rather, MT. Trotter-had been seen firt- 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 tho round of village like Dunstead, it's 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 Everybody 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 endeavored to earn forgiveness by 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 tho Blue Anchor. Which just show you the true character of people like David-I should say. MT. Trotter. And yesterday Sophie had taken her pen in hand. and after laboriously 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 dignified 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 evermore. 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 heather would be more appreciative, 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 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 to 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 had the effrontery to call upon her once more.
 Tell him l don't want to see him, mother" she said After whats '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 tha room. She was about to retire again. discreetly. when Sophie stopped her iua- patiently.
 Don't 20. mother" she said. with tns 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 chair. and then lifted couple of brown paper par cells on the table. With a quiet Good evening" addressed to Sophie. he pro ceeded to deliberately unite the string