Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-01-13
Bettina'S Romance
BY
CECILIA LOIZEAUx
Copyright, 1904. by Daily Story Pub. co.,

A S TIL days of October moved to-
~ ward a close. and the weather
srisped into a delightful keenness Bet
tina remembered that Thanksgiving
was coming. She was sorry, because
she hadn't anything to be thankful for
that is, nothing worth mentioning.
Of course she had a home and parents
and plenty of money and pretty clothes
Ind things like that, but what was the
Use of being thankful for these when /!
,ne had lost ones fiance? Obviously, I
40 use at all. These were Bettina's
thoughts as she was walking swiftly
along the river road one day in early
November. The keen wind had stung
ler cheeks to a glowing pink and her
body to a tingling warmth. She had
% try very, very hard to feel melan-
.holy, in spite of the fact that she had
Just broken her engagement and
wished she hadn't. For she was young,
healthy and of merry disposition
Hithal. She was little chagrined
when her usually hearty appetite was
Is hearty as ever the morning after
she had given John his congo and
Ipent the night weeping-when she
.ould keep awake. For he had gone;
forever" as he said himself, very
gently and calmly, but firmly Bettina
prolonged her walk this afternoon till
she was very, very tired and cold,
notwithstanding twilight set in.
Now twilight is mournful time to
hose who are not in love Bettina
had always thought So And for those
Who were in love and had no one to
ell about 1t, 1t is doubly mournful.
And as Betty trudged on, weary and
persistently melancholy, the glimpses
through un-drawn curtains of glowing
open fires and seductive cosy-corners
only reminded her anew Of the long
twilight hours with John, alone-the
:wo Of them-in the big, dim library.
Here the tears began to fall and 1t
was a very miserable little Bettina
who crept into the house at dark and
Up to her room so softly that no one
heard her
At dinner she was silent, woe begone
Ind ate as little food as she possibly
,ould She caught a look which passed
between her father and mother, and
Interpreting 1t as sympathetic pity,
pitied herself still more profoundly
than before and left the room sobbing.
Now the look which Bettina had seen
was not Just what 1t seemed to her to
be. And when she Mad gone her father
began to chuckle little.
at does seem too bad to laugh at the
ha f1,,t he oil
learn her lesson now as any time. She
treated John like a three-year- old
.hild treats its nurse in a fit of tenn
per II I had been in his place I'd
have shaken her and brought her to
time on her own ground. | talked to
him about il and he is all cut up and
wants to come and make up, but I told
him to let Betty take the first step this
time It will be good for her.
Upstairs in her warm, dark room,
Bettina thought and thought, but ar
rived at the same thing each time. She
wanted John and was too proud to own
herself in the wrong and write and tell
him so. She decided that she would
30 to the country to spend Thanksgiv-
Ing She would go down to Porter to
Cousin Mary's. She could wander
around the fields and woods alone and
perhaps forget.
She sprung her plan at the breakfast
table, expecting that it would meet
: with a firm refusal from her parents
AT least" she thought, they will tell
me how lonely they will be and try
to get me to stay" What was her sur
prise TO have her father after glancine
al her mother give an immediate and
hearty consent, even going so far as
to suggest that she make a week OF 1t
you may as well stay and visit 9
little, daughter" said her father
Mamma and | shall get along very
well. We will take our Thanksgiving
dinner at the Slavery and go to hea
Mrs. Fiske in the evening" And Bet
tina could do nothing else than consen
through her heart was hot They knew