The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-09-09
ONE AUGUST NIGHT,
She Was Told the Story of the
Lady of Shalott.
BY VIRGINIA LEILA WENTz.

BY VIRGINIA LEILA WEN L.
copyright, 1909 by Associated Literary
Press.l
1t had been an unusually oppressive
day even for August. Every one
seemed sleepy or sleeping. Cobblers
slept with half mended boots in their
laps; Italian women slept at their fruit
stands with sleeping babies at their
breasts, horses trotted conscientiously
along in front of sleeping drivers.
In the department store where An
tona Wheaton worked the day had
been difficult, especially behind the
stufy corner where she measured out
ribbons. And, oh, what a godsend the
loud sounding bell at 6 had been! Most
OF the girls in the store were city bred
and they accepted the conditions of
August philosophiaclly but Antona
Wheaton had come from fresh little
country town in the west and as she
leaned from her boarding house win
dow-the third floor hall room, back
a few minutes before going down to
dinner it seemed to her that she was
locked in place of torment from
which no escape was possible.
They dined at in Mrs. Browns
boarding house. In the half hour that
Antona had been home she had taken
a sponge bath, brushed her silky, flax
en- hair and changed her black alpaca
dress for a simple white muslin. AS
she leaned out of the window from the
open space beside the storage house
in the rear she could see the dust
carts roll down the streets. The whisk-
ing of their big rotary brooms remind.
ed the country bred girl of large tur-
key gobblers sweeping the earth with
disdainful, proud wings. The open
space faced the west, and, resting her
little oval cheeks in her hands. Antona
could see that the sun was doing its
best to set with some sort of rightful
beauty, even in this homely downtown
section.
"Where the quiet colored end of
evening smiles
Antona was speaking to herself in a
reprehensibe fashion that was grow
ing on her, trying to recall some verses
which Francis Logan had quoted to
her one sunset time down on the Bat
terry. She had fancied she could re.
member them, they were so simple and
lovely.
Just then Mrs. Browns cracked din
ner bell rang
Across the long, narrow table Fran
els Logan glanced at Antona with
something like lump born of a big
protective instinct rising in his throat
Every vestige of fresh country rose
bloom had fed from the girls sweet
face, and in the intervals when she
fancied she was not observed the
young fellows alert eye noticed that
black lashes rested heavily against
her cheek as would those of one who Is
overweary.
Antona's WEAKNESS struck home per
haps because of contrast. Francis him
self was more than usually happy thai
night
The big importing house where hi
was employed had that very morning
sent note to his desl, informing hin
that his salary had been increased
some $40 a month His dear mother
over in Devonshire, had just writer
him that a relative had left her an un
expected little legacy. Altogether the
world was going well with Francis 10
gan.
"You look pleased, Mr.. Logan" OBJ
served Mrs. Brown from her accus
toned seat at the head Of the table
"Ah, 1 remember-this is your favor
lite soup!'
For five years now young Logan ha(
been an inmate Of Mrs. Browns estab
lishment without having ever changed
his seat at table or his room. Natural
ly Mrs. Brown sought to ingratiate her
self with him.