The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-29
BY ELMER WINSTON

She was an incorrigible firt At last,
having declined number of suitors,
The became engaged to multimillion-
alre. and her mother determined that
she should not have a chance to throw
over the opportunity. The girl was
sent into the country on plea of i'll
health in the dead of winter to remain
there till a week before the wedding
day.
An aunt agreed to take her to her
summer residence. open it and live
there with her during the season of
her captivity. There were plenty of
young men about in summer, but now
there was not one within fifty miles
except a few countrymen. The Jan
nary winds were blowing cold. and she
sat all day reading novels or doing
fancy work, occasionally turning to
look through the window at the bleak
view.
There was a little lake few hun
bred yards distant. just outside the
walls of her prison grounds. One cold
night it was frozen over, and the next
morning the sun shone bright. and the
air was still and full of ozone.
A man was skating on the lake.
She arose, dressed herself in a be-
coming skating costume. took up
pair OF skates and went to the lake.
Putting on her skates. she went on the
ice. at first timorously; then. gathering
confidence, she sailed of, graceful as
swan.
The man, evidently farm hand, cut
figure Fights, did the Dutch roll and
all manner of hubdubs. The girl sway
ed her skirts gracefully to one side,
then to the other, as she skated. 1t
was a case of country boy showing off
before city girl and city girl before
country boy. Then she purposely fell
on the ice and lay there till he came
and picked her up
Are you hurt. missT
Where had she heard a voice like
that? She looked up into the young
mans face, and behind a stubble beard
of five or six days growth she saw
something that reminded her Of some
one she had seen before.
Not much" she said.
He was turning away when she
struggled or pretended to struggle with
lame ankle. II fear must ask you
to help me Off the ice" she said
She rested heavily on his strong arm
as she shambled to the shore. and
when she got there he took from about
his neck an enormous wooden comfort
er and. folding it, put it on the ground
for her to sit on. Then he asked what
else he could do for her. Her ankle
continued to pain her--so she said-and
she would neither try to get home nor
try TO skate. The consequence was
that he stood on the verge of the ice
cutting flubdubs and talking to her.
After awhile she took off her skates
and limped home-that is, she limped
till he was hidden by the trees in the
grounds OF her prison, then she walked
as well as ever.
1t was the beginning of the ice sea
son, and for several weeks there was
good skating. There is nothing attrac-
tive to a city girl in a raw country
man, though this one was raw only in
appearance, and having an original
mind and pleasant way with him,
he gradually threw singular spell
over her. Perhaps 1t was because he
was the only man about. The lake
was crescent shaped, the far horn of
the crescent being hidden by a hill.
Fearing her aunt would interfere, she
met the countryman at the farther
horn. The first thing she knew she
was experiencing a singular sensation
she had never felt before.
Then came sleighing. and the coun-
tryman met her bv appointment where
no one in the prison would see with
a sleigh and pair of horseshoe said
he had obtained leave to exercise them
for their goddard the two rode side
by side to the jingle of bells. So the
winter passed, and one day she awoke
to the fact that the sleighbels would
soon be replaced by wedding bells and
sic would be given over to man she
didn't want.
BY and by she got TO talking spooney
with the countryman and told him her
story, lie heayed q sigh which sound