The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-07-25
9elttttd 9turg,
APRIL FOOLS DAY.
BY S. ANNIE FOST.

person to be trickod on the first of April
And pretty Mabel Hughes looked def.
ant of all jokes, tossing back her sunny
curls with Il little white hand, aud flash
ing a merry, saucy look at the company
around her.
There was quite group of young
folks, assembled to dance the old year
out and the new year in. Mabel
Hughes took pc .edonce at most of the
village gatherings, by right of acknowl.
edged bellcship, and her fathers large
hospitablo house was the rendezvous on
the present occasion. The young folks
had been discussing anniversaries, and
while on that theme, April Fools Day
had place in the list Of memorable
days of the year. Mabel had been fool
ed the year before by the gift of mag
ni6cent basket containing apparently
clusters Of rich, red strawberries, far in
advance of the New England season.
With little cry of pleasure she had
put one of the luscious looking berries
into her mouth, to fnd it was a painted
deception. Laughing, yet thoroughly
in earnest, she had vowed never again
to believe in gift or a speech of the
date again.
AS she now made her speech she
looked full in the face of the supposed
perpetrator Of the last years joke, and
was ANS gered by a pair Of SUNNI
frank eyes, that looked fully equal to
fun of any sort,
Z can deceive you again. he declar.
cd in answer to her implied challenge.
You have no idea how pretty you looked
when you curled up your nose and
puckercd your lips over that berry
Why, where were your
In the hall enjoying the joke
We'll make the most of the recoleos
tion, for you will never see me in a like
scrape again
Until next April
'Never!'
Wen see III take the next three
months to invent something absolutely
impenetrabe.'
Il defy you
Hark =
Slowly the peal of bols from the
neighborng church sounded the mid
night hour. AS the first stroke fell up
on the air, the group rose to their feet,
Joined hands, in ring, and stood mo-
tionless till the last echo died away
Then Happy New Year. burst stimuli.
taneously from their lips, aud after joy
Gus greeting all around, tbe party sepa.
rated, and the house was soon wrapped
in darkness and reposo.
So John Martyr will play me ano.
ther trick this year. thought Mabel,
the next morning, as she stood before
the glass twisting the bright curls round
her fingers. He may try his best, but
he will 10: catch me again. Heigh-ho!
he will have other things to think of by
that time, and perhaps will forget me
altogether.
For John Martyr was going into the
world to seek his fortune. Que year
ago he had given to home, though alone
in his cottage a brotherless orphan. He
had not intended to stay SO long, but
there was magnetism in Mabel Hughes
dark eyes that bound him to the village,
until the admiration docpenod into sin-
cere, earnest love, and then the convic-
tion grew that he must win wealth be-
fore he dared to tell his passion.
Mr.. Hughes was wealthy, lawyer in
good practice, but there were nine chill
dren in the luxurious home, aud the es. .
tate would give but moderate compe-
tency to each one.
John Martyr was not the man to WOO
Mabel from her home, uulcss he could
offer at least comfort iu his own, aud he
had drained his purse the year following
his return from college. Somewhere in
Texas he had an uncle who had written
to him that he had au opening for an
enterprising young man, as a stock
l am very DID, SO the letter ran,
'and very poor, so you must not come
out here with any idea OF finding wealth
made to your hand. You will have to
work hard-very hard, but if you are
not afraid of that, l will give you start
drawn from experience, and a shake
down in my rancho
So he had written, and his nephew
gladly accepted the invitation. He had
remained to see the New Year in, but
Mabel knew on that day his call on that
day would be to say farewell for months,
years, perhaps perhaps she thought
sadly, never to meet again She had
never questioned her heart about John
Martyr, content to take his gallant
speeches, his dcferential words, or, in
other words his half saucy jokes, his
laughing badinage for the amusement of
the hour. But on that New Years
day she was restless, nervous, and excit-
ed, finding herself talking at random to
her callers, sayinSyes where she should
have sait no, and listening intenty tol
a football and voice that fingered away
from her. At last he came, timing his
call to miss the morning visitors, and