The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-09-03
.iel threw down the paper and burst int,

AIiei uire" o""h ING p'ape1 anu. anu outss An.o
tears. 4
"The cold-hearted, presumptuous viIlainr'
she sobbed. Papers, indeedi suppose he
means the note wrote him about the pic nicf
o, how foolish I have been, and am rightly
punished for my follyi'
But still Ariel wept on; when girl of eight
cen has built up a glittering castle In the air,
whose foundationsare laid in her own heart she
feanpef see It dashed rufhIessly into ruins withS
out few natural tears.
Meanwhile Miss Experience Browne, 9tdt fifty
well-ripened antumns, was reading, with no lit
tie astonishment, the letter which Bridget's en-
envy, the post boy, had brought for her,
t@U-pon my word ? exclaimed Miss Expert
ence, slowly and emphatically- "The ilnperti7
nent young fortune hunting humbug. Does he
suppose I'm a born fool, TO swallow such pack
of sentimental hattery as thiss Lovely eyes
dimples,' If he had saidlspeetacles and wrink-
les. he'd been considerably nearer right. No
you don't my fine fellow-no-yOu-dOsf! Ex-
perienee Browne hasn't lived fifty-fiye years in
the world to fall into such trap as this.a last
He'll call this afternoon to receive the answer
that is to decide the whole current of his future
life, will her Well, let him CALI, I'll be ready
for him, and I'll warrant me he won't be in a
hurry to call again. - = TA.t3 II -
And Miss Experience chuekledto herself, until
all the false curs quiyered; she folded the let
ter neatly, and put it back into its hurriedly-
directed envelope. -GFz
81 never had an offer of marriage before,''
she thought, viewing her autumnal countenance
in the pier glass and adjusting little puff of
ribbon in her cap-b border, "and it does make one
feel kind of queer. It's something to tell of any
how. Bethuar Jones needn't go to saying nOSo
that was an old maid because never had an
oferl just wonder what Ariel would say;
guess won't tell her ;she would only laugh at
me;sLAEs6412LLEJ y DFLL(LOLL -
Miss Experience drew herself up as grimly as
if her spinal column were n bar of iron, that af-
ternoon, when Bridget announced
Mr.. Grover, men,"
"sheF himgip, Biddy-I am quite at leisure to
receive him. at
And our hero, entirely innocent of the impend-
ing storm that awaited him, walked into Miss
Experiences awful presence, with bundle of
title deeds in his hand tied with the official red
tape of his profession.
!. Good afternoon. Miss Experience
"Ain't you ashamed of yourself, Harry Gro.
verr' calculated the spinster, in deep, stern
voice.. ttGet along with yourself, maxim love to
an old woman, morein twice as old as you be,
just because she's got little money! What do
you take me for, hey? Don't stand starin' there
Walk out Of this room, quick, or IN throw the
big dictionary at your headi No, no, mol Noso
have you got your answer, plain enough! 1
wouldn't marry youif there wasn't another man
in the. whole OF. the town. y
Harry Grover was little appalled, at this
charge of horse and foot but he stood his ground.
manfplly, not quailing at the big dictionary.
"But Miss Brownsville you hear me mo-
ment? 1 don't want you to marry me. What
has put that strange fancy in your head2" =
.tYou don't want to marry me? Then what
the mischief does this letter mean, I'd like to
know?"
| a May look at it?'' 'af - i,'Ftp.'t -
Harry then took the letter and glanced at it
its contents threw a new light on the unaccouut-
able state of affairs. -
GOOD eupidl what blockhead-whata an nm
mittigated, inexcusable, incompatible donkey
have beent What could have been thinking
aboutP"
"Hey2" demanded the puzzled spinster.
II Excuse me- ma'am, but there has been a
mistake--a-a-D ri j.Sisy 81 i7sIsf
And without waiting to complete his frag-
mentary sentence, he rushed out of the Groom to
the little bay-windowed parlor, where Ariel
usually sat-
"Well, neveri" exclaimed Miss Experience,
as the door banged unceremoniously in her face.
Ariel Miss Brownei'
csBut Ariel turned hanghtily from the pleading
eyes of her lover.
"Ariel-darling-ther has been an absurd
mistake; this was the letter that was intended
for you. The other was written to your aunt on
business, and by some unaccountable blunder,
got into the wrong envelope. have been a fool
"a blockhead-but love you with all my heart.
Ariel, you. viii not send me awayfn = 10
No-Ariel did not send him away, for the shy
smiles and the rosy bloom were beginning to
come back to her face as size read the real letter.
But, Harry" she said, with roguish dimple
at the corner of her mouth, ''you must confess
that Aunt Experiences note had rather an un-
pleasant style"
81 was a careless reprobate,'' said Harry,
frankly, "but, you see, Judge Cornell was watch
ing me, and
And that was the end of all misunderstood
ings between Harry Grover and Ariel Browne,
theneefoFth, forever more. q
Miss Experience was rather disappointed in
two things. She would like to have sold the
school-house.Y corner lot, 7, and she would like to
have said that once, in the course of her fty-tve
years of life, she had had an offer of marriage.
However" gaid Miss Experience, "Ariel is
very happy, and may be ithingsare best.as they
are,"