Middletown transcript., 1868-01-25

cafnher 1coruialy \cVerypOuy KNEW DOD
Styles) asked if he was going with them,
eet. He told them he was not. ,,t. I.
.. !" Pressing business engagements, you.
know, and all that sort of thing. Deuced
sorry l can't 60, though. had just time
to bring Miss Lee over to go with you,
and now I'm off. Mr.. Bimby, this is Miss
Lee. Miss Witherball, Miss Lee and
he ratified off long string of brief intro
ductions, which convinced me that but few
Of the company were acquainted with the
young lady whom | was thus personating,
a very fortunate thing for the preservation
of my disguise
MI, Bimby, tall, legal looking gen
tleman. with hook nose and yc-glass and
puffy hair, seemed to be prepossessed with
my personelle, and l overheard him whis-
per to Bob Styles, as he went out: ~
Nice looking girl, that Miss Lee"
Eyes" answered Bob, with mischiev-
GUS glance at me, !" she is q nice girl,
though d little go.ahead sometimes, Keep
little look out on her, will you ?" then
lowering his voice, not bad match for
you, old fellow ! she's rich"
." Is she?" said Mr.. Rimby, his interest
deepening. 'ii.'s' '''',4 o .'-''.' ~ =, Z =.
"On my honor" said Bob" "Forty
thousand dollars in her own right. Good
day." and he was gone. q 'ss't'
Maggie Lee, artful creature that she
was, told her father that the sailing party
was to assemble at another hotel, aud thith-
er he had taken her. Having business in
D.-.,.., he left her there, merely saying
that he would send the carriage for her at
eleven o'clock. She like dutiful daugh-
ter, bid him goodbye, and kissed him,
and before he had gone, hundred rods,
took q seat in Bob Styles light wagon,
which had driven up to the back door as
old Lees carriage drove away from the
front, and the old story of head-strong
love and prejudiced age was enacted over
again.
As for US, Of the picnic excursion, we
had delightful sail down the grove, but
l did not enjoy myself as much as should
have done. When I walked on the boat,
felt awkard as if everybody was looking
at me. found Mr., Bimby, as suspec-
ted, young and rising lawyer, mighty in
Blackstone and his own opinion. He in
sisted on paying for my ticket (the boat
was regular excursion packet, and pur-
chasing enough oranges, pears and candies
to set up street stand. -Four or fye
times was on the point of swearing at
his impudent ofliciousness, but bit my
tongue just in time to prevent the expo
sure. But it was not with him I found
my rotc the hardest toplay. POI
"No; the young ladies were the difficult
ones to deceive. For instance, there was
one among them, a beautiful girl of seven
teen, just returned from boarding school,
who had not seen Maggie for three years.
OF course she was glad to see me when
she found ont ! was Maggie, which, by
the way, did not occur until after we had
started, She threw herself into my arms,
pulled my veil aside, and kissed me half a
dozen times in a manner that made my
fingers ends tingle for an hour. 1t was
very nice, but if had been in propria
persona l should have liked it better
As it was, l felt as if | was obtaining
goods under false pretenscs, and that law
yer Binlby might issue warrant for my
arrest on that ground at any moment.
A whole knot of crinoline then sur
rounded me, on the upper deck Of the
boat, to the utter exclusion and consequent
disgust of Mr.. Bimby and the other gen.
tlemen. | kept very quiet, only speaking
monosyllables in falsctto voice but the
others, lord bless you, how they gabblcd
Under strict promise of secrecy, the
little boarding school maiden, WHO had
kissed me SO affectionately, reveale all
her little love affairs. and also became un-
| pleasantly confidential about other matters,
quite innocent in themselves, but not Gus
tomarily talked of between ladies and
gentlemen. N,il .-......
I / was terribly embarrassed, but it would
not do to give it up then As soon az
my trick should become known, Boil
Styles trick would also come out; and as
news Of that kind travels fast in the
country, he and his lady love would be
telegraphed and followed before they
could reach the city, where the STYLES
family lived and where the knot was to be
tied. ...,-.e.-.s.
The river breeze was very fresh where
we sat- aud l noticed that several of the
ladies were glancing uneasily at me.
couldn't divine the reason, until Jenny,
my little friend from the boarding school,
laid her face dangerously close to mine,
and whispered; I4.s l13U
MY dear Maggie, your dress is blow
ing terribly high, your ankles will be the
town talk with, the gentlemen r xo, II,
1 Now / was conscious of having very
small foot for man, and had donned q
pair ofYopen worked stockings, with q
pair of CATERS borrowed from a servant
girl, in all Of which toggery my running
gear hooked quite feminine and respecta-
bic, but the idea of the gentlemen talking
about my ankles, and Of being cautioned
thus BY o young girl who would have
been frightened to death if had told her
the same thing yesterday, was, too, much
for me, and | burst out into sort Of
strangulated laugh, which could only
check by swallowing half of my little
L