Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-05-27

lie would emerge. Her crimson hood
appeared in the doorway, and his teeth
chartered in his head, but his resolu-
ton was unshaken. He made sortie
in her direction, knocking over little
James Brown, the barber, and fearfully
mutilating the new calash of Miss Win,
the milliner, in the act; but these were
minor affairs, and not worthy of his
notice. He touched the shoulder of
Rosalie.
! "May I-may-go home with you
to-day--to-night-this EVENING"" stam-
mered he.
She put her little hand within his
arm and they went out together into
the starlight. Harry seemed to tread
on air. The world was no longer. but
the charmed paradise of impossibility,
and he dared not speak lest he should
break the spell.
The little lady too was strangely 81
lent, and theentire distance to the house
of Judge Flanders was passed without
a word. At the door Harry would
have bidden his companion good night,
but she retained his hand and drew
him into the parlor, and there the light
of the chandelier fell full on the face of
the laughing woman, and with dread
dismay Harry saw that not Rosalie,
but Mrs. George Flanders herself stood
before him. He had waited on the
aunt and not the niece. He uttered an
exclamation and started up to retire,
but Mrs. Flanders good humoredly re-
tanned him.
Don't go, Harry" she said kindly,
"you really did bravely. l am proud
of you; 1 knew from the first that you
had made mistake, but was fearful
you would never try again if denied
your escort. Rosalie will be in soon;
wait for her."
Indeed, ma'am--I should be hap
py to--not to--in fact, ma'am, | be-
lieye | am wanted to home"
Harry started for the door back
wards, but instead of choosing that by
which he had entered, he bolted out into
the dark kitchen and seized the handle of
the first door that offered Mrs. Flan-
ders was following close but before she
could utter single word his 'gOOd
night" was succeeded Immediately by
a series of thumps and rumblings in
the direction of the cellar.
The truth burst upon her at once,
Harry had taken the cellar door and
fallen down stairs. She seized light
and flew down the steps. There lay
Harry, with his head in trough of
ashes and his feet automatically ele
waited over the shelf of a neighboring
cupboard. He was considerably bruised
and stunned, but not otherwise injured.
Mrs. Flanders would have raised him
up, but he anticipated her, and with
out stopping to shake himself, bounded
up stairs and made a dive for the
outer door; the ashes streaming out
behind him like a cloud of gray
smoke.
The door was opened from without,
and Rosalie herself appeared. Atsight
of the hatless, smoking Harry, she ut
tered loud shrek and fell fainting to
the floor, while our hero dashed over
her PROSTATE form and took the track
for home at speed unequaled in the
annals of foot races. Breathless and
used up generally, the young man
reached home, crawled in at the back
window and retired to his bed, which
he kept for three days afterwards.
In spite of all apologies and fatter-
ing courtesies from Mrs. Flanders--in
spite of gentle, affectionate advances Of
Rosalie herself, Harry Singleton could
never be tempted to step inside the
mansion of the Judge; and Rosalie, af-
ter waiting two years for Harry to
make himself agreeable to her, gave
up the vain hope and became the wife
of a substantial widower with four
children, which was quite good be-
ginning.
Harry went on his way alone, as his
mother had feared and prophesied, and
that exemplary little woman set about
learning him to repair stockings and
replace buttons with commendable pa
tience. He had studied for the law,
had been two years admitted to the
bar; and was a talented and rising
young man. Being also wealthy and
handsome, half the ladies in the village
were in love with him, but he gave
them wide berth and passed them
by.
Mr.. Singleton dabbled somewhat in
politics, and at the age of thirty, he
was elected Member of Congress. In
celebration of this event grand sup
per in his honor was given at the
Whitestown Hotel. OF course, the sue
cessful candidate must be present, and
etiquette demanded that he should
bring lady with him. The COM
mittee of arrangements waited upon
him to inform him of this fact, and it
may we'll be believed the commnnica
ton filed him with horror. He begged
of the gentlemen to provide him part
ner if he must have one, stipulating
only that the lady should not be a
young lady. In due course of time he
was informed that he was to attend
Mrs. Grubbins, the widow of the late
DR.. Timothy Grubbins, the wealthiest
as we'll as the tallest and fastest wo-
man in the whole county.
The eventful evening arrived. Mr..
Singleton took Mrs. Grubbins to the
hotel in chaise. The lady was mag
niGcently attired, in double-skirted
tarlton, with ribbons, feathers and fear
fully extended crinoline.
Poor Harry The thought of escort
ing that giantess into room filed
with people, made him sweat like one
under the influence of powerful dose
of ipechuanha. But he was in for it,
and must get out the best way he
could. Mrs. Grubbins, proud and tri-
umphant, preceded him, breaking the
passage and compelling the lesser peo-
PIE to yield the ground. Just as she