The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-05-13
8isfsIlany.
AUNT BETsY,s ADVENTURE.

y
hear the fret and ripple of the Iittlt
trout-stream over its bed Of mOssy
stones.
Merrifield was a pretty, sequestereC
place, full of picturesque WOOd~nooki
and pleasant rambles, and, as yet, no
over-crOwded by the high tide Of sum
mer fsshiOnables. Moreover, the. far,
was low, and the hotel charges moder
ate-and that was the reason Miss Bet
sy WhistletOn had come thither witt
her band-D0xes, her tortoise.shell cat
and her neice Elfrida.
Miss Betsy was a tall, sparely-fash.
toned maiden lady, stranded somewhere
ON the debatable land between forty
and nifty, with q leathery complexion
hair cut short in the neck, coal black
eyes-glOssy rather than brilIiant-and
thin, colOrless lips. AS the French say,
there are old maids, and old maids. "
Some are perfectly irresistible in their
sunny good humOr and enlboIlpoi39t-
more bewitching than any ysixteen-year-
old girl-because their arrows are tip
ped with the barb of experience. But
Miss WhistletOn did not belong to this
" rare and radiant" few. Miss Whis-
Teton was an old naid-venomous-a
radical opponent to anything savoring
Of matrimOny-a believer in catnip tea,
4
end Of the world. And above all things,
Miss WhistletOn detested-a man!
Little ElfrIda Martin was totally diff
ferent. Elfrida was just seventeen, ap-
ple-bloOm face, eyes as blue as wood
| violets, and nischievous dots of dim
pies, coming and going, like the inn
| press of Cupid's finger on her smooth
cheek. And Elfrida wore white dress
! es, with blue ribbon fiuttering about
| hnr. = L.. LII 4
| poetry SUD rosa, and believed in man
kind particularly in Tom Castle
wypne!
easeeuently, it may easily be infer
red that Elfrida led dolorous life OF it
with her aunt Betsy, and her aunt Bet
sy's peculiar views.
This particular afternoon Miss BETSY
sat bolt upright, engaged i'll hideOus
pieces Of patchwork, which had been
poor Elfrida's black beast" ever since
she was tall enough to WELD a needle,
and scolded her neice persistently.
DON'T talk to me, Elfrida Martin 2"
she said, energetically - which was
quite unnecessary, for poor Ellie had
not opened her lips in a quarter Of an
hour-''I know pretty well that it is
all through your ding that Thomas
Castlewynne, and his riotOus, cigar
smoking friend, have come down to
Merrifeld, and taken the room next to
ours-the UCTy HeTt room [ should
think you would be ashamed of YOUR :
self, Elfrida, to be walking about the /
piazza with him, and the house full of
respectable bOarders."
Ellie colored up here.
. am sure, aunt Betsy, Mr.. Castle /
Wynne is respectable"
+" A pettifogging, dissipated, good-for- !
nothing lawyer-and Frank Ermine is /
no better. Elfrida, if you don't stop |
taking such long stitches, Ull make /
you rip them all out again. What /
want you to understand is this: that |
this lOve-making business has got TOD
stop. / won't tolerate Tom Castle |
wynne's presumptuOus attentions-nn /
not for another day! I'll pack up and |
leave Merrifield sooner Do you hear
me, Elfrida ?''
Yes, aunt Betsy, hear you"
" Very well; then I'll trouble you to |
heed me as well. Perhaps you think |
didn't see you lingering on the very
threshold Of their door this morning, !
talking nonsense about the trumpery |
wild roses you had been gathering. On !
the threshold of a young mans room /
EIfrida, don't know what you are /.
coming to-! - -
But aunty, the door was wide open, |
and Mrs. Glenn was in the hall, and /
Isabella Raymond, and Major Parker's /
daughters
II don't care if the twelve tribes of
Israel were there, it makes it none the I
less improper for you "-and here her /
aunt Betsy rolled up her eyes in a fear
ful cataleptic manner. Now stop /
dropping those big tears over that tuT-
key-red Joining of that quilt. I never
saw such baby in my Iife-ne ger."
WHAT relief it was to poor hunted |
little Elfrida when Mrs. Major Parker |
came in, with her stiff, rustling silks, |
and her basket of knitting-WOFk, and |
she was allowed to steal away into the |
inner room, with pricked finger, aching |
spinal column, and eyes yet dewy with
tears.
pl be married as soon as ever / |
can thought Ellie, with an indignant !
pOut Of the cherry lips. If thought
| should ever live to be an old maid !
like aunt Betsy, I'd jump into the river
I would"
And Elfie erept away for a walk,
low-spirited enough.
The afternoon was Well advanced be-
fore Mrs. Parker departed; and Miss
Betsy Whistleton, politely seeing her
too the door, stood looking after her
pOrtIy retreating form.
i wonder where Elfrida has gone |
to-" pOndered the spinster-aunt.-
4" Down in the grove flirting with that |
OdiOuS CaStleWynne, I'Ve no doubt
dear me, what trials girls are! Castle
winne's out somewhere, know, for /
the door of his room is half open. Now, |
l wonder
Miss Betsy Whistleton stretched her |
long neck curiOusly towards the neigh |
boring apartment-she looked up the /
hall, and down the hall, but there was
not a soul in sight.
don't really belive they exchange |
notes." said Miss WhistletOn, "but II
they did-and it's really a very excel !
lent opportunity"
She paused again and listened still
no sound, save stray footsteps in the
hall below.
81 think it's my duty" said Miss
Betsy, setting her colorless lips tight
together, and advancing on tip-tOe, into
the apartment of Messrs. Castlewynne
and Ermine.
" never was in a mans room be-
fore" thought the lady, with a little
bride and Simper. " Dear me, what a
variety of boots and slippers, right in
the middle Of the floor Is this brandy
and water? No, it's lemOnade-and a
box full of cigars, as live, and novel
Oh, the depTavity of young men! /
really hope shan't be contaminated
by this awful atmosphere. And what's
this curious wooden thing? Oh, ] sup
pose it must be boot-jack! A dress
ing-ease, too, with chased silver stop
pers to all the bottles-dear me, this
cologne is really very nice. ] wish
had brought that empty paragoric bot
tie along with me; / don't believe
they'd ever miss a few drops. Pink
pomatum, too, as live and breathe
and housewife all fitted up with
needles and sPools Of thread. 9Iy good