The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-05-13
#istsllauy.
AMI EErsr,s ADVENTURE.

s. e -
AMT EETsF'S ADVENTURE.
! 1t was hot July afternoon, the al
full of slumberous electricity, and th,
sunshine sleeping Jreamily on tn
elose-cut grass in front of the Merrifielt
hotel; whiledown in the glen, toward
the railroad track, you could distinct,
! hear the fret and ripple of the littl'
trout-stream over Its bed of moss,
stones.
! Merrifleld was pretty, sequesteret
place, full of picturesque wood-nook'
] aud pleasant rambles, and, as yet, no
over-crowded by the high tide OF sum
] mer fashionables., Moreover, the TAR
was low, and the hotel charges moder
4 ate-and that was the reason MISS Bet
llsy WhistIeton had come thither Will
her band boxes, her tortoise.sheii cat
and her neice Eifrida.
Miss Betsy was tall, sparely
ioned maiden lady, stranded somewhere
ON the debatable land between forty
| and fifty, with leathery complexion
| hair cut short in the neck, coal black
eyes-glossy rather than brilliaut-anC
thin, colorless lips. AS the French say
"there are old maids, and old maids. y
Some are perfectly irresistible IN theiI
sunny good humor and eHab0'lpoisat-
more bewitching than any sixteen-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 rlaid-venomous-s
radical opponent to anything savoring
of matrimony-a believer in catnip tea,
total depravity, and the approaching
end of the world. And above all things,
Miss Whistleton detested-a mani q
Little Elfrida Martin was totally diff.
ferent. Eifrida was just seventeen, ap-
ple-bloom face, eyes as blue as wood
violets, and mischievous dots of dim
Piles, 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
them, and roses at her belt, and read
poetry su6 rosa, and believed In man.
kind = particularly in Tom Castle
wynne!
Consequently, it may easily be infer
red that Elfrida led tiolorous life Of 1t
with her aunt Betsy, and her aunt Bet
sy's peculiar views.
This particular afternoon Miss Betsy
sat belt upright, engaged In hideous
pieces of patchwork, which had; been
poor Eifrida's - black beast ever since
She was tall enough to WELD q needle,
and scolded her neite persistentiy.
"D.n't talk to me, EIfrida Martin %
she said, energetically which was
quite unnecessary, for poor Ellie had
not opened her lips in quarter Of an
hour-"I know pretty well that it is
all through your doiEg that Thomas
Castiewynne, and his riotous. cigar
smoking friend. have come down to
Merrifield, and taken the room next to
ours-the Ve7y net room! [ should
think you would be ashamed of your
self, Elfrida, to. be walking about the
piazza with him, and the house foil of
respectable boarders."
Ellie colored up here.
I 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, I'll make
you rip them all out again. What /
this love-making business has got to
stop. ] won't tolerate Tom Castle
wynne's presumptuous attentions-no
not for another day! I'll pack up and
leave Merrifield sooner! Do you hear
me, Elfrida ?''
"Yes, aunt Betsy, hear your
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 tr-mpery
wild roses you had been gathering. On
the threshold of young mans room
Elfrida, / don't know what you are
coming top
"But aunty, the door was wide open,
and Mrs. Glenn was In the hall, and
Isabella Raymond, and Major Parker's
daughter
81 don't care if the twelve tribes of
Israel were there, it makes it none the
less improper for you land here her
aunt Betsy rolled up her eyes in fear
full eataleptic manner. "Now stop
dropping those big tears over that tur-
key-red joining of that quilt. / never
saw such a baby in my life-ne ver."
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-work, and
she was allowed to steal away into the
inner room, with pricked finger, aching
spinal column, and eyes yet dewy with
| tears
"Iill be married as soon as ever
CAM thought Ellie, with an indignant
pout of the cherry lips. "If thought
1 should ever live to be an old maid
like aunt Betsy, I'd jump into the river
! would.n
And Ellie crept away for walk,
low-spirited enough.
The afternoon was we'll advanced be.
fore Mrs. Parker departed; and Miss
Betsy Whistleton, politely seeing hei
too the door, stood looking after hel
portly retreating form.
/" wonder where Elfrida has gone
tor pondered the spinster-aunt.-
"Down in the grove flirting with thai
odious Castlewynne, rve no doubt
dear me, what trials girls are! Castle.
winne's out somewhere, know, fol
the door of his room is half open. Now
/ WONDER
Miss Betsy Whistleton stretched hel
long neck cnriously towards the neigh,
boring apartment-she looked up The
hall, and down the hall, but there wa.
not soul in sight.
al don't really belive they exchange
notes. said Miss Whistleton, but j
they did-and it's really & very excel
| lent onnortuuity--u
She paused again and listened; sill
no sound, save stray footsteps in th,
hall below.
81 think it's my duty" said Mis-.
| Betsy. setting her eolorless lips tgh
| together, and advancing on tip-toe, int
the apartment of Messrs. Castlewynn,
and Ermine.
al never was in a mans room be-
fore,n thought the lady, with a littl,
bride and siDlper. Dear me, what ;
variety of boots and slippers, right il
the middle of the floor, Is this brandy
and water? No, it's lemonade-and ;
box full Of cigars, as live, and novel
Oh, the depravity of young men!
really hope | shan't be contaminatet
by this awful atmosphere. And what
this curious wooden thing: Oh, sup
pose it must be boot-jack. A dress
| ing-casc, too, with chased silver stop
pers 10 all the bottles-dear me, thi
cologne is really very nice. wish
had brought that empty paragoric bot
tie along with me; don't believ,
they'd ever miss a few drops. Pinl
. ponlatum, too, as live and breathe
and a housewife all fitted up witt
needles and spoels of thread. My good