The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-02-04
II THE WRONG BOX.

other yC ug lady. Inc discovery caiile
rather hardly; for there was my
bride, II Euphenia Garlick, getting
ready fCt 5he ceremony; and there, at
her fat 4er's house, was the wedding
breakfast oil prepared.
The discovery happened IN this wise:
[ had been very nervous over the opera
ton of dra sing. In the first place, L
had never been married before, and,
secondly, 1 did not profoundly care for
nv bride She was my senior by seven
wears, and tall and bony for her age.
She could not be well described as
youthful, or as graceful, or as sportive.
There was little of the lamb nature
about her-except in her associations
with the Mint. For Mss Euphemia
was rich, and | was poor and over
helmef. With debts; wherefore, / had
pressed nv suit with this heiress, and
found b9tl herself and her father, an
infatuat cd old noodle with an amateur
taste for chemistry, propitiated by the
sacrltic
On the morning of the wedding, |
had, out OF sheer nervousness, rumpled
most If my clean shirts, and ruined
most q my clean collars, In agitated
attempts to dress myself. As a crown
ing piece Of ill-luck, [ burst the neck
button hole of my last shirt. There
was no tine to send out for new one
the marriage hour was close at hand.
/ beth0ught myself of Cousin Eide,
then arraying herself IN the house
Cousin E3ie, with whom [ had grown
no, and whom / regarded as a gentle
sister. Edie would of course repair
the slit button hole. Accordingly,
Edie came with workbox, and needle,
and thread and | knelt before her as
she sat: and Edie's fingers were busy
about M throat and curious specu-
lative discovery came upon me that
Edie was young and pretty, and plump,
and gentle, and in all respects dissimi-
lar to Ms Euphemia Garlick.
"Have you ever done this sort OF
thing be.ore, Edie ~ I asked.
Edie confessed she had-for her
father I began to put silly questions
to Edie-about lovers, and so forth.
She answered me laughingly, but re-
pudlatel all soft charges. And then.
I ventured to kiss Edie-also as a
cousin. And then, as Edie ran out of
the room to get pair of scissors, l
began to think she was really plump,
and had velvety skin, and was as
guiteless in the worlds ways as club
by cherub by Rubens.
La this mood I lighted on the work
box she had left, and began to turn
over its contents. White bits of cotton,
spotless as Edie's conscience. Black
bits of cotton, sombre as my future !
head when [ overlooked Eide as a pos
sible wife! But then Edie was as poor
as myself, whereas, Miss Garlick-
Halo! what was this
[ came upon a letter in that work
box - an open letter, commencing,
Star Of my hopeless destiny - A
letter in a mans handwriting, and full
OF bad spelling And this shameless
document went on to speak of love
passages in the past; of designations
"undee the conscious stars" as the
writer phrased it; of kisses given and
exchanged This innocent seeming
cousin q mine was not so gllileless as
she APP red. She had been guilty Of
philanda ng, and that with fellow,
las [ by the lgnatire-knCwn to
my brio family. For this Augustus
Maundgts whose name it was, I knew
as a incoming BOBBY in the army-a
romantic nilksop, with coIorless hair,
so intimate with the Garlicks as even to
be invited to the wedding.
| was horribly indignant at Edie's du-
plicity, aud at her choosing a lover for
her clanaestine flirtations. When she
came osck with the scissors, | taxed
L : Al, L 4
her the letter. She started, and seem
Ell inclined to deny the charge, but ult-
imately took refuge in silence. | set
of for church IN very bad humor, con-
WINGED that | felt rather perilous in
terest IN Edie, and resolved to accom-
modate my conscience by g taking it
out OF Mr.. Maunders, even if, by
forcing h m to declare his intentions, I
precepit-ted his marriage with my too
pretty cousin.
The party had not arrived at church.
but Garlick 5 house was within a stones
throw of it. In my vexation [ would
not wait. [ made for the house. and
met them IN the lobby, the carriages at
the door. There was the perfdious
Augustus Maunders with them.
[ greeted not my stately bride 81
stalked up to Lieutenant Maunders.
Sir. Numbered, q know all. >
The lieutenant gazed feebly at me; Miss
GarlicN c.asped her hands her father.
an habitual dotard, simply bhnked his
eyes, as he did under all circumstances
which passed his comprehension. and
as most worldly circumstances did pass
his comprehension, always excepting
the combination of gases, | paid little
attention to him.
Don't attempt to deny it, Mr..
Maunders," [ added sternlv. q
have discovered one of your letters in a
work-bcx"
To ny aInazement, Miss Garlick gave
q shrek, aud fell into hall-chair, APP
parently llfeless. No sooner did her
ldlotlc parent behold the spectacle than
ne. too, u5tareda prolonged howl, and
fell on the mat
Oh, ny pa! my pa - cried Eupemia
reviving suddenly. He cannot bear
excitement: it flies to his head Help
help save him from extinction -
Rushing to the old mans head Il had
a demopiacal temptation to sit on it,
as they 90 TO horses) / called for water.
A servant brought a tumbler-full.
Meanwhile, l had found in his waist
coat pocket, phial of colorless liquid.
"A tonic or stimulant, " / thought, and
harrledly emptying it into the glass of
water, poured the whole down his
throat. 1t had an awesome effect. The
Did man nearly started to his feet,
struggled, kicked ont spluttered, foam