Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-07-17

proving himself mere man, after the
stupid fashion Of his sex, by slipping
into the tolls Of girl not worthy to
darn his stockings, even if she had
known how, which considering her
antecedents, seemed improbable! 1t
could not be Aunt Mary arrayed her
self TO the rescue.
Her first move was to "borrow'
Grace Goodenow, and the little girl
whom, with that infallible instinct
which leads us to the rights and wrongs
of other peoples love affairs more
clearly than they do themselves. she
had long ago selected as the wife Jim
ought TO want. But to ''borrow" Grace
was not an easy matter, DIR. Goode-
now being strongly opposed to parties
Of pleasure and all that savored of
frivolity and "philandering," against
which vague and anomalous iniquity
he was wont to frequently and strongly
inveigh. A long morning of argument
was the price paid for his concession.
Aunt Mary had to face much discus
sion and reprobation had to hear that
the longing for salt water which she
had dincautiously alluded 10 as "natural"
was an instinct shared with brute
beasts, prairie wolves, savage bisons,
who gallop miles TO reach "lick" and
satisfy their appetites; she had to
listen to vast and erudite body of
objections drawn from natural history
and Scripture" and finally only car
ried her point by stringent reference
TO Grace's thinness, paleness, want Of
appetite, and adroit illusions to an
Aunt Esther, dead some twenty years
before of consumption, and rather
hypothetical "Cncle Zack," who "kind
OF wasted away and went out like the
snuff Of candle" When the dominic,
on mention Of this worthy, began to
move uneasily in his chair, she knew
her cause was won; for, in spite Of his
big bow-wow manner, the good man
was exceedingly sensitive and anxious
about his only girl. SO, seizing the
moment with a woman's quickness,
Aunt Mary began to dilate on the ex-
ceeding steadiness of the party, which
she made out TO be a sort of cross be-
tween water-cure and a camp-meet-
ing. I'm sure if you'd been with us
last year, doctor, YOU would have felt
gratified, as dId-really grdtifed-at
all that went on. None Of the boys
ever went fishing or anything till after
prayers, which we had regularly, with
the reading Of the Scriptures. 1t did
really seem like an influence for good
over the young, and for one con-
sidered it privilege to be there"
well, WE'LL" said the convinced
dominic, "the child shall go. Perhaps
she is not looking altogether as usual.
bp'' JehG6ci,n"yo' 'hf'. s.'iiaai lheLlc"ses.Xte,
you will be discreet and obedient, l
am sure
''l'll see that she is" cried Miss Child,
elate with victory. "She shall sleep
sharp an eye on her as if she were my
own. Hey Oracle, you'll behave your
self, and not fret even if ! do speak
severely at times!"
Grace laughed. The prospect did
not seem very formidable to her.
Every one knew Aunt Mary" SO
called by hal: the girls in Dusenberry,
and all young people, at least, loved
her.
The intuitions of unselfish and cum
ming affection may generally be trusted.
Grace was really the wife Jim Child
needed, the heaven-meant woman, the
complement 70 his nature. But though
his aunt OWNED this, and though
Grace, had unconscious, responded
already TO the instructive attraction,
the idea had not dawned upon Jim
himself. The delicate fower-like girl
struck him as dim and coiorless. Molly
Pomfret, with her shallow prettiness
and fighty little airs and graces,
caught his immature eye thousand
times more. Not that he was in love
with her; but he had begun to think
himself so-a most dangerous first
step. Now, for the first time, the two
girls were 10 be contrasted side by
side, and Aunt Mary's hopeful spirit
prophesied good results. "Men are
blind enough" she thought; but moth
ing less than q born idiot could see
my Grace and that Pomfret girl to-
gether for ten days and not find out
the difference. If Jim really is such
goose, he deserves his fate"
SO now this long desired ''salting
party" was really begun. There were
the white tents, two for sleeping and
one for cooking; there was the long,
broad dining table, rooted with boughs,
aud the bough hut which sheltered the
wagons there, below the little knoll
crowned with pine and cedar, loveliest
Of sports for encampment, lay the
smooth beach, with its fringe of yeast
white foam, from which far away
stretched the expanse of ineffable ocean
blue. Long bars of pink cloud still
lay on the horizon /; eastward the fair,
solemn moon, slowly climbing the sky.
1t was the very scene on the thought
of which Grace for a month past had
smiled herself to sleep, but somehow,
now that it was there, visible, tangible,
lying about her, the sense of disapoint.
meat came with it. A faint chill crept
over her bright imagininss. "Some-
thing beautiful had vanished" Could
it be because of that comfortable group
below-Jim, Molly, and the mutual
blanket shawl!
sits pretty cool tonight, isn't II"
said jolly Mr.. Child, emerging from
the mems tent, where he had been help
ing his wife spread the beds. "You'd
better wrap up. Grace. Where are all
the boys and girls!"
Not far OF, any Of them," responded
his sister. "Suppose you get them all
together and have q good sing here in
the knoll, James"
"a firstrate idea. Mary. Here,
mother" raising his voice-"tell the
children to come out 4; we're going to
sing"
Mrs. Child came at the GALA placid
happy woman, with sleepy, kitten.like
eyes.
"Yes, pa, certainly. Sadie! Ann
Eliza! Tom Your pa wants you. You
can quit the dishes they'll do very