The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1873-02-14
M i 8 c elan ecu S.
AN AGREEABLE SURPRISE.

cts always pleasanter to give people a
surprise. when you can," said Mr.. Thorney-
croft
And so he stepped more mincingly over
the frozen ground, although he was good
mile and half from the country house
whittier his footsteps were bound, as if the
old cedar trees and leafless tangle of black
berry briers along the roadside were so many
cars to hear, and telegraphic wires to report.
A snug little man, slightly bald on the
crown of his head, with q leg of mutton
shaped sidewhiskers, merry gray eyes and
fresh complexion like the sunny side Of
q winter apple: This was Mr.. Thorney-
croft's pen photograph, as he plodded his
way over the desolate road which led from
the station at vulnerable to the Clinton
homestead-at least in so far as the stage
credited.
II should s'posed they'd ha' sent the
carriage to meet you, sir" said the man.
Its good three mie and not the easiest
road in the world neither"
"But you see my good friend, they don't
expect me-" said Thorneycroft. 81 intend
to surprise them"
"Humph," said the man. II don't b'lieve
in surprises; but it ant me as has got to
walk the three miles over the hills, with
the wind fit to freeze the nose off my face"
SO saying, this misanthropic Jehu whip
ped up his horses, and Mr.. Thorneycroft,
nowise disheartened, commenced his twi-
light tramp.
"Clinton don't look for me till next
week." he said to himself, GLOW he will
stare to see me walk in upon him Iwon
der what he will be doing 1t seems al
most impossible that ten years have clap
sed since last we looked upon each others
faces. And to think that he's a sober old
edition of Bencdick the married man now,
with children of his own! He wrote to me
that his pretty sister-in-law was staying
there too. Aha, l know what the sly dog
is up to, although he covered up his mean
ing under q double stratum of words. He
wants me to fall in love with Nora Kin
caid. Well, why not, if she's half as pref
ty and agreeable as his letters have made
her out to be? Up to this time I've been
a great deal too busy to think about such
luXuries as love or matrimony but now
that my business seems beyond danger, and
things are after fashion settled, why"
And Mr.. Thorneycroft felt his whiskers
with complacent meditation.
But even as he congratulated himself up
on the agreeable surprise he was about to
give his old college friend Ferdinand Clin-
ton, he could not but feel the icy touch of
the chill northwest wind, as it whistled
over the plains and rushed matlly round
the Ice Of the thickets, like clumsy young
spirit of the Arctic regions playing hide
and-scek with a half dozen other Borean
| NJ ~, f,oI
ting cold his hands felt like ice even in
his tleecy-lined gloves; and he couldn't but
reflect that that purple nose and cheek
bones, looking as if they were coated with
red varnish, would hardly add materially
to the graces of his first appearance before
Miss Nora Kincaid, Mr.. Cliuton's beautiful
sister-in-law.
"Perhaps it would have been wiser for
me to- have hired buggy or something"
he thought, a little uneasily. but then |
couldn't have surprised 'em half so neatly.
Whew-ew-ew l wonder if peoples ears
ever do freeze in this climate !"
However, there is an end to all things,
even to desolate twilight tramp over a
February wilderness, and presently our he
70 came in sight of the welcome lights of
the handsome white house on the side hill,
just as dusk was drawing its sombrc veil
over all the landscape
81 don't really think | could have walk
ed much further" he said to himself. "And
it is beginning to snow quite fast. So, this
is where old Ferdinand lives, ell Pretty
grounds-arbor vitae hedge--nice idea of
a lawn; upon my word, the place is more
extensive than I had supposed. Lights
shining through red curtains-quitc pic
turesque A lucky thoughtful take a
peep at 'em all before introduce myself.
How Ferdinand will stare Ha ha ha!"
And on tiptoe Mr.. Thorneycroft crept
across the piazza and tlattened his nose
against the glass of the window
A quiet domestic scene met his view a
shaded lamp like some tranquil moon on
the centre-table; great fire of logs blaz-
ing on the open hearth stove; two or three
little children playing at building block
towers on the rug, and two pretty women
reading By the light-slender, dark haired
and graceful.
81 wonder which of 'em, is Nora %