The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-11-04

mot bad match for yos, old fellow,
she's rich"
els she?' said Mr.. Bimhy, his in,
terest deepening.
Con my honor" said Bob. "For-
| ty thousand dollars in her own right.
Good day." and he was gone.
Maggie Lee, artful creature that
she was, told her father that the sail
ing party was to assemble at another
hotel, and thither he had taken her.
Having business in D., he left her
there, merely saying that he would
send the carriage for her at eleven
o'clock. She, like a dutiful daugh-
ter, bid him goodbye. and kissed
him, and before he had gone a hun
dred rods, took a seat in Bob STYLES
light wagon, which had driven up to
the back door as old Lees carriage
drove away from the front, and the
old story Of headstroug love and pre-
|judiced age was enacted over again.
As for us, of the picnic excursion,
we had a delightful sail down to the
grove but | did not enjoy it as much
as | should have done. When l
walked on the boat 1 felt awkward.
as if everybody was looking at me-
found Bimby, as l suspected, a
young and rising lawyer, mighty in
Blackstone and his own opinion. He
insisted on paying for my ticket (the
boat was a regular excursion packet)
and purchasing enough oranges,
pears and candies to set up street
stand. Four or five times I was on
the point Of swearing at his impu-
dent otficiousness, but bit my tongue
just in time to prevent the exposure.
But it was not with him I found nv
role hardest to play.
No-the young ladies were the
difficult ones to deceive. For in
stance, there was one among them, a
beautiful girl Of seventeen, Just re-
turned from boarding school, who
had not seen Maggie for three years.
Of course she was glad to see me,
when she found out I was Maggie,
which, by the way, did not occur I'M
til after we had started. She en-
braced me fervently, pulled my veil
aside and kissed me half dozen
times in manner that made my
fingers ends tingle for an hour. 1t
was very nice, but if I had been in
proprla persona should have liked it
better. AS it was l felt as if was
obtaining goods under false preten-
ses and that Lawyer Bimby might
issue warrant for my arrest on that
ground at any moment.
A whole knot of crinoline then sur
rounde | me on the upper deck of the
boat. to the utter exclusion and con.
sequent disgust of Mr.. Bimby and
the other gentlemen. I kept very
quiet, only speaking in monosylla-
bles in a falsetto voice; but the 9th
ers, Lord bless you, how t h ey
gabbed!
Under strict promise of secrecy,
the little boarding school maiden
who had kissed me so afectionately,
revealed all her little love affairs and
also became unpleasantly confiden-
tial about other matters quite inno-
cent in themselves, but not custom
arily talked of between ladies and
gentlemen.
I was terribly embarrassed, but it
would not do to give it up then. AS
soon as my trick should become
known, Bob Styles trick would also
come out, and as news of that kind
travels fast in the country, he and
his lady love would be telegraphed
and followed before they could reach
the city where the Styles family lived
and where the knot was to be tied.
The river breeze was very fresh
where we sat, and I noticed that sew
eral of the ladies were glancing unea-
silly at me. 1 couldn't divine the
reason, until Jenny my little friend
from the boarding school laid her
face dangerously close to mine and
whispered:
"My dear Maggie, your dress is
blowing terribly high; your ankles
will be the town talk with the gen.
tlemen."
Now I was conscious of having a
very small foot for a man, and had
donned a pair of CATERS borrowed
from servant girl. in all of which
toggery ''my running gear" looked
quite feminine and respectable but
the idea of the gentlemen talking
about my ankles and of being eau