Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-11-12

to the last bow and ruffle-ah, that was
the Millfugus mystery. No one ever
saw them out of the little, dark, horse
hair-furnished parlor. No one ever saw
| them together. No one had ever dined,
or lunched, or taken tea with them, and
no one had yet comprehended it. But
to keep mystery wholly within the
compass of ones life, and no loose end
hanging out, is impossible; and steady
and cautious pull at such an end-what
might it not bring pell-mell after it,
should some ones interest warrant the
laying hold of it?
So, as began by saying, she should
never have said it. 1t was Jennie who
said it, and with an air of triumph. A
triumphant air is always a wanton at
tack on human jealousy, a gratuitous
waving of the red flag in the very eyes
of the bull. 1t is true, she must have
been almost more than human had she
not stopped to say she could not stop,
and dropped the word Gardens" and
remarked that she was going there that
evening. And that Miss Mason should
say, with the Smith family, of course"
was vexatious; for why of courseg" as
if she were a girl that could get nowhere
unless pinned to the skirts of some
family! And so she said it:
cit might be of course If it were
you, Miss Matilda; but am going with
Mr.. Messeps"
That was fairly throwing down the
glovel Very imprudent in a lady ham,
pered by mystery! and with great
blush, too, that famed from her cheeks
all over her face! l suspect Matilda
could have forgiven the speech more
readily than the blush the latter was
such an unimpeachable witness of happy
consciousness on Miss Millfugus' part !;
but, assuredly, she was not the girl to
refuse the challenge.
Could Miss Millfugus have seen-but
which of us does foresee? We open the
door ourselves to Fate almost invariably !;
yet, which of us recognizes her? Beyond
satisfied expression of "serves her
right" Jennie thought very little about
it. She was absorbed in more important
considerations. 1t was a saying between
her and her sister that g. if either were
called suddenly to die, their first impress
sion would be that it is impossible, as
they had nothing fit to die in" And
another, that they lived on the income
of wolf, as in it there was no more
provision for clothes tnan if they had
been born furry creatures"
Purchasing a dress they styled shoot
ing the rapids, so great were the perils,
so nice the calculation necessary for the
venture; while their wardrobe itself,
it could pretend to such name, they
christened "All the Year Round" as in
buying gown say for the summer it was
necessary to calculate also how it could
be re-made in the fall and what could be
done with it in the winter-a prophetic
style of shopping in which only clair
voyant or spiritual medium might be
supposed to achieve complete success.
And let none think lightly of these
perplexities So long us human nature
is constituted as it is at present, so
long not all the frowsy sayings ex-
tant about silk-wOrm and sheep wool
will console womanly woman when she
DISCUSSES dainty feet in coarse, misshapen
shoes; when a wrist and shoulders that
would become silk and camel'shair are
disfigured in rusty and darned alpaca
when sashes, gloves, fans, chatelaines,
flowers, perfumes, combs, pendants, rib
bons, the thousand trtles that are the
real secret of wOman's toilet, hang in the
shop-windows as unattainable as the APP
plies of Hesperides. And Jennie WINGED
daily under these privations as did Guilt
yer under the darts of the Liliputians.
Something more than mortified pride,
however, was involved on the present oc-
casion. The prize Messeps, the parti of
the block, was in that critical condition
where he might be said to be totterin G
on the verge of a declaration. Jennie
felt, instinctively, that the approaching
expedition to the Gardens involved a
crisis. A touch only was needed to finish
the work; while, on the contrary, if he
were allowed to recover himself it would
be no easy matter to lure him back to
this most desirable position. By that
curious freemasonry existing among
women Miss Harriet was quite well
aware of the position of affairs, though
between them ON the subject She
listened to her younger sister with an
anxious, bordering face, and sighed
deeply.
IF rent-day were only not the day
after tomorrow" she said. eff it could
be any other timer
"But could not tell him that" re-
turned Jennie, half laughing, half cry
ing "The usages of society won't allow
a girl, you know, to say If you will
come next week will wear the butter in
my hat, the tea in my gloves, the sugar
around my neck; but you must excuse
me this evening, as the rent is due and
we have disposed of those articles al
readyF"
"Or if we were like those story hero
ines" pursued Harriet, as if thinking
aloud, "who always have some wonder
| full old lace and piece of satin or
velvet that can be covered over and made
| to look finer than anything from Worth's.
But one old gray dress, that has done
duty for two girls since spring-cotton