The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-03-26
PUBLIsHED EVERY
TIL URSD4Y EVENING.
A Broken Lily.

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gether the best thing to do, yet tht
combination was which would call fol
much mutual forbearance.
Miss Melissa had never liked tine
way Miss Emily wore her false front
She had not been educated an archi'
tect; had she been, she would have
characterized the style of head-gear
as fsamboyant, flying buttresses which
supported nothing, and surmounted
by = Mansard roof composed Of most
combustible materials, In fact MeIis-
"a, In moments Of bitterness and in 9
tragic mood. had often duelIed a de-
sire to set fire to it.
Miss Emily had been q beauty 10
her youth, and, like Queen Elizabeth,
had with every lost decade added
what she called the "arts Of dress" to
supplement- the vanishing charms OF
festure and complexion.
Miss Melissa had always been plain,
but considered herself = poetess; 80 q
Grecian twist to hair no longer afflu-
ent was the only concession Miss
Melissa made to the Graces, however
much she sacrificed land that fact no
one knew to the MUSES., or, as she
would have said, "the tunefnl nine"
These two dear old maids were as
good as they could be, and as rich as
old women who do not care for mon-
ey are apt to be. They were drawn
together by old ties, a strong affection,
and finally by their relationship to
an orphan niece, Miss Melissa being
the maternal, as Miss Emily was
the paternal aunt. This was further
complicated by the fact that Miss
Emily had q distant young orphan
relative, very rich young man
named HOratio Msinwsring, whom
she intended to marry to Lily Lee the
orphan neice.
Miss Melissa disliked Horatio al
est as much as she did the flamboy-
ant head-gear; so here was another
almost unspeakable difficulty between
the old friends. However, they were
watchful of their tempers; they
studied the arts of peace, which all
people should do who live together.
Horatio was handsome young man
with perhaps too much waistcoat.
You sometimes carried away more
Waistcoat than young man in your
recollection of him. Miss Melissa
thought she saw the same family
II all pECHluk OuI LIS HALCE-CudluS
that showed itself in the hamboyant
head-dresses. He was, however, q
very respectable sppendage to fifty
thousand year; he seemed remarka-
bly, free of vices, and had gone through
college respectfully. When he came
in to see the maiden aunts, with all
his gayety, youth, prosperity, and
airs Of seniority upon MIN, Miss Me-
-lissa forgave him a little, and accept
ed his filial kiss with q little sniff
which was not entirely unfavorable.
Lily Lee wasSa creature of finer
grain. She was the precious porcelain
Of human clay, No one ever thought
of admiring Lily's dresses more than
berself. She was magnificent blonde
In her very early bloom, q very pic
tHre OF swaying grace and loveliness
gentle, dignified, gifted, q woman
for any man to worship; and Miss
Melissa, perhaps remembering her
own bleak youth, and undevelOped
possibilities, thought this fine crea-
ture destined for nobler man than
Horatio Mainwaring.
However; youth and propinquity did
their work, and Lily and HOratio be-
came engaged. Miss Emily was jubi-
liant. Horatio's love Overfiowed IN
the lagest diamond ring, the biggest
bouquets, the "swellest team" and
the most audaciOus of waistcoats.
Lily seemed subdued and quiet
She looked occasionally with pleasure
st the splendid old stone mansion of
the MRinwarlngs, of which she was
to be the beautiful aristocratic mis-
tTess. She tried to tone down
Horatio, and to smooth away Miss
Melissa's prejudices perhaps she
loved Horatio more for having this
one ripple to smooth away, but
whether she loved him much remain
ed unproven.
Mr.. Paul Hammond, lawyer, a man
of forty years, received one day note
from Miss Emily, asking him to call>
and talk business with her. Mr..
Ham mond was parsonage Of great
moment in the spinster family. 1t
was be who nursed the bank stock,
protected the railway stock, looked
into the gas stock OF the two rich old
ladies' He was not only the man Of
business, but he was a great literary
authority, Miss Melissa adored him;
Miss Emily believed in him. They
were always glad to have a chat with
Mr.. Hammond.
Miss Emily had q singular conf
dence to-day for Mr.. Hammond.
1t was that Lily and Horatio were
not sufficiently in loYel
ing to be bald consulted on so diff
cult a question ? Mr.. Hammond
laughed as poor Miss Emily shook the
~
at him, and complained of this un-
toward GOODNESS. What should be
done Wills were drawn up and
property all arranged so that every
thing should go to these fortunate
lovers there must be no break allow
ed in this wedlock; there must be
something done to reanimRte these
languid flames.
Mr.. Hammond saw that the old lady
was anxious, and gave the subject his
attention.
81 will tell you, Miss Emily, what
1 think. The course of this love is
running too smooth. Why do you
not put an impediment in It? Sup
pose you suddenly see a reason why
these two should not be united, and !
take Lily off to Europe for a year or
so g? am going, you know, in June.
Mr.. Atherton and his daughter are
going. Why do we not make up a
party and 60 together? You know
Lily is very young, and the health of
the Lees has always been uncertain,
and-and your woman's wit can make
a thousand excuses
So the willy lawyer relieved the old
lady's mind, and found himself bur-
Gened with no end of new business,
with three ladies and attendant maids,
for his holiday trip.
Horatio MRinwaring was furious.
He ragged like the heather. Why
should he not? To have an old wo-
man come between him and his
promised bride in this way
However, Miss Emily was decided,
and was Lily's legal guardian. Miss
Melissa was delighted, and the |
'tpromised briden behaved like a
prisoner who had just been reprieved.
Horatio, however, had the one COM
fort; he could go too. The ocean was
open to all, and the steamship Russia
could carry him as well as the rest.
There was an interesting platonism
between Mr.. Paul Hammond and
oAoCC AlAC4LOhr A1a0
the Inhabitants of Urania, the little
city where they all lived-these per-
sons Of whom we have been speak
ing. Grace was the only daughter of
an aristOcratic, rather feeble old
man, whose occupation in youth had
been amusement, and whose occupa-
ton in old age was nursing himself.
Grace had always been q victim to
her fathers Observation-Disclosures. She
was q handsome, disdainful brunette,
very much locked up in herself-a
nature TO which it was difficult 10
find the key. Mr.. Paul Hammond
appeared to have found it. People
noticed that the dark red in her
cheeks deepened when ne approached
her. He alone was admitted to in
timacy in the gloomy old house be-
hind the Oaks, and to the society OF
the secluded father and daughter.
Grace, to be sure, appeared soma-
times at the Urania parties, and WAS
very much admired for her undeAia-
bic beauty and for her rare inselli-
gence, but she was intimate with no.
body. OF course the gossips had al
= A Al -.