The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-02-21


ter had been hustled aside, and
JOHNNY had taken his place. This was out
rageoua of course, and out of all precedent,
and why on earth Bert bore It'll couldn't then
conceive, though | found ont afterwards
Now, he only stepped along TO Dick Cheever.
aud begau talking in undeftone. The lace
was purchased the lady left, and Johnny
plucked me by the sleeve. It's her! it's her!
he cried, ii a tragic whisper, and then L
looked down aud saw him standing there, his
mouth wide open, sight for men and angels.
Who's her p snapped, for Johnny had quite
lost sight of his grammar in his rapture.
'Why.she, that exquisite creature! U, wright,
Pm dome for now. Did you ever see such
ewes i'm auy living woman's head? Jove!
when she looked at me felt it in my toes. l
did, on my honor.
" Don doubt it, Jacky. She is rather
good looking person." 49,.
"Good-ooking. Dick Cheeyer Confoun0
YOU TOR the besotted pagan hat you are. Good
looking! you BOBBY. She's divine! I'd give a
fortune to know WIN she is, wonder what
her name can be. I'd suffer tortures to find
OUT
''BriEg on your tortures, them" cried Bert
looking net at Morelle, but at Diok. II can
tell you that saw the name ol'her shop
ping-bag."
20 Bertier' begged Johnny, ''Ill do any
thing for you. Pill" :.
bah! Hush up, Ring, and I'll tell you."
Ring was short for 'Ringlets, title when
Bert had conferred on johnny by virtue OF his
curs. These, Morelle's sisters were more
than suspec' ed of doing up nightly in papers,
the three taking the duty on themselves in
turn. s'The name was Helena Bristed."
SO; course, Johnny went into raptures ov-
err the name, and we all, to do ourselves JUS
thee, cheered him on. 1t was dull day, and
we could thiuk of no better sport that morn
ing, nor, in fact, for many mornings after it,
than to stir up Johnny, and to draw him out
on the subject OF toe magnificent Miss Brist-
ed. Volumes would not hold the written out
details of that fellows love affair. The tot
lettes that he made, the gloves he ruined, and
the jewelry that he bought and was going to
buy; the letters he wrote, and destroyed: the
whispered condolences with Dick and Berthe;
and, after all the fact that the thing was en-
tirey on one side, for, barring two Or three
meetings on the train, when Johnny picked
up her handkerchief or opened window for
her, and received the shortest words of thanks
Miss Bristed herself appeared not to have fig
ured in the proceedings at all. But at length
there came change. One morning Johnny
danced ia upon us as If on air, all his pink
and white face aglow, and his tongue just
frantic in the effort to do the work of ten
tongues at once. He had sat beside the beau
tiful creature all the way into town. "And
she talked, and know where she lives, gor-
geous place, with lawn and greenhouses, and
she's queen, and she should have palace,
and o. Customers stopped Johnny's
tongue. Nothing else could have done it,and
that afternoon, in the midst of this ecstacy,
Satan put it into Bert Fletcher's heart to
tempt Johnny to indite some poetry to Miss
Bristed. Would you believe it, that goose
actually equipped himself with quire Of
foolscap, plus a ream of gilt edge note paper,
and went into retirement behind a packing
box, and set about it. We agreed to do his
work for him, and two hours later the young
lover came out with his eyes big and bright,
his cheeks burning; his curls like a mouse's
nest, and some rhymes about love and
dove and Groom and MOON and mourn
and 'forlorn,' and no end OF stuff, and which
which we all swore-mercy on US for
the perinry-was poetry. 1t was actu-
ally sent, Bert undertaking to convey it
to the post himself, and coming back lookir g
wickeder than ever. Only two days alter
wards, if it can be credited, Johnny came fly
ing in with futter of note paper, a general
futter, in fact, fourishing the tiny sheet
aloft, and summoning all hands TO an audi
ence, while he read some very smooth little
rhymes over the sign manual of Helena Bris
ted. The poem Of Johnny had actually
brought an answer. "That woman hadn't
written really to himr' exclaimed Mrs. Fred,
looking shocked written? You should
have seen the piles of poetry and other effu-
sions that Iassed between them after that.
Morelle waxed more sublime than ever, be-
gan to take airs as CT family man elect, and
consorted chiefly with Dick Cheever who
was known to be engaged. All this while
Bert was running over with fun, and, indeed,
he himself daiSly limited to me more than
once that there would be richer sport by and
by:
one evening when Johnny had dragged me
off to corner, and whispering mysteriOusy.
If people have got anything to tell, they, you
see, always lake me to tell it to. Don't know
wig, I'm snre. It's my phz, suppose. l
must have receptive ait, think. Anyhow,
I'm always made the victim of secrets. Now,
Jonuny's was box as big as your thumb, and
in it, on velvet cushion, ring. whats
wrighta'' "Not if were to die for it," !
said lied, of course. ''Fred.'' o, if
could but show you how that little scamp
looked, SO portentous and solemn. Erred,
the time has come. Pm Oh the eve of great
events. I think shall have my crisis to-
night" ''To-night?'' "To-night, frederic
She promised to meet me in the Laurel Ter
race Of her home to night, and walk with me-
She has promised "All right. ! wish you
JOyS COuulf3 Ouly ~ udLh do I5JPV, duu
you'll have to imagine each others beauties;
but that you're equal to suppose. You're
good at imagining Good night" So left
johnny to firt with his divine Helena, and
that evening had telegram from Cousin
Dolly in Baltimore, that Aunt Nan was dy-
ing, and set off by express for her bedside.
She didn't die then, and she hasn't died yet,
and have premonition that she'll live to
wear Grape for me and my wife and children.
Rr1k h1xrv II f~vA ,s<~l.%
when came back there was great deal to
do at 789 Broadway. Dyce & Dillon propos-
ed to send some one to Paris. Dick Cheever
was the man, so he was to be married, and
take madame on the wedding tour, and so
"kill two birds with one stone," as tie say
ing goes. Thus, instead of weeping at Aunt
Mans funeral obsequies, l was hidden to
dance at Dicks wedding, I and the rest, and
we did it with will. or course, we all dress
ed in our best clothes and our best tempers,
and two Of us, Johnny and 1, as it CHANGED,
were elected to escort the two Varney girls.
Dicks Massachusetts cousins. Pretty girls
they were, too, with hair like yellow Toss
silk, and long enough to tread on, but Mo-
relies heart was elsewhere. / could see that,
''Look, Fred" he whispered, and spread out
that little paw of his with seal-ring on the
finger. "Heena Bristed ?" And be gazed
at his hand as a mother on her first-born. I
CAPCCtCu w oCC III" veal uoWn GiC uuSCI VI
his lavender kid, that he might devour the
ring with mis- eyes all the while. But he
didn't.
1t was church wedding, and an evening
enc. We'd just got well seated must hur-
ny up this long story. 1t takes forever to tell
thing. but tie cream of it is just coming
we'd got seated pretty well up in the church,
and the organ was laundering away the Wed
ding March, and the ushers were flying about
like several cats in several fits, when felt
Johnny grasp my arm, "Look, Fred,'' he
whispered huskily. 'sThere she is! Sir. Isn't
she glorious? COntound that administered
fellowv' l looked, and there, sure enough,
all in simmer of lace, and with white roses
in her black hair, and her great slow-moving
eyes II don't mean roses in her eyes you
know came Johnny MorelPs divinity up the
aisle
so Helen Bristedw sighed Johnny, 'sWhat
a queen among women you are!'
The apostrophe was cut short by the en-
trance of the bride herself, and then the per-
Torrance began. Morelle had no eyes for