The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-20

tsnOuiu want you 10 know them We'll
they were going to have little dinner
on Mrs. Peyton's birthday. the I'd o
December-just the Dalrymples and Sar
geants; and Mrs. Peyton was to ask {
gentleman to match me; eight of III
there were to be. Harry Allen was Il
be the gentleman. lie was a great ally
of mine, and we all agreed that it would
prove quite perfect little affair.
"The very day before | had a Iots
from Mrs. Peyton to say that Harry Al
lens stepmother was dead, aud she mus
| get some one else. Who would | like
| l wrote back that it didn't matter much
| Leslie Clark would be nice if he were
disengaged. But though / said so, dio
care quite good deal You know il
makes difference who takes you in al
one of those little dinners. Your even,
ing is pleasant or stupid according to
whether the person next to you is nice
or not; so / hoped Leslie Clark would be
available; for, though he doesn't amount
to very much, he is always chatty and
pleasant et hO1nDae du monde.
| Somehow | had a feeling that the
evening was going TO be Important Isn't
it strange how such impressions seize
| upon you? | never took more pains
with my toilet for any party, and my
| dress was lovely, though l say It-one OF
those cream-white Chinese stuffs made
! up over pale yellow; and | had a splen
| Gid great velvet red rose, with all the
smell'of the summer in it, for the cOrsdqe
| and set of brown crystals. | really
| looked remarkably nice, and set cut in
the highest spirits. So you can imagine
my feelings when, just as / was getting
| out of my carriage, another drew up, and
James Alsop stepped out in dress-cOat
| and gloves, evidently bound for the din
ner. Leslie Clark had proved engaged,
| and Mrs. Peyton, casting about for a
| substitute, had lighted on James. She
hadn't the least idea, of course, that |
disliked him.
1t makes me laugh to recolleCt how
cross felt. And he looked equally dis
satisfied. He confesses n0io that he was
good deal put out. My shyness and
avoidance had rebutfed him, and he had
made up his mind that was frivolous,
| and that he would let me alone in fu-
ture.
with a vague hope that he might be
bound for the first story or the second, |
remarked, Good evening, Mr.. Alsop.
Are we both en- route for Mrs. Peyton's:' y
"' For Mrs. Peyton's,' he replied, with
stiff little bow. Then we took our
place in the elevator as gloomily as
though we were going to funeral in
stead of a dinner party. Dear me, how
funny it was! The man below started
US, and up we went. There wasn't any
elevator boy then. That's an improve
ment put in since our accident"
"An accident! Did you have one?"
ooh, dear, yes-the most ridiculous
possible. Halfway between the second
floor and the third the elevator stuck
What was the matter exactly | have
never been able to understand though
James has explained it several times
But | think the chain was clogged in
some way and wouldn't work either up
or down. When it first stopped we
thought it some mistake, and waited pa
tiently, but after minute James grew
uneasy. He twitched the rope, but all to
no purpose then he began to call, hoping
somebody below would hear us.
ave were so near the PeytOns' floor
that we could see the light shining
through the glazed door at top. The
elevator haG an openwOrk roof-criss
cross, you know, with quite large holes
between the Criss-crCssings. 1t was not
dark; we could see each other plainly.
By and by we heard bells ringing below
in a distracted way, feet running up the
stairs, and voices; then the door at top
shot back and some one called out:
"'Miss Blodgett, are you there:
"t Yes | said; i wish | wasn't
whats the matter with the pulleys?
called out James.
"'Oh, Alsop, you too? 1t isn't the
pulleys, they say; it's something else.
But it's sure to be all right in few min
utes; they've sent for man to come and
fix it.
"tWas there ever anything so provok
ing since the world began?' chlmed in
Mrs. Peyton. q could just dimly see
her profile through the open-work.)
Don't catch cold, Estella, whatever you
do. Keep your cloak tightly around you.
You'll see that she's wrapped up, won't
you, Mr. Alsop? It's such comfort that
you are there to take care of her
"Are you warm enough? asked
James in formal voice.
"' Yes, indeed;' and l showed him that
my wrap was lined with fur.
"'That is WELL he said; there is
always a draught in shaft like this
"Well-of course nobody could keep
on being stiff under such circumstances
we got to talking. The dinner party
arrived, the Dalrymples and Sargeants.
One by one they came to the glazed door
to look down and pity US, and what be
tween sympathy and the ludicrous nature
of our fix, they laughed and we laughed
till we were in the merriest of moods.
All this time confused sounds of scrap
ing and saving came from below, but we
remained immovable.
DO GO to dinner / called out, for
knew Mrs. Peyton's cook must be on
tenterhooks. ave don't care for soup !;
do we, Mr.. Alsop? We will come in for
the fish,
No, neither of us eats SOUP echoed
James. Pray begin without US, Mrs.
Peyton. Wen make our appearance
when you get to something we like
There were all sorts of polite de-
murs, of course, but at last they went
away and left US tete-a-tete.
"'This is absurd enough said James.
GO 1es,' said; but, after all, it might
be worse. 1t is only to forget that we
can't get out. Let's make believe, as the
| children say, that we are at party, and
that this is a cOzy little eSoudoir into
which we have come on purpose TO rest
| and entertain each other, and it will be
quite nice
''' had no idea you were such a
philosopher said James. ] could see
| that he was smiling behind his mustache.
a boudoir be it, by all means, and we
,eiU entertain each other
"We did. What we talked about |
| couldn't pretend to say-everything in
heaven and earth, l think-peetry,
science, religion, gossip. James says it
| was the pleasantest evening he ever
spent. He says / never looked so pretty
in my life-I was only half visible, you
know-and that the rose in my dress
kept darting out delicious sudden smells
which affected his head and cast him into
| a glamour. 1t is all nonsense, of course
! but do you know, Ernest, do really and
truly think that he fell little in love
with me then and there, and with him
Every little while somebody would
| leave the table to condole with US, and
report just how far the dinner had pro
gressed. Now it was the game, now the
salad, then the biscuit giace began tc
| grow hungry, and James became raw
| enous.
al sayr he called out to Mrs. Peyton
If some sandwiches were cut very Ions
and narrow, and judiciously lowered,
think We could entice them in through
| this network
Il suppose we did look like chicken!
in coop. Never was anything so alb
surd seen as Mr.. Peyton and Mr.. Dal
rymple dangling morsels of bread ant
butter and chicken tied to long string.
toward US, and James spedriH9 them witt
| the hook of his umbrella They sen
| down fried ovsters ONO nv ono uranna5