Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-20

/ Philip rudely (the truth WAS, fio and
/ Frederica had not agreed very well that
morning; she had expressed dispIeasure
at some trivial occurrence, and he, not
| being in the sweetest Of tempers had tsi-
/ ken umbrage aeeOrdinglEA II am glad
to get away from eVerybodF. / am cross
I and disagreeable-don' nlknd what say
I that's good child" and 50 Mignonne
| went on with her drawing, and he sat
and looked at her in silence. A sudden
thought struck him after while, Mig
] nome, " he said, acting Oh the impulse
Of the moment, "did youever go to the
The great dark eyes looked up at him
eagerly; Once or tYice,2 she said,
"would YOU like to 70 xlsA me some
time, II Jack didn't minde'tl ~ lss
The look ON her face aaaEered him,
and half laughing at the F4easure which
shone in her eyes, he saugtered away Z
! arrange the matter with 5sfk. It was
| Monday now, he was 81 Eesl every
i night until Thursday, hnz lhsn FTederica
! was going ont Of town. nd fh1lrsday
: evening Vas AIS own str EreEid 90
] Itlien--dnd 20 Mignoll1c was tcsllLzlIs, -Il-
! vited.
! Luckily. Philip Vanderventer was not
much at the studio during the interven-
/ ing days, and he knew nothing Of the
worry aud bother of preparation into
which MignOnne plunged, and, when the
night came, he little suspected the sur
/ prise in store for him.
/ It was few minutes before the desig-
Dated time that he came into the little
| sittingrOOm, and Jack sat there alOne,
| dubious and unhappy.
"What's the trouble, Chandran 20 ask
| ed his visitor. ''Yeu look rs though you
! had lost your last friend. WHAT'S itg''
81 am afraid / have" answered Cham
dram, solemnly. 81 feel sO-dOn't mind
me, am lOW-spirited yoa see;'' and then
Mr.. Yanderventer inquired for Mig
nOnne. ''Is the little girl ready?p he
asked, and Jack replied with grOan.
Il should think so-he began, but just
then there was a rustic Of drapery in the
hall, and the door opened. sac
81 am ready, said AIignonne's voice,
and then Philip turned slowly. Could
that be Mignonne ?-Mignonne of this
short frocks and long braids ?-Afignonne
the ''little girl 20
It was Mignonne's face certainly, and
MignOnDe's shiny hair, but the hair was
no longer braided, child fashion down
her back-it was gathered up in glori-
GUS knot on the very top of her pretty
head, a long, curling, golden red lock
falling here and there over her shoulders.
The short frOek was supplanted by pret-
tily-fashioned dress, which, trailing be-
hind her in soft folds, gave a new stateli-
ness to her slender figure, and, as she
stood there biushing and smiling as they
looked at her, a sudden unacc0untable
pain smOte Philip NanderEenter's heart.
MignOnne was child no longer; he
had lost his little friend forever.
''Do you not like me rs well?' she said,
putting out her pretty hand half-timidly.
''Jack is digusted with me, but L am too
old for short frocks any more, the dress
5 ''Plague take the dressmaker,'' inter
pOlated Jack.
81 am quite nineteen, you know" this
rather defiantly, 'and sO-and sO-here L
am.''
GLOW beautiful she is, - thought Phil
ip, as he took her hand for moment,
and then, with sudden anger, ''what
fool have beeni-what a fearful and
wonderful simpletonP'
All that evening he watched the lovely
face under the pretty hat, like one in a
dream. Not one word that was spoken
by the actors did he hear or understand;
he even answered MignOnne at random,
and grew almost iFTitzbIe when she
laughed at his pre-oeeupation, although
he begged her pardon most humbly
mlnute after
See" she said suddenly, at the close
of the first act, ''there is your cousin,
Mr.. NanderventeF, she is bowling to you.'
Truly, there was Frederica, languidIy
waving her fan, and smiling down upon
him graeiously-lOokinga at his eompan-
ion meanwhile, through her eyeglasses,
with certain sharp, curious admiration.
"HOw very beautiful she ~ said Mig
nOnne, turning to him as he bowed con-
strainedly to his cousin. ''She looks such
a grand lady that / should be afraid of
her, and then, catching sight of his dis
turbed face, crimson flush mantled her
very temples, and the quick tears came
to her eyes. 80 Mr.. Vanderventer, :" she
cried, with piteOus quiver of her pretty
lips Il am so sorry / wish 1 hadn't
conceive can go home now, can't we %
He turned toward her sharply, not un-
derstanding the sudden change, bat a
look at her distressed face told him how
cruelty she had misunderstood him.
''She thinks 1 am sorry that / brought /
her, now that Frederiea is here" he |
thought, savagely, and then he answered /
her, under his breath IS u on do not know 4
how unjust you are TO me, Mignonne, in !
your thoughts"
'Ah, Yanderventer, how are you?-l
Hour aunt sent me 70 summon you and !
your friend TO seats in her bOx-bY the /
way, Introduce me. - this last in an audi
Bile whisper; and Philip Vanderventer, |
in a singularly mixed state of mind per- /
formed the introduction.
inwardly raging at the look of undisguis- I
ed admiration ON the gallant Captains /
face, and then he hesitated for moment. 1
Should he go, or should he nOt?-after 1
all, perhaps it would be best to face the /
difficulty at once; brave front is best [
under all circumstances, and so, over I
coming MignOnne's timidity with /
laughing ''nonsense, he obeyed his |
aunt'S beheSt.
Miss Chandran, my aunt, Mrs. Van
deryenter; my cousin, Miss Vanderven-
ter"
The worst was over with now, and he I
breathed more easily. His aunt looked
shade grimmer than usual, but Frederi-
ca was gracious in the extreme. The lit 4
tie shyness and timidity in MignOnne's 4
manner at first simpl y charming, and 4
Frederick, looking at her through the in /
evitable eye glasses, with her eyebrows I
raised a trine, was evidently fayorably I
impressed.
''Why did YOU tell me such wretched l
story :" she whispered to her conscience
stricken cousin. ''I'll never forgive you l
for trying to deceive me, sfr,'' and then,
aloud, Il concluded at the last minute, /
not TO 90, you see, and sent note to you,
but you weren't in. Do You like the .
play, Miss Chandran ?" and SO the cur
tain rose on the second act.
All through that evening, Philip Van
derventer sat eommuning with himself.
How the world had changed to him in
the last few hours-hOw bitterly hard it
would be to go on with the old life to-
morrow. The ola Hfewith all the bright
ness taken away from it-for he was en-
gagged To his cousin-and in the clear
light which had come TO him at last, ne
saw that he loved MignOnne-little Mig
her alone.
''Ncrcf!'' it was Frederiea's voice, and
Erederica's eyeglasses were directed to-
ward him. show dull YOU are, Phillip
Captain Merton is crucifying Himself to
entertain us, and YOU are not assisting
him in the least. Has anything gone
wrong, sir 20 There was a keen, but not /
unkindIy look in his blue eyes behind I
the glasses, look which deepeneG as he
reused himself to answer, with Jest, and
then she turned away.
Il shall call upon you again, very soon,
Miss Chandran," she said, very graci-
Ously. as they rose 10 60 You were
not ia when came befOre-andyou must
come and see me-yOu and Philip" and
then Philip. busy with his aunt's drape-
ries, was astoniShed to- see his stately
cousin bend and kiss MignOnne warmly.
Some wav he admired her more at that
moment than he had ever done before in
his life and then she gave him her hand,
not languidly, Is usual, but with cor
dial pressure of friendliness-
It was something odd-the more 30 that
she turned, at the last moment, and said,
in her old, imperiOus way, "COme and
see me tomorrow, at hve-I think you
will have something to tell me. Good
night" and she was gone
What 4 delightful walk that was with 4
AIignOnne. She was so happy, so entire
ly pleased with her whole evening, so
fnf Of fanriciDatiOus of Ssyvhat JaeI- vro,ld /