River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-05-17
OyERSHOOTING THE MARK.
nY srsAN ARcnER wElss.

mark
The letter was from Charlie, who was
spending his last college vacation in
Europe, and who now wrote TO announce
his speedy return, accompanied by his
friend, Mr.. Philip Warrington.
Charlie Sutton was evidently very
proud to call Mr. Warrington his friend.
He had met him in the course of his
travels, and always wrote of him as a
"splendid fellow, clever, handsome and !"
with a view to the special consider
alton of his mother and sister, rich, and
one of the first families of B"
| And now, in accordance with his
mothers instructions, he had invited a
friend to spend week with them, before
going to his more Southern home, and
She must expect them in a few days.
There was one drawback to Mrs. SUIT
tons satisfaction in this arrangement
and it was to this THAI her remarks, on
closing the letter. referred.
This will be capital chance for you,
Isabel" she said, addressing her daughter;
8 in fact, the best, probably, that you will
ever have. But it requires more tact than
you have yet shown; and, beside, there is
Alice, who may interfere and spoil all, as
she did in the affair of Col. Sawyer. /
really don't see what is to be done as re
CARDS Alice
Alice was Mr.. Suttons niece, whom he
| had taken to his home on the death of
her parents She was at that time fifteen,
and as her cousin Isabel had just made
her entree into society, she was found to
be somewhat in the way, and was sent to
boarding-schoo
Here she had remained until the past
winter, when, being nineteen, it was found
positively necessary that she should come
home and be introduced into society.
But, unfortunately, as Mrs. Sutton con-
sidered, Alice's sweet face, and graceful,
winning manners had proven with some
persons greater charm than the bold
beauty of the rather fast" Isabel Sutton
Col Sawyer in especial, to entrap whom
the anxious mother and daughter bad en-
plOyed the whole amount of their talent
and energies.
lie had, upon seeing Alice, transferred
his attentions from Isabel to herself, and
had actually proposed to Mr.. Sutton for
the hand of his neice, instead of that of
his daughter.
1t made no difference that Alice dc.
GInttl TIC lSdBtl itiI IpSl HtI
best chance: and. though, of course, her
cousin could not be properly blamedin
the matter, vet she was dangerous"
And now that another yet better chance
was about to offer, in the person of Mr..
Warrington, Alice must in some way or
other be gotten rid of for the time.
That evening, at tea, Mrs. Sutton, after
adroitly leading the conversation in the
proper direction, remarked to her hus-
band:
"By-the-by, my dear, when did you
last hear from your Aunt Curtisl l fear
that we have of late rather neglected the
old lady"
$50 have often told YOU" returned
her husband, who was an enterprising
business man, not so wOrldly-minded as
| his Wife AUNT Curtis was veay kind
! to me when | was boy, and certainly
/ deserves more attention than have had
/ time to bestOw. She is old and infirm,
too, and yet in four years not one of my
| family have been to see her.
Why, it is such lonely out of the
way country place." returned his wife,
that really to go there seems quite an
undertaking. Yet don't wish to neglect
the old lady. She wrote last year, that
/ she would like to see the girls, now that
/ they are grown; and Alices mother you
4 know, was her favorite niece. | am sure
/ she would be gratified at visit from us.
/ Indeed, now that we speak of it, / and
the girls may as well run up TO Copley
| Farm for day or two. What do you
say, girls:'
Let us 90, aunt, by all means" was
I 4 Il I Il, 4n
see my mothers aunt; and you know it is
/ lovely in the country at this season.
| Isabel shrugged her fair shoulders, but
prudently said nothing; and on the fol-
/ lowing day the three ladies were at the
quiet, old-fashioned little farm house,
some twenty miles from the city.
1t must necessarily be a brief visit,
/ for Charlie was expected home-Mrs.
/ Sutton had not said a word, except to
her daughter, about expecting Mr.. War
rington-and so, after day and a night
at the old farmhouse, they were prepared
to return to the city.
1t seems pity to lea'a the poor old
! lady so soon,r said Mrs. Sutton. 4" She is
so infirm, and that housekeeper of hers is
not / suspect, over attentive to her COM
/ fort Then she seems so fond of you
Alice, and enjoyed so much your reading
to her. | wish that one of you girls could
remain longer; | am sure it would be a
comfort TO the poor old lady,"
Alice needed no persuasion. She was
kind-hearted, amiable girl, and her
sympathies had been enlisted for tins
lonely, infirm old lady, her mothers aunt,
who seemed so forgotten and alone in the
/ ,,,ofHar had haor, Of
very delicate health. and the young
/ GIRL. accustomed to attend upon her, had
| learned many little ways of nursing and
comforting the sick, and making dainty
| little dishes to tempt feeble appetite.
Then she could read to Aunt Curtis in
the sweet. low voice that had been such
a comfort TO her mother, and she felt also,
what the old lady had said, that . the
very sight of bright young face in the
silent house was as cheering as a ray OF
sunshine on cloudy day
So Alice remained at Copley Farm,
while her aunt and cousin, rejoicing at
the success of their innocent little scheme
returned to the city to welcome Charlie
and his friend.
1t was disappointment to find that
Charlie had arrived without his friend
Mr.. Warrington. That gentleman, il APP
peared, had previous engagement to
spend few days with a relative, whom
they found awaiting them upon the
steamers arrival: but he would make his
appearance in a week or so, and mean
time Mrs. Sutton wrote to Alice that she
could remain at Copley until Charlie and
Isabel went up for her.
Alice had no objection. She was greatly
enioving her visit to the farm. 1t was
the first of October, when the country is
most beautiful, with lingering of sum-
mer glory mingling with the deepening
lines of autumn.
She was an impassioned lover of ma
ture, and yet, city-bred, had never before