Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-02-28
From Harper's Weekly
A SLEIGH-BELLE.

Harold Browns sleigh dashed mer
rily up to Harold Browns door, and at
that moment (she was the soul of
punctuality) out came Harold Browns
only sister-a little woman wrapped in
shawls and wells and worsted things
from head to foot.
Come along. SIS" he shouts; and
then, without waiting for her to "come
along" he jumps from the sleigh,
reaches the top Of the stoop in three
strides-he's q tall, road-shouldered,
dark-skinned, blue-eyed fellow-catches
her up in his arms as though she were
only a bundle, and in the twinkling of
an eye she is snugly slowed away among
the bufalo-robes.
Crack goes his whip. "G'lang, Ned I"
cries Harold. Ned tosses his head
and paws the ground an instant to set
the sleigh-bells ringing properly, and off
they go. 80
"Are you warm ?" asks Harold of the
bundle at his side.
almost smothered," answers the
bundle, in an lndistinct voice with a
slight lisp.
"That's right, my darling" says the
brother, who adores his pretty young
'sister-the only one left him of four.
should tear my hair in wild despair
if you caught cold. Mind you don't,
for if you but sneeze once, be it the
tiniest sneeze that ever was, home you
co."
"Never fear Har," rejoins the obedi-
ent small woman. az promise, upon
my word and honor, not to sneeze. I'd
choke first. All here we are" she
continues, as they turn into Fifth
Avenue and take their place at the end
of line Of sleighs, big and little, the
largest of which stands unoccupied be-
fore the handsome and brilliantly light
ed house Of Albert Lee, merchant and
millionaire.
eyes. and here are all the rest" says
Harold, adding, with slight infection
of scorn, "exeepting the Lee people.
OF course it's the Princess Alberta who
is keeping us all waiting "-forgetting,
III the most man-ike manner, that he
had only that moment arrived HIM
: SELF" "She never was ready when she
was little girl, and Isuppose she hasn't
reformed in that particular, now she's
a big one"
Bly," repeats the voice from the
nutHers; "why, she isn't a bit larger
than I am
Well, she's q year older, anyhow,
and ought to know better" replies Har-
Go old; " but haven't the slightest doubt
she's stopping to firt with some one, or
two, or half dozen of her numerous
admirers, utterly regardless of the fact
that THAT is, you-to say nothing of
forty or fifty others, more or less init
mate friends, are freezing outside.
Dan Van Rensselaer, is buttoning on
her gloves, or Will West is fastening
the straps of her overshoes, or some
COMPOUNDED nonsense or other. Cora,
it's my opinion that girl firted in her
cradle, made faces at her old loves and
smiled on the new. alberta land
. she won't let any any one soften it to
sBerta, ;" he went On, apparently warm.
ling with his subject" what ridicu-
lous name for such mite for mite
she is, and mite she will continue to be,
fer all her scornful looks and naughty
ways"
ooh, Harold s" exclaims the yelled
voice, with as much indignation as is
possible under the circumstances.
"How unjust you are! She's not
naughty-s not scornful-she's
lovely She came to me herself yester-
day afternoon I happened to
know all the others had written invita-
6ons-and begged me to join her
sleighing party. It's to be q real old
fashioned affair." she said, and want
my real old-fashioned friends to
GOMEZ"
Extremely condescending," inter-
polates Harold.
"And as for her name, she had
nothing to say about that, as you, if
you have one grain of common sense
must be aware-no more than you did
about yours. And she'd rather be
called Bertie,' great deal; only her
papa insists on Alberta and conse-
quently, like a good daughter, she in
slsts on Alberta too. He wanted q
boy when she was born to be called Al
bert,.that's his own name, you know;
and when girl came instead; he said
no girl should interfere with his plans,
and he named her Alberta which is
almost the same thing. And it's Just
IS well he did, for he never had an
ether child, girl or boy"
Pity the boy hadn't come" grum-
~bles Harold.