The Osceola times., 1877-08-04
MISCHIEF MAKING.
BY LILY LEE.

"Now, Ellen, this Is really too bad.
How should We, either Of us, feel, were
We TO receive such sarcastic letter
Besides"--
Not another word, Caroline! Kate
won't care after little; and il will
teach her to be more prudent, too. |
think she Is rather coquettish; it will
give her a good lesson. l wish I could
see her when she reads it,"
But, Ellen, we ought not TO be 80
cruel; l should be heartily ashamed TO
have her know ! had anything to do with
IT,"
Well, we'll, no one will ever know
who did It; 10 now write right away. |
will get cousin Edmund TO copy IL; 70 it
will 20 in gentleman's handwriting.
1t will Be just to crafty you, then,
Ellen but l am fearful
Now give that selfconceited fop a
hit-goodi Now for the puissant, mighty
Mr.. Allen, stroking his mustache as he
smiles upon the fair Kate"
Let me see here Is the most obse-
quious Mr.. Browne paying his humble
devoir at the feet Of Miss Lester; it is
delightful"
ELLEN, if the gentlemen should ever
zee this, what would they think? How
would they feel to know they were SO
ridiculed 7"
al do not care straw; II will teach
them better than to bestow all their at
tentions and admiration on Kate Lester
hspe they will see it,"
Here goes the last one on the list
Now read It, and then we will commit il
g the flames; it will be safe from harm
then"
mo, Caroline, not for the world IL i,
too precious for such fate. But look
here comes Mr.. Edsall, whose likenes,
we first drcw."
Caricatured, you should say; bu,
quick, put it ought OF sight, for he il
coming here"
Ellen placed the sheet In her satchel
and was taking her leave Just as Mr.
Edsall entered the drawing room of Mr.
Bowen, whose only daughter, Miss Caro-.
line, wc have already introduced. She
was beautiful girl Of eighteen, who had
never Intentionally wronged any one by
word or deed, but was too easily intlu
enced by her gay, unthinking friend
Miss Ellen jackson.
In few days the mischief began Ia
work. Kate Lester came 10 unbosom her
troubles to Caroline, knowing that she
would find sympathy in her warm heart.
She read the letter; II was the same
she and Ella had jointly composed, and
still not the same; there was more ma
lightly and slrca ,m exprc,sel.
And new, Caroline, can you imagine
where the letter originated There can
be no doubt, from the writing, that It
was a gentleman; and how wounding
and mortifying TO be the unsuspecting
object ct such libelous remarksl"
Dear Kate, you take IL too seriously;
there was, l dare say, no mischief in
tended. No one would wish to niure
you; there is nothing against YOU !" but
her heart sank within her Ms she remem-
bercd that she assisted in composing it.
But there must have been malice in
II no heart could have dictated these
cutting sarcasms that was not impreg-
mated with evil thoughts. And then the
paragraph concerning Mr.. Allen--to have
It appear as If made i'm mproper advances
Il is too bad !" and the injured girl wept
In very bitterness Of heart, and Caroline
felt deeply the injustice she had done,
and repented deeply but IL was of no
avail now. oh ! how she wished she had
not Welded to Ellen's influences.
Kate, dearest, do not ever show the
letter"
=" l wish had not but mentioned IL
TO one friend when first received it, and
she told another; aud now cannot stop
IL; the contents have been horne upon
the wings OF the wind and not one indi.
vidual that was ridiculed and c, ,iticiz ed
but long before this has heard of IL.
wish, indeed do, that had kept il to
myself. then no one else would have been
wounded"
Surmises were afloat as TO the authen.
ITCHY of the writers Of the ANONYMOUS
epistle, and as Caroline aud Ellen were
distinguished for superior abilities, as
well as wit and talent, II was not unfre.
quently limited that they might he the
original emenators, but they always re,
PEELED the insinuation; aud those who
knew the kindness Of Carolines disposi.
tion conld never for moment harbor the
belief that she had dipped her pen 50
deeply in the gall of bitterness as to
wound the feelings of her friend.
= | wish, Ellen, they would drop the
subject OF that abominable letter; / am
heartily wearied with parrying off the
jokes leveled at me. Ireally dread to see
Or meet any one, for some OF those hideoas
lines are continually sounding in my ears.
Hsw can you be so happy? l am miser.
able, and in constant fear OF being found
,uf. Have you no dread of 1t?
" Indeed, care not one iota. Caroline
like the sport of psrrying off the at
acks-it Is capital fun l should like to
write anotherl"
"Only think of those satirical lines
lpon Mr.. Edsall How severe they were.
nd so perfectly undeserving and unpro.
oked."
oh. by the way, hear he is making
y bow to my friend Miss Bowen surely
'ou are not serious in encouraging the
opos' " would be too ridiculous after
"nas you wrote"
ia . neS,s esSsem NJ. Edsall highly Ellen /; he
,s hoo'e, tiEht-minded man md ban
lnueeu, wiu mat person be whom he hon.
Fairly smitten, I do h.u -,
incorrigible vawky! nut do Spy y the
yourself away. But how nicc,. vs sarow
ter did scatter kste's obseauicv. .as It iet-
she ought to thank the writers :, o's sI
precious missive tor putting them 70 E ths
test.
1T has injured kate's feelings -.
verely she Il deeply wounded"