Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-08-04
MISCHIEF MAKING.
BY LILY LEE.

"HVNhNl Nuiu, CdIOIllt MAI
won't care after a little; and it wi
teach her to be more prudent, too.
think she is rather coquettish it wi
give her a good lesson. wish | coul
see her when she reads it,"
"But, Ellen, we ought not to be 8
cruel | should be heartily ashamed I
have her know had anything to do wit
It,"
Well, well, no one will yer know
who did it 30 now write right away.
VIII get cousin Edmund to copy it; so
will go in a gcntlemau's handwriting.
1t will be just TO crafty you, then
Ellen but | an fearful
Now give that s~elf-conceited fop
hit-good Now for the puissant, might,
MIR. Allen, stroking his mustache as h,
smiles upon the fair Kate"
Let me see; here is the most obsp
quious Mr.. Browne paying his humbl,
deyoir at the feet of Miss Lester it il
delightful!'
ELLEN, il the gentlemen should eveI
see thl9, what would they think ? How
would they feel to know they were SC
IlulCul6u
do not care a straw it will teach
them better than to bestOw all their at
tentions and admiration on Kate Lester
hope they will see it,"
Here goes the last one on the list
Now read it, and then we will commit il
to the flames; it will be safe from harm
them
mo, Caroline, not for the world it i,
too precious for such a fate. But look.
here comes Mr.. Edsall, whose Likeness,
we first drew"
"Caricatured, you should say but
quick, put 1t ought of sight, for he is
coming here"
Ellen placed the sheet in her satchel.
ana was taking her leave lust as Mr..
Edsall entered the drawing room of Mr.,
Bowen, whose only daughter, Miss Caro-
line, we have already introduced. She
was a beautiful girl of eighteen, who had
never Intentionally wronged any one by
word or deed, but was too easily inn,i-
enced by her gay, unthinking friend,
Miss Ellen Jackson.
In a few days the mischief began to
work. Kate Lester came to unbosom her
troubles to Caroline, knowing that she
would find sympathy in her warm heart.
she read the letter; it was the same
she n Ella had jointly composed, and
stlIl not the same; there was more ma
llgnIty and sarca ,m expressed.
And now, Caroline, can you imagine
where the letter originated There can
be no doubt, from the writing, that il
was a gentleman and how wounding
ana Notifying to be the unsuspecting
object OF such libelous remarks,5
Dear Kate, you take it too seriously.
there was, | dare say, no mischief in.
tended. No one would wish to iniure
you there is nothing against YOU ;,'bnt
her heart sank within her as she remem.
bered that she assisted in composing if
But there must have been malice in
II no heart could have dictated these
cutting sarcasms that was not imprer.
mated with evil thoughts. And then the
paragraph concerning Mr.. Allen-to have
1T appear as if made improper advances;
1t Is too bad " and the injured girl went
in very bitterness of heart, and Caroline
felt deeply the injustice She had done,
and repented deeply but it was of no
avail now, Oh how she wished she had
not yielded to EIlen's influences.
, Kate, dearest, do not ever show the
letter"
81 wish had not but mentioned il
to one friend when | first received IL and
she told another; and now | cannot ston
1T; the contents have been borne upon
the Wings of the wind and not one indi.
vldual that was ridiculed and cliticized
but long before this has heard of it.
wish, indeed | do, that | had kent il to
myself, then no one else would have been
wounded"
Surmises were afloat as to the autben.
tlclty OF the writers Of the ANONYMOUS
enlstle, and as Caroline and Ellen were
distinguished for superior abilities, as
well as wit and talent, it was not unfre.
quently limited that they might be the
original e%meDatOrs, but they ALWAYS re.
PEELED the insinuation; and those who
knew the kindness of Caroline's dispoyi.
tlon conId never for a moment harborthp
belief that she had dipped her pen so
in the gall of bitterness as to
wound the feelings of her friend.
- wish, Ellen, they would drop the
OF that abominable letter: am
heartily wearied with parrying off the
okes leveled at me. Ireally dread to see
n meet any one, for some of those hideons
ines are continually sounding in nv ears,
low can you be so happy? l am miser.
Ible, and in constant fear of being found
'uf' Have you no dread of it ?"
" Indeed, | care not one iota, Caroline
like the sport of parrying off the at.
acks-it is capital fun 1 should like to
write another!
"Only think of those satirical lines 81,
lpon Mr.. Edsall How severe thew were
nd 50 perfectly undeserving and unpro. ,
ION, by the way, | hear he is making !
lis bow to my friend Miss Bowen (; SURELY ,
are not serious in encouraging the =
eport it would be too ridiculous after {
you wrote" ,
VI esteem Mr.. Edsall highly Ellen he !
3 a noble, right-minded man, and happy, l
indeed, will that person be whom he hon.
RS with his choice"
"Fairly smitten, | do believe, bv the t
ncorriglble gawky! But do not throw +
ourself away. But how nicely that let. L
did scatter Kate's ~obsequions lovers $
ought to thank the writers of that !
recious missive for putting them to the /
9st. t
at has injured Hates feelings So. s
erely she is deeply wounded.D Il
ut always makes me laugh to see the
'rdly Mr.. Allen pass on the other side V
hen he meets Kate; he is so lately all v
ows and pOliteness it is first rate" Y
p" But she feels it too severely | never "
'mmitted an act for which / was 40 Il
sorry and thoroughly ashamed, f
do wish it could die away" e.
Fie upon such susceptibility It is b
capital Joke; l do enjoy it,"
Mr.. Edsall was one OF the first that had !,
mentioned in the letter, and the "
81 an embittered pen has been ",
'enly felt by him, for he was possessed h,
fine and noble feelings. and the Thought 81
lat his poverty and awkwardnessshonId II
; brought forward as an opprubrions bl
ain stung him to the very soul and ar
ost severely did he censure the writer az