The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-05-03

mes. sevres. Limoges, illuminated missals,
precious bits of this and that filled the
tables; and everywhere, on the walls the
shelves. the slabs, were plates, plates.
mates There was all the rich confusion
and something the confusion of a museum
in the apartment: and Mr.. Loftus-who
had not Learned China in the modern
sense of the word, and hated bric-a-brac-
after stumbling over an Egyptian water
cooler and a musical foot stool, and bump
ing his head on a Palsy plaque, was glad
to sink into sofa corner at safe distance
from all curiosities, and listen to his host
ess, who looked unusually handsome that
day, and who, as usual, found pleanty to
say to the quiet Mr.. Lotus.
Gertrude Brixham, in spite OF some ex-
travagancies and exagerations, was SUI
perior girl. She had genuine leaning
toward the best things. Circumstances
and education kept her away from them,
but the impulse and the struggle, which
were fruitless of real result, had the power
which impulse and struggle must always
carry with them. She WAS wider minded
than the girls about her, read more, and
thought more freshly. It was this which
made her attractive to Alick Lotus, who
had reached the age when more than good
Waiting and pretty face is desirable
even in the partner of an evening. He
had asked himself once or twice why he
shouldn't fall in love with Miss Brixham!
This afternoon the question rose again in
his mind, and with more emphasis. He
was able to marry, and desired a home.
Why should not this handsome, capable
girl make him happy? 1t was not just
the thing he had pictured when he was
Young, but then things were altered The
peaceful, old fashioned home in his mind
was probably obsolete, gone out OF fashion
, with the billions and spinning wheels.
! He had seen nothing like it since his re-
t turn to America. Miss Brixham might
3 be the next best, perhaps better thing.
) Who knew?
He had time for these reflections dur
: ing few moments of solitude, Gertrude
r having been called away by fresh IN
n f1ux OF callers.
!. You are looking at my jar, said Mrs.
: Brixham. following the direction Of his
: unseeing eyes. rs it not beauty? Real
! dragon s-blood, and very hard to get
: NOWADAYS even in China, am told. You
with YOUR opportunities, must have seen
l. quantities, uOWcNcI
2 .Well. no. not quantities." said Mr.
" LOTUS, automatically Mrs. Brixham
II moved away, and he fell to dreaming
V again.
d Was it the word dragon which Sc
l him thinking of that almost forgotten time
e. before he went to China! 1t was at ORA
; gon. the droll little seaside village in Con
e necticut, that he spent the last summer
$ He wondered if the place was still named
l. 50. or was modernized into something dit
ferent: if thin-shelled tiayorous CLANS ant
le small. high bred oysters with a taste al
Y, their own were still its staples; ii big
t, pink -mottled. bell-wether apples still grey
If on the orchard trees, and whether Grand
" mother Meyrick made pies OF them
Grandmother Meyrick. What was II
Y. thinking of! This was twenty years age
I'd her pie-making must long since be ovel
n Then he thought of somebody younge
than grandmother-o pretty Hope Mey
IL rick. wlro had cut the last pie for him 0
ut that last afternoon, had mended the hol
v, in his glove, and said good-by with tee
r. sandwiched between two smiles and
=. blush like a rose Pretty Hope. VIII;
or had become of her. On that day 1t ha
seemed to the boy Alick that comm
on home to her was the best hope with whic
y he went. Did he whisper word or tw
,e- of this hope! He cosld not quite remcn
ty Der. Three or four letters had passed b
nd tween them, he knew he had neat, cram]
IN. ed, little notes somewhere among n
N things still; then, somehow, Hope an
or. Dragon and all things American began
as grow dim and strange, and till to-d'
on nothing had come up to remind him
xe. them. A plague on the dragon chin
De- Mr.. LOTUS was unusually absent, Mi
NE Brixham thought. as he wished her goo
ng by tiW uiIEsl RI nlh 4
sa- "A penny for your 11ftlns
ms est, after repeating ~ -
by twice over without am ~ Dgfn 4
ere Your offer is hia1ol sBl8lyz1
m thoughts are worth md 'llliia1 ~ 4
ny rising from abstractils 49,! !11sl'' |!
'h- old fellow 80 +sss4'4 -4[ ]. !. !,
- The fact is said f1 F. l 1,
- his list. the next is Q1f 4s7ss1 u
gu o., must be made now or aNyvM 4 T. 4rz|
- and distance. It's pMp HrA "
partner. you know. - IN
IL the spring. and his sis6Ex n; III
.a ~. keep house for him, 1T fl7II
-; - in Fifty-ffth street, z q
:. call 1t is bore X I'll 4Is{x)
en-. can sit in the carTia1Il6 MI flfuo''
On, not be five minutes. szaa yifg istt,1 I'm
OFT Mr.. Lotus did not kue1 - ~
,cle cold. but that did n0t1 -
obs he. for the sudden inrre be&y =
to enter the small mrDf1 le
,est they now drew up t11el
dru dwelling enough. in 50 49, y
ok like its neighbors; 80
r;y- of the door sense O. )t
mo and comfortable stri11 - I i7
h. it the snugness of -
ling whose walls were 49, .8.H' .|a aa2s
But red. the tIaiis VI ...s 49, a44a sz
if from the piclufe-iI .4a za &
rib the big white owl r.
oars pair Of antlers. turn I
On = down upon them, or
70 of glass Of roses n
after them up the u 49,
tho could not tell. - sl
ftus, Up stairs they went, an
r.-o Tlso emsnx4