Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-04-14
" He's not so very old, aunty; fifty

"No, it's not decrepit, but it is some
thing more than nineteen besides, Mr..
Schenck is only forty-five. However,
we can afford to drop him now, since
Miss Positive never will marry him. 4"
Madge. laughed, but there was an un-
certain ring about her laughter, and Miss
| Phemy went on:
" Are you going to Boston, dear?"
" l don't quite know, aunty. 1 rather
hate Boston but love Polly"
"Then you'll have to take your choice
between the love and hate, mademoiselle,
and that directly, for you know Polly is
clamorous for an answer"
81 believe 1 will go; perhaps Boston
may be nicer than think. 1t is awfully
slow, am sure"
"Madge l'
:" can't help it, aunty; I don't know
what else to call it. Shall 1 say triste ?"
Foreign affectation is quite as bad as
slang, and not half as natural"
"Oh, aunty, what a two-edged sword
you are must go to Boston to purify
my English, 1 see."
"Hello, Madge I" and small boy
burst into the room with bounce that
is native to small boys. "Oh, Miss Rop-
er, such lark If you had heard Madge
give it to him! She was stunning, I tell
you," and wicked Master Jack began his
lilt of "Highland Nora" again.
"You horrid little wretch Come
away directly" shrieked Madge, coloring
to the tips of her ears. ''Youll kill
aunty's poor head"
"Oh, indeed p feebly squeaked poor
Jack, as he was hustled smartly out of
the room, while Miss Euphemia laughed
till the tears stood in her eyes, and said,
softly: Children and fools speak truth,
truly"
Jack went home the next day; he was
only a school-boy cousin come for the
holidays, and the luckless child had
abridged his own pleasure unawares; but
the rare delight of tormenting his beau
tiful cousin was temptation too enti-
cling to resist. And Madge was teased;
she hated the sight of the boy, and made
her journey to Boston the excuse for his
radiance. But the thorn he had left be-
hind was well planted; the piquant bal
lad haunted Madge, and flushed her face
many a time when its lifting measures
returned to mock her.
So to Boston she went, to her ueul
friend Polly, and found that proper and
intellectual city nightly agreeable.
Beaux she had by the dozen, but there
were none like Mr.. Schenck; none so de-
voted. so elegant, SO noble-looking. She
missed the daily bunch of fragrant violets
on her dressing table; she missed the
selection of new books that showed al
ways how he OWNED her tastes, the fore
stalling of her 'faintest caprices, the de-
votion that was too delicate to obtrude
itself, the homage that was sincere yet
courtly.
elbow young all your gentlemen
friends are, Polly T. she said to her friend
one day, after an evening at which at
least dozen sets of English whiskers
had vibrated about her and been pulled
before her, as if paying kind of myster-
ious kowtow to the latest goddess.
"That's a fault they will mend of,
,Madge," laughed Polly. Given in
dear old Boston we have to grow up, and
be Gterati to boot"
"But I do SO hate boys p sighed
Madge.
And boys do SO adore you r mock
ed Polly.
Madge blushed, and sighed. Why
did she think of Mr.. Schenck?
In the meantime, there in New York,
Aunt Phemy had a visitor now and then
Mr.. Schenck knew his friends, and dnever
neglected them; he was least of all like
ly to set aside Miss Roper; but she
never alluded to him in her letters to
Madge, and that young lady had already
decided in her own mind that her suitor
had taken himself off to parts unknown
to stife his anguish by absence. If
Madge had so good an opinion of her
own powers, can she be blamed So
bewitching as she had proved herself,
should this man be the exception to her
rule?
One night there was to be a great and
gay party, to which the friends could not
fail to go, and Madge took unusual pains
to render herself lovely for the occasion.
A new Paris robe was unfolded from its
boxes and wrappings for the occasion
the delicate glittering pale green silk
mingled and mixed with equally delicate
apricot and films of Malines lace, was
wonderfully adapted to her peculiar col
oring and style; and in her red-browr
hair, and here and there about the dress
clusters of tea rose buds perfumed the
air as she moved, and harmonized with
her dress in, every tint; besides these
her sole ornament was q necklet of grea
opals set in black enamel
"Madge, you are miracle to be
hold !" exclaimed Polly, as she behel(
her. "You have given your mind to i
as much as ever Mr.. Toots did. Woe tC
: the Boston boys tonight, my dear
. Even Miss Dorr won't hold candle tC
, you"
Pretty Polly, fresh and sweet as
June rose in her white silk and pinl
7 corals, deserved comment herself bu
she was willing, fully, to be extinguishec
+ by Madge Roper, whom she worshiped
, as one girl will worship another. So sh
a put the fur lined wrap over her friend
I shoulders with an amusing travesty of
t fond, proud mothers care.
4 AS they went down to the carriage
9 Polly said, abruptly
ooh, my dear, to think I should hav
: forgotten Lucretia Adams told me to
g day, in at Copeland's, while you wer
talking to Ned, that there is to be a nev
g man at Mrs. Hopes tonight Ne,
a Yorker, too; such an elegant creature
Lu raved about him, his manners an
e customs, his face, his money, and
Il don't know what more 1 wonder if yo
:, know him."
n "What is his namee" said Madgt
/, seating herself carefully in the carriage
@ in awe of her fresh draperies apparent
ly, really smitten by strange thrill {
e curiosity.
81 declare, I don't know. He'sa car
e tive of Hope DORIS, they say th
g tenth Muse, as the aesthetics call her.