The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-16
cNT'fs ~ 49, s-f' p
PASSEE.

1tNVA, uit NUCtOl lll\l OiutIcu It'll ~ tIhC
his ease and forget business. Mr.. Erskine
was Il single gcntlcman-a fact which
Brlerthorpe WAS not SLOW to discover. HeS
was not without the means, ,,Sthe Gosslps
further vouchs;,tel, and he possessed
tine figure and /, comedy countcnancc,
with manners SO genial and polished as
to be irresistible. Naturally theSst first
families were anxious to make the ac-
4uaintancc Of Il gentleman so attractive,
especially as young men were not aDund-
ant, and the supply ct manageable
daughters greater than tlletdeMand. But
they were anxious to show him the civil
ties due to the stranger within their gates
OF course not with the remOtest idea,
we know, OF throwing Florence Ann, or
Ruth Ellen at his very promising head
And what III" first families had mind
to do, that they speedily accomplished.
The Misses lIar'lacrc, having gone out to
row in a lraky boat, managed to come to-
grief one afternoon in Mr.. Erskine's
neighborhoou, where he was varying the
solitude by fishing and skctching by turns
with his wherry anchored near. He made
haste to go to their assistance, to be sure,
as their boat, having hit Il sharp tooth Of
hidden rocks, threatened to capsize. He
took them into his own craft, palpitating
with pleasure ut the success Of their
stratagem, and he rowcd them against the
tide to the border Of their paternal acres,
The Young ladies were rendered fluent by
the emotion called gratitude. Papa
would be so glad to make the gentlcman's
acquaintance; their prcserver would al
ways be remembered: would he give
them his card and address, that papa
might call and thank him?" and so forth
and so On.
Mr.. Erskinc was not sorry that a TO-
mantle episode had arrived to vary the
monotony of his retirement. The young
ladies were pretty, and spoke with the &C
cent Of cultivated people, and wore the
fashions of good society; and he was wax
ing more or less weary Of books and the
middle-aged mediocrity at his boarding.
house He felt natural craving for So
ciety. Pere Harlacre called and did the
atfablc thing, and invited the young hero
to his house; and before the week ended,
Brierthorpe rang with the report that Mr..
Erskine had rescued Miss Linda from
watery grave at the risk of his life and
was on such intimate terms with the family
that the usual dcn0uemeut was imminent.
This, however, was not exactly the case.
1t is true that Mr. Erskine became toler-
ably at home in the Hardacre mansion;
that he rowcd and drove with the girls,
especially with Miss Linda; that he taught
her to sketch a little, and spent good
deal of his leisure on their. crOquet
ground; that he danced more frequently
with her than with the other young ladies
to whom the force of circumstances and
society had obliged the Misses Hardacre
to introduce him; that he walked in the
moonlight with Miss Linda-that season
so conducive to lunacy-and had the gen
eral air Of having been smitten by. her
charms, as we'll as Brierthorpe could in
terpret it.
Il WONDER" said he one evening, " if
you know Miss Laura Loring who lives
in this neighborhood somewhere" It
was the night Of Miss Cores garden party,
and they were lettering in the Pine
Grove. through which the Chinese lanterns
she'd a light as gorgeous as that reflected
from painted windows, while the band
discoursed some melancholy dance music
from some hidden nook. and gay couples
eWere passing and repassing on their way
to and from the lawn, where refreshments
and Waiting were enjoyed. "a friend
of mine writes me that she is worth cult
vating,' he pursued. 's'You will find
her great addition to the pleasures Of
Brierthorpe,' he predicts"
Laura Loring!'' gasped Miss Linda
"Why, your friend must be joking She's
dreadfully possee. You wouldn't fancy
her at all. She quotes Shakespeare, and
makes preserves, and teaches mission
schools, and is 50 dowdy. I don't be-
lieve that she ever had a filtration in her
life
''Indeed what misfortune! Poor
misguided girl, I've half a mind to give
her an opportunity. However, broth
er Of my friend fell in love with her
while he was studying medicine some
where here"
"No? Really? She must be years
older than our set. You don't like passee
girls!''
II like charming girls, past, present, or
future"
"But 2ossee girls are not charming'
mo? Then [ am not acquainted with
any such unfortunates,' he said, gallant
ly.
"No; they arc sharp and thin,s with
crow's-fcet about their eyes, and seams in
their foreheads. They are all angels,
mentally and physically, and they have
. the air of trying to pass for sweet six
tecn''
They were approaching rustic scat
beneath an ancient pine-tree, upon which
lady and gentleman sat chatting.
= ''Let us hasten, please, Mr.. Erskine, -