Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-04-18
Mischief Making.



ceive such a sarcastic letter? Besides"
" Not another word, Caroline Kate won't
care after a little and it will teach her to
be more prudent too. think she is rather
coquettish; it will give her good lesson.
wish could see her when she reads it,"
" But, Ellen, we ought not to be so cruel (;
| should be heartily ashamed 10 have her
know | had anything to do with it."
"Well, well, no one will ever know who
did it; so now write away. will get
Cousin Edmund TO copy it, so it will go in
a genteman's handwriting"
at will be just to crafty you then, Ellen ;
but am fearful -
Now give that self-conceited fop a hit
good Now for the puissant, mighty Mr..
Allen, stroking his moustache as he smiles
upon the fair Kate"
"Let me see; here is the most obsequious
MIR. Browne paying his humble devoir at
the eet of Miss Lester it is delightful"
ELLEN, if the gentlemen should ever see
this, what would they think How would
they feel to know that they were so ridi-
culed 2"
e do not care straw; it will teach them
better than to bestow all their attentions
and admiration on Kate Lester | hope
they will see it,"
" Here goes the last one in the list. Now
read it, and then we will commit it to the
flames it will be safe from harm them
No, Caroline, not for the world; it is
too precious for such fate. But look here
comes Mr. Esdall, whose likeness we first
drew"
Caricatured, you would say; but quick.
put it out of sight, for he is coming here"
Ellen placed the sheet in her satchel, and
was taking her leave just as Mr.. Esdall en-
tered the drawng-room of Mr.. Bowen, whose
only daughter, Miss Caroline, we have al
ready introduced. She was a beautiful girl
of eighteen, who never Intentionally wronged
any one, by word or deed, but was too easily
Influenced by her gay unthinkiug friend,
Miss Ellen jackson.
In 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 and Ellen had
jointly composed, and still not the same
there was more malignity and sarcasm ex
pressed.
"And now, Caroline, can you imagine
where the letter originated There can bt
no doubt, from the writing, that it was a
| gentleman aud how wounding and mort
| tying to be the unsuspecting object of such
libellous remarks !"
"near Kate, you take it too seriously
there was, dare say, no mischief intended
No one would wish to injure you, there il
nothing against you," but her heart sank
within her as she remembered that she as
sisted in composing it.
But there must have been malice in it
no heart could have dictated these cuttinl
,arcasms that was not impregnated witt
Evil thoughts. And then the paragraph
concerning Mr.. Allen, to have it appear a
if made improper advances; it is too bad :
and the injured girl wept in very bitterness
If heart, and Caroline felt deeply the in
Justice she had done, aud repented deeply
out it was of no avail now. Oh how sh
wished she had not yielded to Ellen's in
| luence
"Kate, dearest do not show the letter."
81 wish had not but | mentioned it +
one friend when first received it, and sh
told another, and now cannot stop it; th
contents have been borne upon the wings q
the wind; and not one individual that wa
rdicued and criticised, hut long before thi
has heard of it. | wish, indeed do, that
had kept it to myself, then no one else woul
have been wounded"
Surmises were ailoat as to the authentic
ity of the writers of the anonymous epistl,
aud as Caroline and Ellen were distinguishe
for superior abilities, as well as wit and ta
eut, it was not unfrequently hinted that the
might be the original emanators but the
always repelled the insinuation, and tho,
who knew the kindness of Caroline's dispt
sition could never for moment harbor I'll
belief that she had dipped her pen so deep
in the gall of bitterness as to wound ii
feelings of her friend.
Il wish, Ellen, that they would drop I'll
subject of that abominable letter | al
heartily wearied with parrying off the jok'
leveled at me. really dread to see or me-
, any one, for some of those hideous lines a
| continually sounding in my ears. How ca
, you be so happy? am miserable, and
constant fear of being found out. Have yc
5 no dread of it 2"
. Indeed, care not one iota, Caroline /;
like the sport of parrying off the attack
t it is capital fun | would like to wri
= another"
= "Only think of those satirical lines upC
! Mr.. Esdall how severe they We're, aud
, perfectly undeserved and unprovoked."
: son, by the way, hear he is making
. bow to my friend Miss Bowen surely "
= are not serious in encouraging his atte
. tions? | have always refuted the repor
:. it would be too ridiculous. after what V,
4 wrote"
A g esteem MIR. EsdalI highlv Ellen he
!. a noble. ripht.minded man. and hannv.
q deed. will that person be whom he hone
r. with his choice"
il Fairly smitten, | do believe. by the
A corripible pawky. but do not thro,y >o,
n self away. But how nicely that letter d
n scatter Miss Rates obseouious lovers ;
i ouqbt To thank the writer's of that precio
# miSsiye for puttinp them To the test"
d at has Injured Hates feelings seyerel
* she is deeply wounded"
alt ALWAYS makes me lauch 10 see I
lordly Mr.. Allen pass on the other side VIII
he meets Kate he was so lately ALI bows a
politeness; it is first-rate."
But she feels il too severely: ne,
'e committed AN act for which | was so heart
&c sorry and thoroughly ashamed. | do wi
a it could die away."
IS "Fie upon such susceptibility 1t il
n capital Joke; | do enjoy it,"
" MIR. Esdall was one of the first that h
=, been mentioned in the letter, and the La
"a ings of an embittered men had been keenly t
u by him. for he was possessed of fine A
;, noble feelings, and the thought that his N
" erty aud awkwardness should be broul
u forward AS an approbrious stain, stung h
- to the very soul, aud most severely did
Sc censure the writer of such malicious artic
III lie had often met Miss Bowen. and admir-
" her for the pentleness of her nature.