Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-04-04
Misfellanfons. q
The Prettiest Baby.

TO the baby show: No, indeed !,
God bless me no. indeed -
Had the youngest sister Of Mr.. John
Trueax very bright and pretty she
was. with short. curly. black-as-the-
raven swing hair, and large. spark
ling. dark-as-the-midnight-sky eyes)
proposed that he should enter a cage
of the widest kind of wild animals
lions, tigers, leopards. and panthers,
for instance-he could not have shown
more CONSERVATION and horror.
Mr.. Trueax. albeit he only num-
bered some six-and-thirty years, was
misogynist and a misogamist. He
outbachelored all the bachelors of his
acquaintance and they were not few.
as he associated with none but single
men, never attending wedding, shud-
dering when he heard of birth, break
| ing Off all communication with friends
who plunged into matrimony, and
carefully avoiding all women, rich and
poor, proud and lowly, with the single
exception of Winnifred. his Youngest
sister mentioned before, who had been
left to his care when she was twelve
years of age-being now twenty-by
a dearly loved dying mother.
The reason? I'll tell YOU.
Once on a time John Trueax. then
called Jack Trueax, q good.looking,
jolly young fellow of five-and-twenty,
was about to be married. The we'd
ding day had arrived. The grooms-
men and bridemalds. the parents Of
(as he fondly thought) his Lily, and q
large number of invited guests were
present.
A bell formed of lovely flowers hung
from the ceiling, prepared to shed its
sweets upon the heads of the happy
lovers the minister waited. book in
| hand: hundred wax candles helped
the gas jets to lend brightness to the
scene; the wedding supper was laid
when the brides own maid, who had
been sent to tell her all was ready
(she had requested to be left alone a
few moments before the ceremony,
and being an odd sort of girl. nothing
strange was thought of this request.)
returned. pale and trembling, to the
room where the bridal party waited,
with a note which she had found. In
stead of her mistress, and which read
as follows:
DEAR FATHER AND MoTHER,-I do
not love him. The feeling I mistook
for love is only that of friendship.
Since we were engaged l have met one
whom do love, and at the last mo-
ment fly to meet him and become his
wife, conyirced that, dishonorable as
my conduct may seem, it would be a
thousand times more dishonorable TO
stand before the altar with a lie upon
my lips, lie which would condemn
me to live a lie forever after. Tell
Jack wish him all prosperity and
happiness. LILY"
The bell Of flowers was taken down.
the wax candles were extinguished,
the minister departed, the guests were
dismissed, and John Trueax left the
house with a curse upon his lips-for
he knew, in spite of her romantic note.
that the girl had been won by the
wealth of his rival-to become hater
of women, a foe to matrimony, vice.
president of the '.Stanch Old Bache-
lors' Club" and a perfect Herod in re-
gard to children.
What wonder, then, that he shrank
back in alarm when Winnie proposed
(they we're on their way to the Acad-
emy Of Music to ihear some man make
q speech) that they should stop few
moments at the baby show, whose
flaming posters suddenly confronted
them as they reached the corner of
Fifth Avenue?