Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-02-22

yaWnlng 1nOSG prOulglOusly, IOf sue 0Au
been out late to the theater the night
before, "I think my plan is.the best;
Just go on and make your arrangements
without saying word to ma. She will
be angry, but what can she do ?"
"Well, 1 don't know but what you
are right, Midge," returned Annie,
musingly.
"Of course" asserted Cecil, "since it
is for your sake that we are Matching up
this plot, Annie, you will have to shoul-
der the blame; but then we will back
you-won't we girls ?"
Then they went up stairs, and in half
an hour these four had written, sealed
and addressed twenty-five or thirty
dainty letter notes.
"NOw," said Cecil, moistening the
last stamp, and affixing it with business
like celerity, call we have to do is to
get Oliver to post them. You go and
call him Els.
"Where is he?"
"Oh, out in the back yard saving
wood, l guess" said Cecil, esconcing
herself comfortably in chair with a
book.
Great readers Of romance they all
were.
When there was no immediate diver
sion offered in the way of promenade or
ball, one or the other of the sisters had
been known to pass q whole day at q
time, oblivious of everything except the
deeds or misdeeds of some hero of the
Strathmore type.
"Look here, Oily" said Annie, sweet
ly, when her brother had come up into
her room: " 1 want you to do something
for me, like dear good fellow"
what's up now ?" asked Oliver, the
more grufiy, because he knew his sister
had motive for pleasing him.
81 want you to post these letters for
me without letting ma know"
"Why don't you post 'em yourself p
drawled he, ungraciously, turning one
envelope after another to study the ad-
dresses.
90, you know we'll enough, Oily; it
does not do for young ladies to run out
on the street without fixing up-now, it
don't matter about boys bit"
"Ihat's what you always say" re-
turned her brother, remembering the
many times he had been left ont at the
elbow because in Mrs. Mayne's system
of household economy the girls had
always to be supplied first.
But Annie knew we'll how to avert any
unpleasant argument when it was polite
to do 80.
"Never mind-see here" said she,
slipping a small piece of money into his
hand
He became perceptibly better natured
on the moment.
essay, Amie," he cried, still intent on
the envelopes, "I'll bet my head you
are doing all this on account of Mr..
Pick"
He got no further, for his sister, turn
ing red as rose, hustled him out of the
door. How had he spied that name,
when she had put Mr.. Pickens' invita-
tion in the very middle of the packet?
Unconscious of these Vaccinations,
Mrs. Mayne was drudging away in the
kitchen with that intense absorption in
her work which denotes the thorough
! manager.
Annie found her over the ironing
table.
Mother" said she, "I should like
very much to have some company here
next Wednesday evening""
Mrs. Mayne, who had been admiring
the petticoat just finished so satisfactory
| ly and hung on the clothes-horse to air,
turned about sharply.
Amanda. she exclaimed, "you are
fool"
Whatever luxury Mrs. Mayne denied
herself, she certainly did not deny her.
self the luxury of plain speech.
"Tm sure don't know what you mean
by that, ma
~ tell you it is not to be thought of
not for one moment" replied her
mother, punctuating her sentences with
vigorous thumps of the smoothing iron.
'"l've got my plans all laid out for next
week."
"What is there to do on Wednesday ?"
"Mrs. Nesbett is coming to cut and
baste your polonaises, and want to get
a good days work out of her; so you see,
Wednesday evening, of al evenings, is
the worst for company"
Amie naturally wished now, that she
had not been so hasty about sending the
invitations. However, regrets were use
less, 30 she said:
"But, mother, why need that inter-
fere-"
Her mother cut her short peremp-
torily.
"Don't argue with me, Amanda. Go
along and get your worsted work, and
tell Essie I want to hear her practicing
right away"
Strange to say, Annie wasn't so cour-
ageous as usual SO she idled about
without renewing the forbidden topic,
and having looked into the small square
mirror hanging by the sink more from
habit than from inclination, thought
"What hideous complexion this glass
gives me-" and walked out OF the room.
The moment she showed her face to
her sisters, they knew she was disap-
pointed After she had detailed her
conversation with her mother, and had
been rated for not being bolder, Midge
cried spiritedly:
"Never mind, Annie, I'll go right out
and see ma myself"
She was the most demonstrative of
the family, was Midge /; so she stole up
behind her mother and slipped her arm
around that ample waist. Mrs. Mayne
was too warm and busy to be in tend
ermood, so, without turning about she
said
"That's you, Margaret, know your
tricks ; go along"
&C. You look 80 tired, ma do let me
help YOU"
"You can't do this-go along"
80, you never think anybody can do
anything bat yourself !" laughed
Midge.
"Because it is so much easier to do O
thing than to bother showing somebody
aloa "