Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-05-17
A POSTAL CARD.

A POSTAL CARD.
Harper's Bazaar
Good morning, Miss Laura" sal
Mrs. Bender, stopping at the gate
How are the folks to-day?"
''All well, thank you, Mrs Bender
didn't see any light in the bes
parlor last night, Miss Laura; how i
that? Any unpleasantness?
None in the weather, surely" laugh
ed Laura.
'Ah! l am going down to the Post
Office; shall look in your box? | sup
pose you want your letters early, an
one likes to be neighborly"
Yes, thank you, Mrs. Bender
shall be in school till noon, and | low
to find letter under my dinner plate
and there II be no one to 60 to the Office
as Miss Frill is here cutting and bast
ing Yes, | would be glad to have yo1
look in our box, not that | expect mucl
of anything"
Anything in box 297?" she asked
having reached the office and secure,
her own mail. a postal card! well,
never! "-as the clerk surrendered it.
Miss Laura Vaughn! y she read, a
she trudged homeward. ''My gracious
who's writing to her on postal card?
wouldn't thank my folks to write in tha
public way. Everybody reads them, o
course; just as much common propert.
as a poster. Ahem! You can hardl,
help reading one; he who runs may reat
you see every word before you know
it. Don't fail to be at the Studio
Building by eleven A. NJ. on Wednesday
Nuns the word Jack Jock! Wht
is Jack, | should like to know? Prett,
work, Miss Laura, for deacon's daugh
ter. What next? An elopemcnt, may
be- And there's poor Devens, too! Ii,
ought to be told Of these goings-on, ant
put on his guard, It's a duty not to al
low the young man to remain in tn,
dark. | shall have to manage it some
how"
Mrs. Bender left the postal card Will
the servant at Laura's door, and pro
ceedcd homeward. Mr.. Devcns, as fat,
had ordered it, boarded with Mrs. Ben
der, and had been making himself too
agreeable to her young neighbor, whel
she had other views for him when ther,
was Prudence Bender sitting at home a
the piano, in her black silk. waiting fo
something to happen Mrs. Bender hat
somewhere read that the fate of futur,
generations had been decided by tht
toss of a curl or the waving of ribbon
and she was determined that neithc
curl nor ribbon should be spared to fla
vOr her case.
Have you seen anything of oul
neighbors lately?" she asked Mr.. Dev
ems, at dinner.
Il met Miss Nell Newcomb, this
morning, and walked to the mill Will
her he answered, evasively.
"Oh, l mean those on the other side
of the house" Miss Nell was engaged
and man mi ght safely walk to jericho
with her. Miss Vaughn and you don
see so much of each other as you did
eh?"
"Oh, don't we? May l trouble 70,
for the pepper, Miss Prue? >
Law, no trouble, Mr.. Devcns. Il
you're going into the city tomorrow
would you mind matching some fringe
for me?'
81 wouldn't mind matching anything
for you, Miss Prue, but I've no more
idea of going inlo the city tomorrow
than of going to the moon
"Oh, l understood that Miss Laura
was going, and | supposed-1 didn
know but"
Miss Vaughn hasn't mentioned tht
excursion to me. Are you not mistak
en?'-off his guard.
Would she be likely to mention it il
she were going to meet somebody il
PARTICULAR" put in Mrs. Bender.
Law, ma, don't worry Mr.. Devens.
;" l only said 'supposing.' 1t is wei
to be prepared for the worst, isn't it
Mr.. Dcvens?'
Il am not in the least anxious, | as
sure you" averred that gentleman; but
it struck him little oddly that he
should have heard nothing of the pro
posed journey, since trip to BostoI
was holiday affair to Laura, which
she openly discussed for weeks before
and after. TO be sure there had been g
little GOODNESS between them. dating
from the time when he brought her ;
letter from the mail, directed in a fine
masculine hand, and she had refused tt
crafty his curiosity about it. He hao
spent the next evening playing euchrt
with Miss King, and Laura had seer
him 60 in for that purpose. One triflt
after another had helped to widen the
little rift within the lutte, and he hat
not been near Laura's door for three
whole days. Hadn't he better step ovel
this evening and see how she was en-
during it? he asked himself And abou,
this trip to Boston! How could she
leave her district school? 1t was only
some nonsense of Mrs. Bender's, ne
doubt, but delaying in the hall on Wed
nesday evening to brush his hat, he
overheard Miss Prue saying to hel
mother: ELLEN Dow taught school fol
Laura Vaughn to-day. | wonder tht
committee don't complain. 1t IS very
odd about her going up to Boston. She
asked Ellen Dow not to mention it, too
And Ellen told nc not to say worC
about it, either, so don't you let it oul
to Mr.. Devens, ma, just to tease him. ]
wonder if she met Jack? Her father
doesn't approve of him, and so she
meets him on the sly, pursued Prue
weaving her romance from the meagel
material in hand. Il wish you would
forbid somebody coming to see me; anC
then" But just then Mr. Devens en-
tered.
His Laura suspected Of meeting an
other man on the sly! 1t gave him {
cold chill. He had londly believed thai
she only waited his beck and call; i
had never occurred to him as possible
that she could console herself witt
another lover. And who was this Jacl
about whom Miss Prue discoursed 81
volubly? Should he go to Laura ane
beg for reconciliation-he had fully
made up his mind to this step before