The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-12-12

snake haste and take this to Miss Nor
ris, and bring me back reply"
Briggs trotted off merrily, and Fred
stood in the garden watching his mes
senger's retreating form, and anxiously
awaiting the answer to his florral mes
sage.
Pretty little Nellie Morris sat alone in
her mothers parlor, crying.
Her parents had gone to neighbor-
ing fair, and would not be home till late
and she was so lonely and wretched she
felt she must cry.
why was so unkind to poor, dear
old Fred last night?' she asked herself
between her sobs. "Oh, how wish he
would come and make it all up!" she in
wardly uttered. II do feel SO miser-
able"
At that moment there was tap on the
door.
Nellie's heart beat wildly.
"Come in" she said feebly. And, oh,
how she wished. yet scarcely dared to
hope, that it was Fred, come to make up
the quarrel, and be good friends again.
But she was disappointed.
The door opened slowly, and Briggs
entered, holding out crushed and dirty
letter, and mumbled that it was from Mr..
Woodman, and he was to wait for a re
ply.
Nellie took the soiled missive. broke
the seal with trembling fingers, and took
out faded white rose, and broken
straw, the definition of which she knew
too well-the former meaning, " 1 loved
you once" and the latter-oh, cruel stab
Titus do l break my fettersr'
Nellie, scarlet with indignation, flung
the letter out of the open door, motioned
Briggs to follow (which he did more
amazed than overland then sank upon a
chair in an agony of tears.
All this sorrow was caused br Briggs
weakness for cricket. He had stopped
to have game on his way, and put the
letter in his pocket, whereby the rose was
faded and tie straw broken.
LEAF THREE.
Our hero was waiting patiently in the
garden when Briggs ran up, looking very
frightened, and holding out the rejected
billet dour in his hand.
He at once broke out in string of dis
jointed sentences concerning his luckless
adventure.
II guy it to her." said he, sand, when
she took out the brukken straw an the
faded rose. she turned me an the letter
fair out o. the house."
"Broken.' echoed Fred. ''Faded"'
Then light suddenly dawned upon him
ibid you get playing On the road, sir!
Answer me- he added, shaking the I'M
happy messenger violently.
Il only" commenced Briggs, fear
fully; and then he began to blubber, and
applied the sleeve of his smock to his eyes
in most woebegone manner.
"For goodness sake, run home before
I'm angry with you," said our hero; and
Briggs ebeyed. thinking it a very strange
affair altogether.
Fred ran in, thinking, perhaps, he had
seat the wrong emblems, and looked
again at his Language of Flowers
No they were quite right.
Just then his eyes caught an item, as
follows: "White rose daded)--I love
you once;' and he groaned. Then he
turned TO another page, and had another
shock on seeing these words: "Straw
(brokcn) Thus do break my letters "
That was truly the last straw which
broke the calnel's back. Fred leaned
back in his chair, and almost cried with
vexation, to think of the sorrow his care
less messenger had caused.
The shades Of evening began to fall;
still he sat there thinking how he could
heal this fresh wound.
Meanwhile, unhappy Nellie sat crying
in her drearv parlor. All, me!
LEAF FOUR
AT last our hero came to 8 resolution
he would 90 and see Nellie and explain
the whole of the wretched blunder.
He was soon striding away over the
fields in tiutter of hope and excitement.
The sun was just sinking in dazzling
mass of gold as he reached his destina-
ton.
He tapped gently on the door, but OBJ
tanned no answer, so he softly lifted the
latch and stepped gently inside.
Nellie was sitting by the window, her
face buried in her hands-sitting still as
death.
Fred advanced noiselessly and touched
her on the arm.
She sprang hastily up, and, seeing who
it wss-crimson with anger and wounded
pride--she ordered him to leave the
house; but the effort was too much for
her and she sank upon her chair again,
sobb, ing - though her poor, innocent lit
tie heart would break.
In an instant the little schoolmaster
was on his knees by her side, and in less
than two minutes had poured the whole
history of the mistake into Nellie's will
ing ear.
In another Ave minutes they were bet
ter friends than ever.
The schoolboys were surprised next
day when our hero. in addition to half
holidsy, gave them a penny apiece all
around.
But they did not know wha. we do,
did theyl
Briggs has been forgiven. He often
carries messages from Mr. Frederick
Woodnxn to Miss Nellie Norris, but they
are invariably in plsin black and white
The little schoolmaster has had enough
for little while of the language Of flow
eYs
Neil Cow, the fiddler, was thoroughly
Scotch in one thing-he loved his whis-