The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-13
ALITTLE FOOL.
lHarper's Weekly.l

pectability demand of you. Ii you must
marry, and make fool of yourself, why
not marry Colonel Powell"
"Because | do not like Colonel Powell,
and because Like some one else, Aunt
Ethel
Il never heard of such thing. Do you
know what you are saying miss? Such
talk, can tell you is highly improper;
and as not for liking Colonel Powell,
that is nonsense. Colonel Powell has
everything necessary to win any wom-
ans approbation-very old family, very
fine manners, elegant residence, servants,
carriage, money, and member OF Con
gress besides. Don't you know that you
would spend the winters in Washing
tonY
81 declare it does not tempt me bit"
"And don't believe that he is a day
uore than fifty"
''He is seventy-fve if he is an hour,
and he hobbies and coughs, and is alto
gether dreadful. Inever, never, never
will marry him."
"May | ask who, then, is to have the
honor of becoming my nephewT and
Miss Ethel sat stifly down, and began to
CAREFUL rearrange the pink satin bows on
her white morning dress.
Eloise sat down opposite to her, and
fingered nervously the rose-buds and ivy
leaves that trimmed her garden hat. The
two women were strangely alike, only one
face was forty years old, white, and
proud; and the other was only twenty,
flushing and paling, and answering every
feeling of the heart.
For some moments Eloise did not
speak, and Miss Ethel Bruce did not
urge her. She sat patiently looking in
her niece's face, until that young fady,
finding courage in her desperation, said,
with blank defiance, "The gentleman
who is to have that honor, dear aunt, is
Mr.. Henry Torrens."
'Tmpossible! You would not do such a
foolish thing!'
"Oh yes, / would"
'Do you know who he is?"
ale is-Harry."
ridiculous! Do you know who his
father is%'
"No. I don't want to know him par
ticularly. Do you know him, Aunt
Ethelw
'No, dare say it would be very i'm
proper for me to know such person.
When we first met him last summer in
the North, / don't remember that heever
uamed his family
"Nor l."
'That looks very bad, Eloise. If man
has respectable relations, of course he
talks about them"
"T don't see that it makes any great
difference to me. do not care much
about them, anyway. Once he told me
that his mother was dead, and | said
mine was too; and of course we felt sorry
for each other, and all that. But | am
afraid that | am a little jealous
about Harry; I would just as lief be the
only person in the world who had any
right to love him as not"
"You make me feel hopeless about
you. Pray what do you intend to live
spon?'
Harry has two thousand dollarsa year."
1.-TWO thousand dollars a year! What
magnificent income!'
"Don't make fun of u.s. aunt; | can
not allow that; indeed | can not. We
love each, and shall be very happy"
DOUBTLESS. May | ask where Mr..
Torrens is employed?
'In West and Green's law Office"
81 thought he lived in New York.
What brought him hereF'
"How should l know?" said Eloise,
blushing, and involuntarily dropping her
voice.
Her aunt watched her curinusly, and
shook her head for answer "Where have
YOU seen him-for hope you have not
dared to bring him within the precincts
of Bruce Place"
"He has never touched paling of it.
met him at Aunt Kezia's; and | am
sure she would have let Cousin Lizzie
marry him very willingly. She thinks a
great deal of Harry"
"Lizzle Bruce is different. She has five
little sisters, and my brother Jake always
spends twenty out of an income of nine
teen. You have expectations-or at
least had. always intended, if you re.
mained unmarried, to leave you tn
2ruce Place"
"Dea aunt, thank you for thS~ fnten
ton but I would rather hav> Harry.
have little bit of mon<y of my own
have notg'
"About four thousand dollars; Just
enough to buy your wedding things, and
marry you decently. For though you arc
going to make such a fool of yourself,
Shall not show the white feather about it
| must pretend to be happy when an
wretched, and receive congratulation
that will nearly choke me; but sucl
trials are part and parcels of woman
lot; l dare say l shall get creditabl,
1hrough them"
Miss Ethel rose with proud air, bu
pitifully sad face, and attempted t.
leave the room, but Eloise, with gentl
force and many tender kisses, made he
sit down again.
"Auntie," she said, coaxingly, "yo1
have asked me a good many question
and have answered them truly; now
am going to ask you some, and know
Ia fa;r MIL, MN about tbap,