The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-03-25
MISS DANA'S SURPRISE PARTY

and that sign had read, "Mrs. Kruller's
Happy Family" it would only have ad-
vertised the truth.
Splendid woman, that Mrs. Krullerl"
Clipper, one of her boarders, always used
to remark, in speaking of her and her
establishment. "She's Just like Il mother
to me-the dear old creature! She is fat
and forty, clean and pious--four elements
that help make the best of Christians. |
intend to stay with her until | die, or
am married"
Bat when Clipper said this he invaria-
bly, thought of Amelia Dana. In fact he
thought a good deal of that young lady
more than was beneficial to the interests
of the drug store in which h was clerk
Amelia was his angel-prim and precise
as good angels are likely to be-a crea-
ture whom he worshiped from afar, and
on whom his thoughts centered even
when he made pills and mixed potions.
In brief, Clipper was in love.
And Amelia! Bless your heart, she
was practical, unromantic teacher in
one of the city schools, self-willed, hard
headed aud unpoetical Ii tie woman of
twenty-five, with an ambition for mans
salary, and the ability and willing
ness to do mans work. Did she
know nothing of love? Perhaps it had
not been in her course of study. Perhaps
it did not run in her family, or she did
not have it along with the measles, and
mumps, and whooping cough. Anyhow
it was not one of the nonsenses of her
girlhood, for it was Il luxury in which
her paltry income forbade indulgence
Love to Miss Dana was apparently only
something that could be parsed; or
again, it was a case of dyspeptic emo
tions. She had heart, and a good heart
too; but it had not been raised in hot
bed of scntimentalism. Clipper, there
fore, ogled and sighed and rhapsodized in
vain over this woman with wavy-brown
hair, great brown eyes, q pinched but
cunning little nose, and budding lips of
unfulhlled promises. She only cared for
him, if She cared at all, because he passed
her the potatoes or the bread, or inveigled
to her plate an extra dish of sweetmeats.
and acted at the table as a useful friend
at her elbow.
OF course Mrs. Kruller had other mem
bers in her Happy Family" Her board
ers numbered twelve altogether. Some
Of them had been with the genial old
lady ever since Mr.. kruller was so un-
fortunate as to die at time when his
funeral expenses bore the heaviest upon
his widow. Clipper and Miss Dana be-
longed to that class of friends. Bitter, of
Oshkosh, was, however, a late conner. He
was young man of thirty, who had
abandoned the aromatic pine forests into
which he had cut his way; thrown down
the setting-pole of the log RATS on the
Wolf; kissed at corn-huskings, for the
last time, the robust Venuses of the
farms; shaken out the hay-secd from his
hair, and came to the city to be lawyer.
Bitter could talk; he had self-assurance;
he had wind; he had the impetus of an
avalanche; he had also the impudence of
a professional canvasser. What more did
he need for success?
Bitter brought his six-feet-two altitude
to lodgment at the table of the Happy
Family" Clipper introduced him, and
then paid the penalty Of his rashness by
seeing his acquaintance begin, at once, to
make love to Miss Dana. Amelia smiled
upon him. And was this to be Clippers
reward for his table servitude? He re-
sented the neglect and stopped passing
the butter and urging the sauce toward
her; he refrained from surreptitiollsly
sacrificing the tenderloin, when there
was any given to him, to her appetite.
He became morose and abandoned the
use of perfumes. He even let his hair
90 dry by total abstinence from pomades.
He meditated for hours on the general
ship of Bitter, whose resonant and victo-
rious hal ha! ha! went to his heart day
after day, like explosions of dynamite.
The last feather that broke down his
patience was when his rival actually in
vited and went to the opera with Amelia.
He (Chipper) had never dared to think
of such an extravaganza as that. He
had his revenge, though, when he found
the couple had perched, like owls, in the
second balcony, and that Miss Dana was
annoyed by the height to which she rose
that night; and he referred to that stu
alton, but always with delicacy and tact,
whenever Bitter was out of hearing. But
Clipper was not afraid of the ex-rafts-
man and chopper.
"Tell you what, Bitter" he began,
chats fine frescoing at Macs theater. |
envied you your view Of it the other
night. 1t isn't every one that gets as
near. How did the Cupids strike you,
Miss DanaW
She didn't answer, but Bitler spoke
out:
"Chipper, they reminded us of your
business. Cupids are pnt-up drugs on
the market you know. Don't you re-
member mentioned it TO you at the
time, Miss Dana?"
She bit her lip, but said nothing.
GIVE seen them air things" broke in
old Mordaunt, the bachelor, "an' ave
allus thought they'd orteg be put in the
dress circle. They're too bald for COM
fort"
Anything to get them out of Bitler's
neighborhood," piped Clipper. The gen.
tleman referred to frowned omin0usly
After dinner he met his adversary in the
nall.
"Chipper," lie said, "you're nice little
fellow, an ornament to your counter,
perhaps to your family, and possibly, a
necessity 10 the drug business; but"
and he pushed up hisscoat sleeves, "if
you make any further allusions to Miss
Dana and myself l will shake the teeth