Daily Republican., 1879-07-25
RATHER ROMANTIC.

The select boarding schOol OF Whlch
Miss Minerva Paterson was the head
was very ambitious establishment, in.
deed.
Only first class pupils were admitted,
aud first.class teachers only were EN-.
ployed.
To this seminary, Mrs. Adolphus
White, wealthy widow had after snx
ious waiting for vacancy, at last
sent her daughter Helen, a young girl
OF seventeen, whose face and form
were remarkably pretty, but who was
by no means girl Of great good
sense.
at is settled at last, Charles" said
Mrs. White, to her bachelor brother, as
they sat at lunch together. "Helen is
with Miss Patterson, and Pm so relev
I'd. She will form her mind and man.
ners, and make the sort Of girl should
like to bring out. l shan't do this too
early. was married myself at her
age, and know that one Losses youth
by being in society too young"
And Mrs. White, who had no wish to
settle into the orderly matron, as yet,
softly slipped her chocolate.
"You don't really mean TO say that
you have sent Helen away from home
sister?' said Charles. A mother should
never let her daughter live apart from
her, il she can AVOID 1t. Send her to
Miss Minerva all day, II you choose, but
have her home at night.
"sIt's quite the thing among sensible
people to patronize boarding schools"
said Mrs. White, and Miss Minerva is a
lady of excellent family and highly &C
Icomplished.
"Of COURSE said Uncle Charles,
and it's all right for girls who have no
homes or mothers; but take any set Of
young things you may select and put
them together for while, and they'll
hatch out mischief. And girls are all
ripe for it nowadays, | can tell you, in
any of our towns.
"But by such discipline as Miss Min
erva's," said Mrs. White, "Miss Min
erva's pupils could not get iuto mis-
chief"
nuu nAC dtOoO iiomA bAAC s0bAOs
.'Oh!" said Charles. swell, If you're
sure oil that, might as well be silent"
Meanwhile, the first day Of Helen's
attendance at Miss Minsrva's school
drew to close. Supper was over.
The musical exercise came to an end.
The evening worship was over.
The whole school marched off in bat
talions, with an inch Of wax candle in
a fiat candle stick for each room.
Gas was forbidden and indeed turned
off from the dormitOries.
And at last Helen, with four young
ladies who belonged to her room, was
fairly shut into her nightly resting
place.
Then came about q melamorphosis
which astonished the new conner.
The egance Of demeanor which had
characterized her companions in the
rooms below dropped off like SO many
masks.
One, the tallest and most stately,
wedged her scissors into the door in
such a manner as to form a atemporary
holt, and stopped up the keyhold with
a bit of wadding.
The next produced long wax-can-
die from her pocket, and having lit it,
hourish-d it loft, with cry of:
"Who cares for Old Ramr0d's regu-
lations now -
And the third rushed to a corner Of
the room, turned up the carpet, and {
with an exclamation of "Here are two, I
one fol you and one for me-" held up
two letters. y
The fourth girl, with little estate q
shrek, caught her prize and tore it '
open.
And the young lady of tie wax can s
lie then addressed Miss Helen White C
81 don't suppose you'll 60 and tell
I'D Patterson. We shall have to keep n
your secrets alter while. Biddy, the
;hambt rmaid, Is our p0stman. She'll a
get all your love letters for you, and )
3ring tnem'up on the sly" e
81 haven't any love letters. have C
10 lover" said Helen, blushing.
''Your ma is strict, | suppose" said }
he other. "Well, you'll have plenty
before you've been here six months.-
rs the incest school | ever went to. 3
DID Ramlod-that's Miss Patterson, b
,ou knew-can't see an inch beyond v
Ter nose, and we flrt splendidly, Miss
collins and all. Miss Collins is an as n
istant, when we promenade. Our first
lass has the name of being regular n
witches, all through the town. We II
now all the fellows" N
Helen listened with new emotions ris- q
ng in her breast. v
She began to feel delighted with the a
dea of school. d
She had thought it dull routine Of b
geography and history, music and p
but frtations, love let
ers, and knowledge of all the fell "
ows frightened the vista amazingly. cl
She listened to the epistles, which tt
er companions did not hesitate to read ia
loud. p
She even helped one of the girls TO
nswer hers, and she retired by the 81
ight Of the long wax candle, to-read 81
erself asleep over piece of literature OF
" some French author. al
She awoke in the morning to find the
oung lady in the next bed up and Il
resssd, and to hear her declare that ic
he had been flirting out Of the win
ow for an hour with splendid fol. 70
)w. al
So dawned q new life upon Helen
White; q life her mother little dreamt to
(.
Weeks passed. .- r,. W
She also firted; she also received st
've-letters from strangers; she also
absorbed to the library, and read bad is
rench books by the score. lth