Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-11-05

dressed, and to hear her declare that
she had been flirting out of the win
dow for an hour with the splendidest
fellow"
So dawned new life upon Helen
White, life her mother little dreamed
of.
Weeks passed.
She also firted; she also received
love-letters from strangers; she also
subscribed to the library, and read bad
French books by the score.
She was naturally silly girl, and had
no strong principle to sustain her.
Guided by her companions, and the
easy prey of circumstances, she behaved
most foolishly, and forgot all the old
ideas of propriety which had once been
her guide.
To one of her admirers, who signed
himself "Carlos," she wrote as girl
ought scarcely to write to her betrothed
lover.
And she forgot how guilty she would
once have felt had she kept secret
from her mother.
Mrs. White was delighted with Helen's
progress.
Miss Minerva gave her volume,
/" The Guide to Young Ladies'" as
prize for fine department.. and nobody
had any suspicion that her head was
full of nonsense and her pockets full
of love-letters from an utter stranger,
to whom she had told all the particulars
of her life, and the full extent of he
fortune, and to whom she had given
vows of eternal constancy; not exactly
in black and white, for black ink was
voted vulgar at Miss Minerals, but in
purple.
At last the climax arrived.
Something befel her that had not
befallen any of her room-mates as yet.
Carlos offered his hand and heart,
and begged her to elope with him.
She read the letter aloud to Emma,
Rose, Grace and Maria, and, all in
futter, begged their advice on the mat
ter.
"He says he's Prince" said Helen,
with glow on her cheeks, land, you
know, of course, I'll be Princess if L
marry him; and, of course, he shall in
vite you to our castle. Last night 1
met him-I coaxed Biddy to watch and
let me in-and he was all wrapped up
in cloak; but he was splendid. He
has foreign accent and q black mus
tache."
"Oh," cried MaIa, II love foreign
accent"
"And I've promised to run away with
him tonight" said Helen. "He says
ma will be sure to forgive us; and he's
awfully rich. And, oh, how I do feel,
girlsl"
"Of course you do. But it will be so
NICE" said Maria.
"They never have bridesmaids on an
elopement," said Rose; ooh, how I'd
like to CO."
And while Mrs. White, sitting with
dear friend, who also had grown daugh-
tiers, but who kept them at home, con-
graduated herself on dear Helen being
safe at school, this affectionate daugh-
ter, from whom she had just received a
charming epistle, corrected by Miss
Minerva and touched up by the writing
master, was packing her small bundle
in preparation for fight, aided and abet-
ted by the four young ladies to whose
example she owed so much.
At IL of the night she slipped down
stairs with her little parcel in her hand.
All in the house were asleep save the
four friends in the first class dormitory.
Bridget had left the key in the lock. It
was dangerous
IF she were not the first up in the
morning it might lose her her place.
Out into the moonlight hurried the
young girl
The white beams showed her pretty,
foolish face pallid as that of ghost
She had never set foot in the street
alone at such an hour before.
A terror seized her-a sense of her
own wickedness.
Perhaps she would have turned back,
but that figure in cloak came at that
moment from the shadow of aporch and
seized her by the arm.
"Ah, my own Helen!" said voice.
It was Carlos-Prince Carlos-her
own Prince.
Romance came to her aid.
She forgot her fears, and entered the
carriage waiting round the corner with
him.
Away they drove, how far Helen did
not know.
Suddenly the arm that encircled her
was withdrawn, ard voice said:
$ Look here, young woman. No noise.
I'll choke you if you try to scream.
You have your watch and jewelry with
you, hope, and the money you prom
ised to coax from your mother. Hand
them over"
ooh, it is not my Carlosl" cried
Helen. "Oh, what shall do?"
at is Carlos least it is the man
you've been corresponding WITH" said
the voice under the hat. "But I'm no
Prince and no husband for you. Hand
over the money and the jewelry and
I'll not hurt you. I haven't much fancy
for bread and-butter miss, and an
idiot who would run off with man
she didn't know, to boot. Hurry; I'm
waiting!"
Poor Helen! She felt as though the
sudden end of the world would be