The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-04-24
"she must be an old hag!" said Philippa

impulsiyely.
''She is a cold, hard woman, mademois-
elle,n sighed Elise, ''who knows not the
meaning of the word mercy And if they
put me in prison, my old grandmother will
starve.n
'They shall not put you in prison,' said
Philippa ''llOw much was the dress
worth ~
"A good deal of money, mademoisele
A hundred dollars ~ walled Elise.
''Philippa Eumphrics put her hand into
her pocket, where the hundred dollar bill
that her Uncle Dale had given her lay in
side the folds Of tiny blue velvet porte
mOnnaie
"Theres the money! said she. "Gye
it to the odious old harpy, and don't cry
any more; for your eyes are swclled twice
their usual size Already
Elise looked incredulously at the little
brown slip Of paper.
''But, mademoiselle, you are surely not
in earnest ~ said she. "You cannot be ~
Eyes, am" said Philippa, shaking
back the jetty rings of her hair from her
solemn black eyes. "Take that money,
pay Mrs. st. George, and don't talk any
more about it,
"Well, Philippa, " said Mrs. Dale when
her niece came back again, ''haye you de-
cided upon your character yet ~
"les, said Philippa, quietly. 81 will
be Cinderella ~
"Whoin said Mrs. Dale, with her hand
behind her ear.
"Don't you remember, Aunt Theo p
The little brown skinned girl who stayed at
home when her sisters went to the princes
ball
"What very odd choice" said Mrs
Dale.
as it2" said Phlippa "Well, / al
ways did like to be different from other
people, Aunt Thee"
The masquerade ball was brilliant sue
cess. "Undine,n in silver-green Grape and
water-lilies, was as lovely as dream
"Sappho, was tall, and pale and delight
fully classic; but there was one drop lack
ing in the cup of feminine happiness. Mr.
Mortimer, for whose benefit half the bellies
of Niagara Falls had dressed that evening,
was not there.
$50 provoking Of Philippa," said Aunt
TheO, to go and throw away that money"
'My dear, said Mr.. Dale, "a good deal
is never thrown away. And really that
Cinderella idea of the little girls wasn't so
bad. fIa, ha, ha! she did stay at home
when her sisters went to the ball. -
''She will never learn wisdom said
Mrs. Dale, with some asperity. It's so
strange she doesn't care about such things. y
But as it happened, Philippa did care
about such things. And at that identical
moment she was standing on one of the
star-lighted verandahs without, with pink
Shetland shawl around her shoulders, peep
ing surreptitiously through the windows at
the walters.
"Miss PhiIippaw
She started guiltily.'
ooh, Mr.. Mortimer ! am not doing
wrong, am Ii'
He smiled as he drew her arm through
his.
''But why are you not dancing inside ~
''l-l preferred not tonight
"Litte Philippa," said Mr.. Mortimer,
standing still under the shadow of droop-
ing elm, 'you are equivocating now. And
as it happens, know the truth"
81 don't understand you, said Philippa
"My valet is in love with Elise Dupre.
She has told him all about your deed of
kindly charity and he has told mel"
"Yes,' said Philippa, in low tone,
''my uncle gave me money for dress; but
/ preferred helping Elise to going to the
ball -
"You told your aunt you were going as
Cinderella "
''How do you know? But that isn't
strictly true, laughed Philippa. 81 was
to be Cinderella. And so ! ami"
''Then, Philippa, if you are Cinderella,
will you let me be the Princel"
'Mr Mortimer"
Sweetest, have been looking all my
life for just such pure, noble hearted
girl" said Mortimer. "And now that |
have found her shall not willingly let her
60"
'Do you mean"
81 mean love, that want you for my
wife"
Mr. Dale could hardly credit his own
ears, the next day, when Hugo Mortimer
formally requested of him the hand of his
youngest niece in marriage. And Mrs.
Dale lifted her hands and eyes to the cell
ing.
''To think that.it should be Philippa af-
ter all
Gas for "Undine' and "Sappho," they
swallowed their modification and congrat-
ulated the little brown gipsy as cordially
as possible.
"After all, y said shrewd Uncle Dale
Philippa invested her hundred dollars the
best Of any of you"