The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-07-10

mans" notion was about this period doe
not transpirc 1t was no doubt fixed upoI
the price of fruit.
CHAPTER II.-PREPARATION FOR TIL
MOMENToUs OCCASION.
James became a thoughtful and watch
fful man. His natural refinement came Il
his aid He had kept on hand in market
able quantities the culture of his youth
James was Boston man. He felt that hi
must make an impression, and knowing
intuitively the value of melancholy in
eliciting the sympathy of the sex, he prac
ticed before his shaving glass until he
arrived at the true Byronic standard. He
made serious animadversions upon 'th1
Ostrich" for keeping his head too close
cropped to permit even a halfinch curl tC
crawl oyer his marble forehead. But he
made up for it, in part by having band
of bonn oazine put around his hat; begging
this privilege of Mrs. b. on account of the
loss of dearly beloved sister. There was
a certain want of harmony between this
funeral article and his green-plush knee
breeches, but the effect, after all, as the
housemaid said, "was only to make poor,
dear James look still more forlorn."
Whenever he got chance. he worked up
inc gITlS Ou at, dhu ho"
and then made veiled allusion TO geom-
etry. At other times he struck manly
attitudes and looked sad. These latter
succeeded best. AS for his legs-but let
us be patient-the mortgage can not yet
be foreclosed.
Itwas not long before q certain tender
sentiment made itself manifest in the ex-
pressive eyes of ii young misses. They
were responding to the dread gleam of
melancholy in the young coachman's. eye.
Their attentions to his livery were deeply
affecting to a soul like James's. Their fair
hands jerking his uniform into shape, be-
guiled him a good deal. He may or he
may not have missapprehended the mo-
tive of these attentions, and then again he
may" as the doctor over the way again
remarked; but such was the generosity of
his mind that he always gave them credit
for loving intentions.
However that may be, James modest,
fdclicate and respectful courtesies to the
young heiresses must have impressed them
favorably The tender solicitude with
which he bounced them over the cobble-
stones, his fearful anxiety lest they should
wet their little feet in walking to the car
riage, and his care for details while tuck
ing the wraps around them on cold days
where undoubtedly appreciated. ,s-
They, too, on their side, were solicitous
about his welfare, and James had some
times gone so far as to sneeZe when on the
box, in order that he might receive the
young ladies' tender inquiries after his
health.
But hope reached its climax when
Miss Heloise gave him her wrapper to
place around her lovely shoulders, or when
Miss Edith asked him to arrange the folds
of her shawl, because he had such nice
taste" Then James would feel himself to
be an officer and a gentleman, and his
calves would swell with pride and hope to
the size of piano legs.
But there was a difficulty; also when.
ever did the course OIL give it up in adj
vance. Yes, there was little difficulty.
1t was not that the old duffer was so
much to be feared, for the marriage would
be accomplished before he knew anything
about il; but James could not for the life
of him make up his mind which of the
young ladies he would have. The more
he thought about il the farther off he was
from a decision
Miss Edith, while making some emen-
dations to her part of the livery, would
talk to him so charmingly that he thought
her by ali odds the Iiveliest and most be-
witchlng creature on the top of the earth.
Then Miss Helosie, in attending to her
part of the work, did things in such a be-
wildering way that he was firmly con-
WINGED that she took the cake" By
George! it was awful.
'Great Hevings!" James would exclaim,
in the secret recesses of the stable lOft,
this yer thing gifts me bad l like the soft
rounded outlines Of Miss Edith, her rich
smile, fascinating ways; but when l think
of the fascinating ways of Miss Helosie,
her rich smile and her soft, rounded out
lines, I feel about likewise; as fer their
mental arrangements, they're about the
same ON both sides If one of 'en only
had a turn up nose or red hair, then the
other ones goose woul1 be cooked"
This was about the best the poor fellow
could do in a descriptive way. You see,
he hadn't a powerful imagination for
drawing parallels in female charms. A
dime novelist would have lathered the
hide off of him in the first chapter.
And so he waited and waited, fooling
away his precious moments in loving both
and choosing neither.
One day James drew up To the door
for the usual park drive, determined that
this occasion should decide his fate, ii he
had to toss for choice. He had no sooner
made up his mind to this then down came
the young ladies; and, fortunately, the
Ostrich was not with them. They hesitated
the carriage alone, Heloisc having re-
turned 10 the house for her dog. Nov for
it." thought James. "Fate has decided for
me; I'm going to jump in" and he turned
to speak to Edith. Then suddenly he
caught sight of certain curious white flut,
terings in Heloise's garments as she en-
tered the house, and he was once more
cast back upon the sea of doubt. Fatal
hesitafioni
At this moment he heard a slight cry
from Edith, and turning, perceived a tall
young man with curled mustaches rush.
ing up to the carriage. He was sublime
sample of the genus, dressed in blue and
luxuriating in a perfect blaze of buttons.
1t was not q policeman, but an officer of
the United States army-that is the way
he used to write it out in the hotel books
-and Edith greeted HIM with effusion.
Then Heloise came out carrying her dog,
and at once recognized their darling sol
dier friend, whose curling locks the scalp
ing-knife had happily spared for the par
ticular occasion. They all entered the
carriage and James, more dead than alive.
prepared to pummel his horses toward the
park. .-. ...-. !...
The reader will excuse the writer for
stopping a moment to wipe the perspira-
tion from his brow; you see, it was such
close siave-a minute and--well, that's
all; only tremble to think how small an
incident may make or mar an empire, or
serve to give or take from our Fifth-avenue
tea-tables the substance for an extra-lively
cilin.
James furtively examined the officers
shoulders. "Hevingsw he exclaimed,
they're an inch broader than mine; but
I've go the legs, that's sure" 1t was on
these that he now relied for victery. He
called also the consultations of philosophy
to his aid, and determined to sit steadily
In his place and fice the inevitable. "Af-
ter all, he sagely reflected, 81 coull not
have married both of them, and that Os-
sifer can't neither-there'll be one left: I'll
git her, anyhow"
Thus always logical was this cultured
coachman of the avenue.
Arrived upon the mail, the ladies alight-