Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-30
Nellie's New Years Visit.
BY MRS. n. A. DENISON.

NCIllC ANCN 1V9l NISIts
BY MRS. n. A. DENIsoN.
"Quarrelled with Frank !" exclaimed
Mrs. Wentworth. "Quarrelled with
Frank j. echoed the husband, in the
same breath, and with no less amaze
ment.
Then they both looked at Nellie.
Nellie was Mrs. Wentworth's unmarried
sister, and she now stood before them,
all dusty with travel, having Just &C.
counted for her unexpected journey, by
saying she had "quarrelled with Frank, ="
the said Frank being her lover, to whom
she had been engaged.
"Quarrelled with Frank !" repeated
Mrs. Wentworth, holding up her hands.
"Oh, Nellie and I thought him so
nice!'
Nellie laughed.
Don't look so Mortified" she cried.
"The faults all mine. You we're good
enough to ask me to spend the winter
with you but I declined, because, You
see, thought was in love with Frank.
But now that I find that 1 am not, I
have come"
mot in love with Frank !" exclaimed
her sister, holding up both hands.
"Oh, Nellie how can you say SOP"
but do say it. Or rather, find
can't marry parson, and live hum
drum life, in some stuffy little rectory,
all my days. SO Frank must 60. I
have come here, on the last day of De.
cember, as you see, so as to finish off
the old year, and be done with the old
life. Tomorrow begin a new year
and a new life. shall come out, as it
were, at your reception. I intend to
catch millionaire, and be happy for
ever after, as the story books say"
"Be happy forever after ?" echoed
her brother-in.law, obviously.
''And why not?' replied the gay
girl, turning sharply on him. Doesn't
rybody, nowadays, say that money
is the chief good? You've got so much
of it yourself you don't understand
about others. You can afford to be 70.
mantle ; but 1 can't. And as for living
all my days in poky little rectory-"
"Ah, my dear! !" interposed her sis
ter, with deprecating shake of her
head.
"There, now, don't be didactic," re.
torted Nellie, laughing again. at
doesn't become you, darling, and be-
sides. intend to have my own way. I
always did have it, You know"
Nothing more, therefore, was said
about Frank, the winter that followed
vas one of the gayest for years. Not
an evening passed that Nellie was not
present at some party or other, and the
days were filled up with reception calls,
sleighing parties, etc. For Mrs. Went
worth's beautiful sister was quite a
belle. A dozen fortunes were laid at
her feet, before Lent came, bringing
with it some slight cessation of the
round of gayeties; but they were all
rejected. This sutton was to old, that
one not sufficiently cultivated, third
was too obviously selfish, fourth too
high tempered. Besides, now that she
had tasted of the siren cup of fashion
able society, Nellie found, as many q
one had found before, that it was, after
all, but dead sea ashes" She turned
from it, finally, with loathing.
II suppose 1 have exhausted life ."
she said one day, as she sat in her dress.
ing-room, and curiously regarded her
self in the mirror. 81 am looking
frightfully old and worn-not bit like
the fresh, bright girl that came here
last December. The fact is, all the
men are tops or fools, seeking rich
wives and we. we'll. we're no better
all the women are scheming puppets,
among which I may class myself, trying
to secure rich husbands. I'm disguised
with them, she continued ; with N.Y.
self most of all. I'd rather 20 back
and marry the parson, and mend stock
ings in the bay-window of the little
green rectory. than marry the best man
in society"
But the parson isn't there now"
said Mrs. Wentworth to her one day,
when she had repeated something like
this in her presence.
"What has he left Dingley parish 2"
and she gave gasp, while the color fed
from her cheeks.
"Yes, I heard he had"
LEFT Dingley parish What, for
good?"
$50 I suppose. Some rich city church
has called him. They thought the jew.
ell required finer setting"
And it did," she said, frankly.
- Frank was too great for us, and our
little village I might have seen it.
Why hasn't anybody written? Mother
knew that lat least, she might have
thought that it would have been of
some interest TO me-"
Mamma knew you had thrown him
over, and took it for granted. 1 suppose,
that yOu didn't care to hear"