Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-03-18

|
at this time of the year. Or might
have the trunk-room cleared out for
them; ] hadn't thought of that before. -
"Polly. you are ridiculous. Your
see if She doesn't. They W will M take walks.
OF something"
"Oh, if they only would! If the
whole lot of them would take walks,
and keep ON walking, and never walk
this way, how comfortable it would be!
Sue, you are abominably tolerant about
such matters. That miserable cupid
l wish I could hold his wings in the
candle and burn them off. He never
| flies in but to do mischief somewhere.
How peaceful and happy we all were
together before this sort of thing be-
CAMP
Take care; he will hear you, and he
is a revengeful creature. / believe him
to be the original little pitcher with
long ears laughed Susan.
don't care if he does hear me,'
asserted Polly, defantly.
Has cupid ears? Certain it is that
matters grew iworse rather than
better for Polly from that day forward.
Fanny Allen came, and in due time
her lover, according to programme,
and with the latter a cousin.
Mr.. Othniel Oliphant, sue
| cessful merchant, just home from China
| for brief visit. His return was not
purely for business purposes. Mr.. OH
plant was on the lookout fer a wife /;
| and with the prompt decision of mer-
camille man, he elected Polly Patten for
that position on two days acquaint-
! ance. A firm believer in the faith that
faint heart never won fair lady," and
Hothing venture. nothing have,n he
offered himself at the end of the week,
and quite undiscouraged by Polly's dis
mayed mo- sat resolutely down and
traced his parallels, resolved to gain bv
siege what he had failed to win at a cozsp
by assault. This complication set the
seal to Polly's discontents.
'For just imagine what a state of
things it Makes" she teld her conf
dante Sue. There they sit-the three
sets of ninnies-one in the parlor, one
in the dining-room, one in the den, ;
from which poor papa is turned out bag
and baggage; and there is that abomin-
able Oi q! (never did man have such
suitable initialO looming like doom or
a thunderstorm all day long, deter
mined to get me by myself. and cult
vate my acquaintance How can he
make me care for him, he says, if he
never has the chance to see me alonep
1t is the most embarrassing, abominable
condition of affairs. I seriously medi-
tate running away to teach school-or
something. Home is growing unbeara-
bie"
Why do you dislike Mr.. Oliphant go
muchP He seems to me very pleasant
"Sue! When he leases the life out of
me! declare she is blushing. Are you
turning traitor toop"
6 Not in the least-I don't know what
you mean, that is. What wanted to
tell you was that were going to have a
young man of our ownalso. Ny brother
Jack is coming home next week"
How coherent! | declare, Sue, You
make me suspect something. Jackf
He's the one who's been so long in Ger
many. Well, l hope you'll enjoy him
but pray keep him to yourselves. I've
had enough of young men. Johns espe-
cially. | never want to see one again as
long as | live-I think. Graciousi
there's that tiresome o. o. strolling up
and down in hopes of catching me as
come out. | declare it is uncomfortable.
Good-by, Sue. I'm going home by the
back door, if you don't mind" And
catching up her bonnet, Polly vanished.
while Susan Gilmore, with a guilty look
in her eyes, and pair of red, red cheeks,
tied hers on, and issuing sedately from
the front door, encountered MI. Oil
phant, and presently, under his escort,
walked up the street. AFTER aA,n she
thought to herself, g if Polly can't like
him, and doesn't want him, why not?r
Why not, indeed? 1t was unanswer-
able.
Another fortnight passed. Cousin
Fanny and her tfance went away, but o.
0. still fingered. Polly gave an excla-
nation of despairing disgust when she
learned his intention; but, after all, he
did not prove. the nuisance she had
feared. He had other friends in town by
this time, other engagements, and did
not haunt the Pattens' house every day,
and all day long. as at first. Polly heard
of him often at the Gilmores'. She saw
little of Sue in those days; Sue was oc-
cupied with her brother, just returned
afterhis long absence. Mindful of Polly's
interdict, perhaps, she was in no haste to
present him to her friend-a fact which
Polly was disposed to resent, when, a full
week after his arrival, she was at last
brought face to face with him. She
liked John Gilmore at once. He was
quite different from the other Johns, and
not at all formidable, Polly thought
tall and spare. quiet in speech and shy in
manner, wearing spectacles. too, but al
together very nice" What myriad
of diverse meanings may be included in
that word, beloved of girls, .'nicer'
In John Gilmore's case it meant that
he did not talk nonsense to Polly, and
yet that he seemed to like the nonsense
she talked; at least he frightened under
it always, and il made him laugh. He
never bored her with sense and long ex-
plantations. but she was never in his
company without finding herself after
ward thinking about things which he
had said, and looking up little points of
information suggested by his talk. He
was so kind-hearted, too-always so
kind! He didn't sneer at her diatribes
against love and lovers; and he seemed
to understand and be little sorry for
her, left out in the cold, solitary in the
midst of the sisterly circle once SO one
in interest and so closely united. Here
was genuine friend at last, she reflected
"a friend of her own; and comforted
thereby for her losses, sine grew a little
more tolerant of the happiness Of other
people; and even when, little later, a
great wave of surprises and sudden
oh "a N ooe hyoIo ovor fl,o box,,a q o,,d oil -,