Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-20
stone and his own opinion. He in
sisted on paying my fare (the boat

|
was a regular excursion packet, and
purchasing enough oranges, pears,
and candies, to set up street stand,
Four or five times l was on the
point of swearing at his impudent
officiousness, but bit my tongue just
in time to prevent my exposure
But it was not with him that found
my role the hardest to play.
No; the young ladies were the
difficult ones to deceive. For in
stance, there was one among them,
a beautiful girl of seventeen, Just
returned from boarding school, who
had not seen Maggie Lee for three
years. Of course she was delighted
to see me, when she found out was
Maggie Lee, which by the way, did
not occur until we had started.
She threw herself into my arms,
pulled my veil aside, and kissed me
half dozen times, in manner that
made roy finger ends tingIe for an
hour. 1t was all very nice, but if l
had been in propria psrsone, I
would have liked it better. As it
was l felt as if | was obtaining
goods under false pretenses,' and
lawyer Bimby might issue a war
rant for my arrest on that ground
ut any moment.
A whole knot of crinoline then
surrounded me, on the upper deck
of the boat, to the utter exclusion
and consequent disgust of Mr.. BIN
by and all other gentlemen. / keep
very quiet, only speaking in mono
syllables, in o falsetto voice. But
the others-Lord bless you! how
they gabbled! Under strict promise
of secrecy, the boarding school
maiden who had kissed me so affec-
tionately, revealed all her love af-
fairs, and became unpleasantly con-
tidential about other matters-inno-
cent enough in themselves, but not
cus.omarlly talked of between ladies
and gentlemen.
was terribly embarrassed, but it
would not do to give it up then. As
soon as my trick should become
known, Bob Styles trick would come
out, and news of that kind travels
fast in this country Heuanl1@
ssutfycfUvY woufd be telegraphed and
followed before they could reach
Philadelphia, where Styles lived,
and where tho knot was to be tied.
The river breeze was very fresh
whore we sat, and I noticed that
several of the ladies were glancing
uneasily at me. I couldn't divine
the reason until Jennie, my little
friend from the boarding-school laid
her face dangerously close to mine
and whispered: My dear Maggie,
your dress is blowing up terribly
high-your ankles will be town talk
with the gentlemen!"
Now was conscious of having q
very small foot for a man, and had
donned pair of open-worked stock
ings which came up nearly to my
waist, with pair of CATERS borrowed
from servant girl, in all of which
toggery my" running gear" looked
quite feminine and respectable; but
the idea of the gentlemen talking
about my ankles, and being thus told
by young lady, who would have
been frightened to death if 1 had
told her the same thing yesterday,
was too much for me. I burst into
a sort of strangulated laugh I could
only check by swallowing half of my
tilagree lace handkerchief. The
young ladies all looked at me in ap-
pavent astonishment at such q voice,
when l wanted to laugh all the more.
Fortunately Mr.. Bimby came to my
resue at the moment ard edged him
self in among the crinoline.
May l sit here p pointing to a
low stool nea- me.
g" Certainly" I simpered in my
high falsetto.
"Ah thank you," said Bimby-
with lackadaisical air which naus-
Gated me, as coming from one man
to another-"you are as kind as
you are fascinating"
} You fatter me-"
"1? No, indeed; praise of you
cannot be flattery, Miss Lee."
"Oh sir, really you are a very
naughty man." l said il the mosi
feminine tone I could command.
He cast a languishing glance at
me through the black lace veil, and
l fairly began to feel for his feel.
ings."
} We soon arrived at the grove
and found our band-engaged be.
fore Underwriting us. OF course
) dancing was the first amusement
and lawyer Bimby led me out for
schottische. It was hard at first fol
me to take a lady's part in the dance
but / soon got accustomed to it.
, A waltz was proposed, aud I resolved
0 to have o little amusement at thu
: expense Of the unfortunate Mr.. BIN
/. by.
2 / had first made him purposely
: jealous by, dancing with two othsl