The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-08-21
A QUEER TEST.

ION MGTcultu, us tHC WV ShUheSiSu avn
Broadway one fine spring morning
Because never could md any woman VIII
would have he | suppose" answered Ton
laughingly.
mo use to tell me that Old fellow" rejolr
ed Harry, girls are not SO foolish as to declin
good looking man like you with plenty O
money: yet here you are nearly 30 years ole
and no more prospect of settling than you haC
ten years ago Now if 1t were me, why, TIT
case is very different. A doctor just strugglin!
into practice is scarcely considered eligible b,
matchmaking mammas, to say nothing OF thel
worldly-wise daughters, but they are ready anC
eager to smile upon you, ana you might a
well make your choice"
Thank YOU" answered Tom, still laughing
"when find young lady who can come "
to my grandmother's standard of domestic vir
tues, will invite her to become Mrs. Thoma,
Meredith"
"And what was your grandmothcrs peculiar
doctrine on the subiectg" asked Harry
II presume she had more than one" SAID
Tom, but this she particularly impressed upon
my mind: Always look at woman's dish
towels she would remark with much soem
nifty NO matter how well she plays the piano
or sings, or how many languages she can speak
never marry her unless you see that she uses
soft dry towels and plenty of them when she
wipes her dishes. BE sure that the girl who
uses soiled or wet dishtowcls does not know
enough to be the wife of an honest man "
Harry laughed at this definition Of house
wifely knowledge, but presently he SAID in a
serious tone:
There is considerable truth in the old la
dys ideas after all, but ! don't quite under.
stand how, in these days you can apply the
test. Most young ladies that we know have
never seen dish towel. Now think Of it, |
promised to introduce you to my cousins.
There are three of them, all bright, pretty girls,
though think it doubtful whether they would
fulfil your grandmother's requirements AS II
wife. Still you may find them pleasant &C
qualnanCes, and il you like we will go there
now"
agreed" responded Tom, and the two
friends soon found themselves IN the parlor
of Mrs Renshaw, llarry's aunt.
The young ladies were all at home, and as
Harry had said, were bright, pretty girls. Ida
the eldest, was tall, queenly brunette, whose
magnificent dark eyes and abundant raven
tresscs seemed to compel universal admiration,
though she had a powerful rival in Adele, the
second daughter, whose delicate blonde beau
ty showed To fresh advantage beside her more
brilliant sister The two were the acknowl.
edged bellies in thei. own circles, and few who
knew them ever paused TO give glance at
their younger sister, little Violet. AS shy and
shrinking AS her floral namesakc, she avoided
the gay assemblages in which her sisters loved
TO shine, and passed her time pleasantly andl
peacefully with her books her music and her
flowers She was not present when Harry and
his friend entered, but when her cousin, with
whom she seemed great iavorite, asked eX-
pressly for her, Miss Adele desired the servant
to call her Tom, who was conversng with
Ida, did not notice her entrance until aroused
by llarry's voice, saying:
"Mr. Meredith let me introduce to you myI
cousin, Miss Violet Renshaw.'
And, turning quickly, he was surprised att
the sight OF The tiny creature, so unlike her
elder sister. There was nothing magnificent
and little that could be strictly termed bcautl.
full, in the almost childish figure but there
was something indcscribably winning in the
clear gray eyes, and in the rich chestnut curs
that clustered about the broad, low brow.
Tom had little time for observation, how
ever, as Ida and Adele claimed all his atten
ton, while Harry monopolized Violet in II
frank, brOthcIly way, quite unlike his more
formal and cercmonl0us manner with the cid |
or sisters.
"Wcll, what do you think of my two cou.
siDsP was Harry's natural question when he
and Tom were once more in the street.
81 can only express my admiration by say
ing that | wish it were possible to divide my
self INTO three separate and distinct ndlvdu
ais, that might offer each of the fair enslav.
ers hand and heart" replied Tom, with
much soemnity
What, without waiting to discover
whether '"er dish-towcIs are in proper order ~
retortcd friend
Tom ghed
81 h prcsentimcnt that | shall forget
my rev md grandmother's advice until it Is
too late when the important event of meeting
my fate shall arrive"
And Their remember it for the rest of your
life, suppose" observed Harry; 1.-THE princi.
pie of marrying IN haste and repenting at leis
ure.' Well, hope my fair cousins Will not
be the cause Of such catastrophe; but must
leave you here, AS | have a patient in this
house, And he hastily ran up the steps.
Left to himself, Tom sauntered slowly along,
thinking Of the young ladies whom he had
Just seen. 1t must be confessed that little Vic.
let occupied but very small portion Of his
thoughts, which were filled with Ida and
Adele.
but doubt if either of them ever saw
dish.towel," was his concluding reflection, rs
he reached his boarding-house
Weeks passed on, Tom was devoted in his
attention to the Misses Rcnshaw RumUr had
assigned him first to Ida, then to Adele, and
waited with Impotence for the time when thel
engagement should be publicly announced.
Meanwhile, almost every day brought some
good and sufficient excuse for HIM TO call at
Mrs. Renshaw's pleasant house II new poem
The latest song, an invitation for q drive, or a
pan Tor an excursion. OF Violet he saw less
than OF the other two sisters, although they
were very friendly, and he treated her with
the same brotherly frankncss as did Harry.
One lovely June morning he presented him
sell at Mrs Rcnshaw's at quite an early hour,
intending 10 invite the three sisters to pass the
beautiful day in long country drive He no.
tced lhal there was some delay in answering
hi ring which was not usually the case with
Sirs' hehshaw well trained servants; but at
length he heard a light foots,ep, and IN auoth.
or moment the door was oucncd nv Violet
81. I'm. 4 ~