The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-02-06

Meredith had contrixed to see the
cousins several times week, and con-
sequently fell deeper in love with the
golden-haired lassie, even while he was
quite conscious of Ruth's deeper char
acter and stronger intellect.
Sometimes he was almost tempted to
waver in his allegiance to the elder, and
then he took himself with very unneces-
sary sternness to task for his incon-
stancy.
Tonight, however, he passed the
whole of the last few weeks in review
before his memory, and decided that in
action was the very worst policy in the
world.
"This suspense must be put to an
end" calculated our hero, half aloud,
and then he smiled mischievously to
himself as bright idea came into his
mind.
"I'l doit," he thought, biting his lips.
"Of course its merely for the fun of the
thing. Ihavc not the shadow of doubt
that she seems, but still"
He was silent for few moments, and
then he rose to prepare for slumber.
"They are as polite to me as the ia
vorite child of luxury. Now 1 will take
measures to learn whether that courtesy
is genuinely from the heart, or merely
born of empty form and adulation OF
wealth."
So our hero, laying his head on his
pillow, dreamed of private masquerade
parties all night long.
Rachel DUR and her cousin Ruth were
shop girls in Saver & St. Clair's great
fancy store.
"Oh, DEAR" sighed Rachel one morn
ing as she took off her bonnet in the
little dressing room at the back of the
store and shook down her golden show
er of curls, " how tired 1 am of this
horrid drudgery! How I wish Harry
Meredith would propose if he is going
to-"
Ruth laughed as she smoothed down
her satin brown hair and tied the bow OF
crimson ribbon at her throat.
"And what do YOU think of me,
Rachel who have no such brilliant
hopes of matrimony to light up the
imonotony of my daily toil?"
81 don't see how you bear it SO pa
tiently. I should die with vexation and
ennui if I did not hope for something
better"
"Hush!'' said Ruth; "there is Mrs.
Wickles, the forewoman, calling u.s."
elbow hate the old vixen!" Rachel
calculated, slowly following Ruth into
the store.
"Really, Miss Rachel Durr, you must
manage to be little more punctual, -
said Mrs. Wickles, pursuing up her mouth
primly. ssYou are full five minutes
behind time, and it was just so yester-
day."
Rachel pouted and went to work Ia
beling a box of newly arrived ribbons.
She and Mrs. Wickles had never agreed
very harmoniously nor did she affiliate
with the shop girls. GA stuck-up i'm
pertinent thing they called her; while
she from the serene height of the posi-.
bility of some day becoming Mrs. Mere
dith treated them with disdain which
was any thing but agreeable.
In vain were Ruth's remonstrances
Rachel had always been willful and in
clined to superciliousness, nor would she
listen to her Cousins mildly proffered
advice.
"It's ali very we'll for you, Ruth
you have got to spend all your days
here, but" she said, curling her pretty
lips, 81 shall soon be lifted out of this
groveling sphere"
"Itis by no means a certainty"
eyes, it ISL laughingly answered
Rachel, blushing like a damask rose.
And Ruth would sigh softly, and
think how bright the future was unroll
ing its vast map before her pretty
cousin.
Rachel Durr waited languidly upon
one or two customers that morning
Evidently her heart was not in hel
work, and Mrs. Wickles - from hel
lurking-place behind the cash-box -
cast several envenomed glances at her.
premonitory of a coming storm.
Presently a new customer hobbled in
bent and crooked, and made his