Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-09-02

1
Omit to do some needed charityH
Pierced by these words the robbers keen re.
morse
Thwarted his plan, and he returned the horse.
Shame-faced and sorrowful: then skunk away
As If he feared the light of day!
WIDE A,rake.
THE RED FLAG AT NO. 81.
mrs. GRAY TO MRS. THoMpsoN.l
Cousin Ned, from California, Nevada,
New Mexico, and all other places beyond
the Rocky mountains, has been paying
US visit. You know what Jolly good
soul Ned always was, and he is lust as
jolly now-as why should he not be, with
an income of six or seven thousand q
years Besides that my poor Georges
eighteen hundred hides it's diminished
head. He Is hands0mer than ever, too
the same merry brown eyes and chestnut
hair; but, in addition, an appearance, an
air 80 altogether distingue that our eigh-
bors all 60 to their windows to gaze af.
ter him. Well, do you know, the mo.
ment he appeared I set my heart on him
for our dear old friend Adelaide, who
shall not waste her sweetness on the des-
ert air if can help it. You know al
ways had fancy for matchmaking, but,
to confess the truth, have never vet
scored success IN that line. nv two
predestined affinities always fly of at a
tangant just as fatter myself it is un
fait accompi. (You will perceive have
not forgotten quite all the French we
learned together at the Riverside Semi
nary, notwithstanding my years of devo-
ton to pies and puddlngs. I will keep
little OF 1t out OF respect for the mem
ory of poor Mademoiselle Laurent, who
worked so hard to dr1ll it into me.l
But Adelaide and Ned have been cor
responding year Or two; he speaks of
her with great respect-as how could he
otherwise, Of course2-and have fondly
hoped that his mission to the east may
have more relation to the affairs of the
heart than to mining stocks, as he pre-
| tended.
Well, soon after his arrival three weeks
ago, Ned and were sitting in the dining
room alone; the children had started for
school and George had kissed me good
bye and gone down town, after an hours
talk with Ned about ranches and burros
and gulches and canons. Now that /
was alone with our visitor the converse
ton took a confidential turn, bordering
on the sentimental, and in pursuance of
the idea uppermost in my mind, I told
him.1 thought it mysterious, providen-
| tial, that be had not fallen victim to
some bonanza princess, or some bewitch-
ing senorita with no dover but her beau
ty. ....
"And, by the way, what was ever the
trouble between you and the captains
daughter2' I went on.
You remember Of course, Julia, how
much we heard at the time about the af-
fair-how during the war l used to read
to you, even in study hours, the letters I
had received from brother Jim, stationed
at Fortress Monroe, giving the details, in
Jim's rather satirical way, Of the serious
Irritation in progress between Lieutenant
Ned, of Company G, and Captain Oar
| rington's pretty daughter, of the regulars?
And afterwards, how some way shad-
ow came between them-nobody could
tell how-only that Ned was hasty and
had exaggerated some ideas of a mans
prerogatives, perhaps, and Miss Daring
ton proud and shy2 So 1t was forgotten.
And now this same lieutenant, after
hair-breadth escapes from shot and shell
and scalping Apaches, sat there in an
easy chair by my Baltimore heater and
actually turned pale because I mentioned
the "captain's daughterp' Love is
indeed la grande passion.
He had nothing to communicate, how
ever; bade me consider that we were all
great fools at twenty-one, and likely at
that time to get caught in a trap, or, on
the other hand, to throw our chan ces
of happiness swav, just as it chanced to
be; he became silent, and had not the
heart to rally to him as he sat there watch
ing the floating smoke OF lls cigar with q
far.off look in his eyes-knowing as
did that he had gone back fifteen year 9
and that he was walking the moonlight
beach with pretty Lettie Darlington,
while the band of tho regiment played
in the distance.
From the sublime to the ridiculous
it is always my fate, dear Julia. Barney,
the factOtum of the neighhorhoOd. tapped
at the window, and as raised the sash,
"a folne morning, mum" said he; there's
a red flag out at Number 81 and thought
I'd be after comin' to tell ye. Ills foine
house, and foine Teddy ,more's the pity"
You see Barney knows my weakness,
and he had seen me few days before an
animated bidder at an auction in the
neighborhood. 0Thank you, Barney
think I'll be on hand" i" closing the win.
dow.
"a foine leddy," to be sure; I had
often met her fair.faced woman,
plainly and tastefully dressed, walking
with two charming children. Her house
seemed the abode of peace and comfort,
so far as the passer-by could Judge, and
what could have compelled the breaking
up of so cozy an establishment At ali
events I would not stop to speculate
it was possible here was my opportunity
to secure q handsome sideboard at bar
gain. AS wished to be on time to look
through the house before the sale began,
asked Ned to have the goodness to ex-
cuse me for an hour or 80.
"Oh, I will go with yeu, Mrs. Toodles,' y
said he quite gally, and ran upstairs for
his hat and cane.
So off we went to No. 54, where the
flaming flag announced the desecration
Of household goods. We were admitted
by the man in charge of the sale; and
such charming absdel Not down
| right curiosity shop, the effect of deco
rativc art run mad, but such taste and
ingenuity everywhere visible. People
with shrewd, hard faces, boarding-house
keepers, sssecond- hand men," cycling the