Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-09-23
New Series-Vol. 20. No. 95.

inwardBatisfaction, and then they gave
way to speech.
Nor they said in breath. They did
not mean to doubt or be impolite; they
only meant surprise
The eurate," said Hetty, in a compo-
sed but plainly cOntemptuous whisper
1t was stage whisper.
"Old Major Sterne," said Miss George
promptly.
Perhaps Henry Simms." suggested
Katie, with some sympathy. Then turn
ing to her father she said, with a con-
sclOus blush, at is very strgnge. papa.
but too had a proposal last night"
And so had IP' exclaimed George
and Hetty in a breath.
En- Z" said papa, pushing up his spec
tacles. He was fat and pudgy, with
sandy hair and flabby nose. He was a
powerful man, too, and one unpleasant
to come to open quarrel with. PropO-
sails In the Browning family were few
and far betwenn-in fact, curiOsities-
and so much luckas the girls described
falling into one day overpowered him.
"One at time; my breath is not what
it used to be-" he said, addressing Katie.
Of he had said breadth, it would have
been equally true, as his mOther-if she
was to be believed-always declared he
was lean baby) "May ask the name
of your lover?'
Mr.. Snooks," said she, with down.
cast eyes and a timid smile. She
took up the corner of cherry-colored
bow that adorned her gown, and fell to
admlring it, through what she fondly
thought was baShfulness.
"lmpossiblel" exclaimed George an
grily.
What disgraceful untruthw cried
Hetty rudely. "Mr. Snooks proposed to
me, to me, last night, and l accepted
him."
What is it you say? Oh, lam going
out of my mind my senses are deserting
me" said George. putting her hands to
her head with dramatic gesture. "Or
IS 1t dream that he asked me to marry
him, and that too said 'yes?'"
81 seldom visit the Clouds" said Lily,
with short but bitter laugh. "AndI
certainty know he made me noble Of
fer of his hand and heart; both of which
treasures declined"
"Where?" demanded the other three,
as with one mouth.
''1n the laurel avenueT7
At this they all groaned aloud
"Perfdious mOnster!" said Hetty from
her heart.
"Am l to understand" began Mr..
Browning, with suppressed but evident
| fury, that this-this-u scoun-
drel asked you all to marry him last
night?"
"If we speak the truth, yes" replied
the girls dismally
"He was drunk" said papa savagely.
81 can't believe it," said Katie, who
was dissolved in tears-in fact, like Nj
ODE, all tears'-by this time. Nothing
could be nicer than the way he did it.
His language was perfect, and so thor
oughly from the-heart.'
He addressed me in most honorable,
upright, and Christian fashion, said
Hetty. Il am sure he meant every word
he said
She was thinking uneasily of that kiss
in the moonlight. Could any one have
seen her? Was old Major Sterne any
where about at the moment?
4 certainly considered his manner
strange, not a bit like what one reads
said George, honestly; but 1 thought of
the title and the property, and l said
yes directly
4 thought him the very greatest muff
| ever spoke to- broke in Miss Lily With
decision. 4 refused him without mo-
ments hesitation, and told him to go
home. I'm sure it was well 1 did. I
daresay if he had stayed here much
longer, he would have proposed to man.
ma next, and afterward to the upper
hOusemaid. l agree with you, papa, the
champagne was too much for him.
II think he is fond of me- said
Katie, in a low and trembling tone. Her
fingers are not playing with the cherry
colored bow now, but her eyelids have
borrowed largely of its tint.
Don't be a goose, Katie said the
youngest Miss Browning, kindly but
scornefully; you don't suppose any of
US would marry him now after the way
he has behaved. Do have some little
pride
Perhaps he is mad said Hetty, vague
ly. Just at this moment, as a slave to
her wounded vanity, she would have
been glad to believe him so.
No, my dear declared Lily, calmly;
he has no brains worth turning
He said something, papa, about call
ing to-day at 4 o'clock said Katie, very
family.
Then 1 shall sit here till f. returned
Mr.. Browning. in an awful tone. L
shall sit here until 5; and then shall
get up, and go out and find that young
man, and give him such horse-whip-
ping as warrant you he never got be-
fore in all his life
Don't be too hard on him, papa en-
treated Katie weakly.
L shan't, my dear, but my whip will,'
said papa, grimly.
So he waited until 3; he waited till
half-past 5; and then he took up GER
tain heavy gold-knobbed whip that lay
stretched on the table as though in readi-
ness, a sailed forth in search of SnoOks'S
rooms. And he found them, and SnOokS
tOO-in bed, suffering from a severe
catarrah, caught, l presume, in the laurel
avenue.
And no man knows what he did to
Snooks. But at least he gave him an
increased desire for his bed, because for
fortnight afterward he never stirred
out of it,
When Mr.. Wilding heard of all this,
regret to say he gave way to noisy mirth
in the privacy of his chambers; and was
actually caught by he washer-woman-
who peeped through the key-hole-per-
forming wild dance in the middle OF
the tiOor.-London Society.
Going home from church she remark
ed to her husband: Did you rotice that
baldheaded man in front of us, and how
young he looked? l never saw any one
so young before with bald head" Then
he silenced her by replying: MY dear, L
was baldheaded before was year old"