The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-16

sented to be his. There now renamed
but one other step to be taken. de
crossed the room, and asked the young
est Miss Browning to dance. lie was
getting rather mixed by this time, ana
was on the very point of asking her to
marry him instead, so customary had
the question grown to him now. MISS
Lily, however, declined to dance, on the
plea that she was tired, and could exert
herself no more that night. With CUES,
tionable taste he pressed the matters lana
begged her to give him one, just one.
At this she told him frankly she did not
admire his style of dancing, which OF
course ended the conversation. SO ne
asked her to come for a stroll instead;
and, having arrived at the momentous
spot, delivered himself of the ornate
speech that had already done duty three
times that night. forget what it was,
but l know it wound up with the decfa-
ton that he adored her and wanted to
marry her.
"It's extremely good of you, I'm
sure," said the youngest Miss Brown
rig, calmly. "But, uncivil as l fear it
must sound, I don't want to marry
you."
"Don't you, by Jove!" said Shocks,
hastily. swell, that's awfully XII No,
moi" pulling himself up with a start;
don't mean that, you know; mean
it's awfully horrid, you know. In fact"
warming to his work through sheer
gratitude, "you have made me misera-
bic forever; you've broken my heart.us Z.
"Dear me, how shocking!" said Miss
Lily, frivolously. "Let us hope time
viii mend it. I'm not very sure you did
not speak the truth at first. l really
believe it is kind, my refusing you.
And now, Mr.. Shocks, if were you 1
should go in and say goodnight to
mamma, because you have been having
a good deal of papa's champagne, and
it's trying to the constitution.
Shocks took the hint, bid farewell to
Mrs. Browning, who, to his heated i'm
agination, appeared to regard him al
ready with moist and motherly eye,
and, taking Vikings arm, drew him
out of the house.
"Well?" said the latter, interroga-
lively.
az don't know whether it is we'll or
ill.," returned he, gloomily. "But 1
followed your advice, and proposed to
'em all.''
"And they accepted youp'
"The most of 'em. But Lily, the
youngest, she-''
81 always said she was sensible
GIRL" put in Mr.. Widing, soto coce.
"Did you'll" with much surprise.
"Well, she refused me; sort of said
she wouldn't have me at any price. So
you see you were wrongl"
81 always knew she was one of the
most intelligent girls ever met" Mr..
Wilding repeated, in tone so decided
that his companion for once had suffi-
Gent sense to refrain from demanding
an explanation.
The next morning as Katie Browning
turned the angle of the hall that led to
her fathers sanctum (whither sense
of filial duty beckoned her) she almost
ran into the arms of her three sisters,
all converging toward the same spot
from different directions. Simultane-
ously they entered Mr.. Brownrig's study.
(He called it library; but that word
is too often profaned for me to profane
it, so l shall draw the line at study
But to return. Miss Lily, being the
youngest, was of course the first to raise
her voice.
81 had proposal last night, papa,
and have come to tell you about it, )"
said she, in a tone replete with triumph.
1t is so sweet to the mind of youth to
Guido its elders. But "on this occasion
only" the elders refused to be outdone.
They each and all betrayed a smile of
inward satisfaction, and then they gave
way to speech.
"No!" they said in a breath. They
did not mean to doubt or be impolite;
they only meant surprise.
"The curate," said Hetty, in COM
posed but plainly contemptuous whis-
per. 1t was a stage whisper.
"Old Major Sterne,' said Miss
George, promptly.
"Perhaps Henry Simms," suggested
Katie, with some sympathy. Then
turning to her father she said, with a
conscious blush, cit is very strange,
papa, but /, too, had a proposal last
night
"And SO had !" exclaimed Georgia
and Hetty, in breath.
"Eh!" said papa, pushing up his
spectacles. He was fat and pudgy, with
sandy hair and a flabby nose. He was
a powerful man, too, and one unpleas-
ant to come to open quarrel with. Pro-
posals in the Browning family were few
and far between-in fact curiosities-
and so much luck, as the girls described,
falling into one day, overpowered him.
some at time; my breath is not
what it used to be-" he said, addressing
Katie. Of he had said 6rea1th, it would
have been equally true, as his mother
if she was to be believed always de-
clared he was lean baby) "May
ask the name of your loverP''
"Mr. Snooks," said she, with down.
cast eyes and a timid smile. She took
up the corner of a cherry-colored bow
that adorned her gown, and fell to adj
miring it, through what she fondly
thought was bashfulness.
"Impossible!" exclaimed George,
angrily.
"What disgraceful untruth!" cried
Hetty, rudely. "Mr. Shocks proposed
to me, to me, last night, and accepted
him.
"What is it you sayP o, am going
out of my mind my senses are deserving
mn ~ oa;I Caorn.ia ,Du+t;.o. he, h,,Jo e.,