Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-11-19

| take such a liberty? It was really to
bad," Miss Cameron confessed to her
self.
i just this moment, at the handsome
house on the hill. Mr.. Gordon Cross,
bachelor of fif6y-6ve, rang his tell for hi
servant, who answered it with pitche
of warm water in his hand.
''I'm late this morning, Mills said MIR
Cross. as the man arranged his shaving
apparatus. ''Half an hour late. 1 sup
pose my long walk of yesterday principally
was the Cause Of my oversleeping Il y
SELF"
Eyes, sir" replied Mills. cit might
have that effect. sir. I-I-I've got some
thing to communicate to you, sir.''
"Out with it, Mills. " said Mr.. Cross.
Eyes. sir" said Mills. Its about
them young chai S, sir. They're going to
play an April fool trick on you ST."
s'Ha! ha!' laughed Mr.. Cross. Very
good. And you warn me beforehand that
l may have the best Of them. Very good,
Mills"
Yes, SIR said Mills. ssYou see, last
evening about nine O'Clock, when you was
cut, was sitting in the buffers pantry,
readins my bit of news in tile morning
paper, and l heard such laughing and
giggliDg from the young gentlemen that l
couldn't help a-a-sort Of-a-"
Listening" prompted Mr.. Cross.
Yes, SIR" replied Mills, ''for when
| them two gets together mischief is brew.
ing, you may be sure. Well, they was a
writing letters, and there was too much
fun about them to be regular letters, and
l heard your name and the first Of April
| spoken OF so much. So when, after while
| they copied it off fair on the best note pa
per, with your monogram Oh it, and tore
the waste basket, jest made up my mind
what to do. So when they went off pick
ed up the pieces and matched 'em togeth-
CT. And here's the letter, and of all ow-
dacious tricks-but I'll say no more.
| Here it is, SIR
| And Mills put into Mr.. Cross hand the
billet deaux Miss Cameron had received
the day before.
Its the single lady in the white house,
| with the wisterOus over the porch,o said
Mills Its her as they had writ to-the
one that went by with the kitten in the
basket last week, and you asked me who
she was.''
Eyes, yes, a most respectable and agree
able looking lady, said Mr.. Cross. s'Good
heavens. Mills, how dare those lmps play
such trick on me?'
''If you please, sir, they said that when
she answered it, you'd think she was 60
ing to offer herself, being it's leap year,
and be scared to death" said Mills.
81 scared by letter from lady? I've
received such things BEFORE" said Mr..
Cross. 'sThis is uncomfortable Before he
had finished his meal the bell rang, and
the messenger handed in a note for Mr..
Cross.
1t was Miss Cameron's reply to letter
she had received, and ran thus:
Mr.. Cross:-Sir-YO our note is so respect
full that venture to reply to it. If you
really desire as neighbor to cultivate my
acquaintance, think it would be actually
rude in me TO refuse you an opportunity,
as we belong to the same church..
AMELIA CAMERON.
Romance had forgotten the better Of
propriety, and these last lines were Miss
Cameron's compromise with the latter.
| Mr.. Cross shook his head solemnly. his
path seemed set with thorns. II will
think the matter over as cat my break
fast" he said, and Mills who waited on
him watched him narrowly. So did that
scapegrace, his nephew, Jimmy Cross, who
having finished his own meal, sat smoking
a cigar, on the porch in company with his
friend, Sam Humphrey.
The scapegrace was bachelor Cross
nephew, whom he had recently taken to
live with him, and who had no doubt OF
being his heir. James was nineteen, idle,
Jolly, and in his own opinion very witty but
in that of others being slightly bothered
with brains. Sam, his friend, was older
by one year, and the plan which they had
conducted was the result of mutual intel
lectual effort. Possibility Of detection had
certainly not occurred to either of them.
ssNunkey has got the letter. said MI
James Cross after awhile, when Mr.. Cross
after silently eating his breakfast went uI
stairs.
'sLet's watch him. replied Sam. ''By
Jove he's going out"
ssPeek at the glass;" added the worthy
James.
"Going to call, or I'm Mistaken" re
sponded Sam.
And in few minutes more Mr.. Gross
actually walked out of the room. wearing
his new spring overcoat and pair Of ligh1
colored gloves, and betook himself forth
with to the cottage with the wisteria GOV
cred porch.
The two brilliant youths watched hin
out of sight, and then burst into roars O
laughter, and actually rolled upon tn
, lawn in spasms of delight; Mills watchins
them from his masters window, as h
brushed his coat and set the table to rights
= Mr.. Cross was the most perfect gentle
man, and the more he felt it his duty t.
! save the lady's feelings at any cost. Hal
! she not replied to the note. he would no
have felt obliged to explain that he wa
not It's author, but she had answered i
kindly, and he decided to call, and thu
virtually acknowledge the authorship o
the note.
T AS he dressed himself for the call, al
odd and sudden thought came into hi
mind.