The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-02-05
and thither with an elaborately studied

t. and thither with an elaborately studie
Who'll buy? expression on their y,
E. rious faces, and full baskets of button
p niers in their hands.
II TIME thought her success in gettin
k names had melted the ice, and th
It girls were gathering about to congrat
r ulate her, but they did not even seen
y to see her, so busily were they pinpinI
p the easily sold boutonniers to the coat
e of her patrons. slf .a
9 The Commodore as the rest of hi
u party called one of their number, wa
easily ensnared. Not only did he sub.
: init to be ornamented, but made anx.
t ious inquiries for large bouquets, and
4 broke off his gay little conversation
< with TIME to rush off to the floral
\ temple with one of its nymphs.
3 TIME was too unversed in the ways
of the world to feel any resentment at
his detection, but she was sorry
, enough for the abrupt break in the
merry chat they were heving, while
he insisted upon her turning the leaves
of the big album for his inspection.
She tried not to show any feeling,
but there was "a suspicious little draw
ing down of the baby mouth, and a
grieved look in the wide blue eyes
that infatuated him as he dashed back
in moment with huge arrangement
of flowers in his hand, which he beg.
ged her to accept.
He must be remarkably charita-
BILE man. was her little remark aside
to the rector, as the commodore pro-
ceeded to take unlimited shares in the
autograph album.
The rector had been watching the
frank, high-bred face Of the young
fellow, and, unworldly as he was, he
knew enough to trust him so he paid
| no heed to tho mods and winks of his
wife across the hall, who was being
informed by the able first directress OF
the dangers q girl in Tinie's peculiar
position ran from the over-familiarity
of the strange oung man. a
Bobby, the candid young brother,
lowered over Tinie's stall, hoping for
recognition from his friend of the
day before but much scrubbing, hair
cutting and clothes brushing had so
transformed the ingenious youth that
he passed unrecOgniZed till he forced
himself into notice by whispered de-
mand to know if his sister wasn't just
as he had said, eleventy thousand
times handsomer than those old cats
who wouldn't speak to her because
her mother was washerwoman.
The commodore's bewilderment at
the question only lasted moment;
then he saw it clearly. This pretty,
soft-eyed girl, with her little wildrose
face, and shy, bewitching ways, was
the abused sister he had already felt
such chiyalrous pity for when her
brother had told her story.
He remembered it all now-the old.
worn-out dress, and the pretty white
apron that was to cover it-and what
a fascinating little apron it was, all
covered with ruflles and puffles and
flummery, as his untutored masculine
tongue would have described it.
1t must be that very apron that was
playing the. mischief with him, for he
had never been so fascinated by any
girl before. 49i;s1 .s,5~
~ Suddenly wild desire to possess
the Irresistible bit of property came
oyer him. Would she cell it for sweet |
charity's sake? H.. -! 4s. i
Then the cruelty of securing it and
leaving her to the modification of ex
posing the rusty merino unprotected |
by its friendly shelter, rushed over |
him, and he took Bob into a short con-
sultation, which resulted in an inter- |
view with the majestic first directress |
who was promenading the hall with
the bland manner of a shop-walker,
or of one who graciously holds aleyee,
but keeps an eye on the guests that
they escape not with the spoons,
The suave lady, little guessing for
whom it was destined, assisted him to
select from one of the tables an apron
of far more elegant character than the
one he coveted and he, with Bobby's
assistance, began to negotiate an ex-
change of aprons, with ten dollars to
boot, to be added to the fair receipts.
TIME flushed up at the offer, but the
bystanders urged her to. accept, it,
and even the clergyman whispered his
approval. aq 'ai LOS
She couldn't go to church without
the ribbon she had plucked from her
hat to adorn the apron, was the hesi-
tating confession she had whispered
back ; which whisper being overheard
by Bob was speedily communicated to
his new friend, who surprised him by
being too stiDgy to surrender the rib
bons, but begged to be allowed to add
to the exchange whole bolt of bonnet
ribbon to be procured in the morning
when the sun and the village milliner
made their usual simultaneous arising.
TIME, who had not courage to resist
so much opposing force, made the ex-
change, and entirely overthrow the
commodore's theory that the apron
did it by appearing even more daz-
zling and radiant in the new one; but
he was satisfied with his bargain, and
TIME added the ten dollars to her lit
tie box Of cash from subscriptions.
The list was full now, and such
merry excitement attended the draw
ing that all the other parts of the hall
were deserted, while the crowd flock
ed around to look and listen. One of
the yacht party drew the winning
number, and with dismay found him
self owner of the album; but with
great presence of mind, he presented
it to the rectnr xuh ho with inst ua0- |