The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-05-12
OF the ballroom; for that one moment
she endured much.

No persuasion of her aunt could in
duce her to dress for church, or move
from certain window, until after the
event to which she looked forward
throughout the six days of the week.
Old Aunt Deborah never imagined any
deeper reason for this obstinacy, as she
called it, than general admiration of the
soldiers, which, to her mind, was suffi-
GENTLY foolish. Had she known the
truth she would have considered that
Julia had lost the little sense with which
she credited her.
The colonel never saw her, never once
glanced at the house, never even knew
where she lived; and, alas for her, had
he known, would not have cared.
He was fast man; not bad in the
ordinary acceptation of the word, but
of no particular principle OF character.
He was accustomed to the admiration
of all his lady friends, and was in many
respects very spoiled man, as little
likely to think twice of awkward Julia
as to stop to pick daisy at his feet.
At least, so he would have said. As
it appeared, he knew nothing and
cared nothing, and certainly, had any
one pointed out the silly little girl
watching for his passing, would have
failed to recognize her as his partner
for one dance, which was only remem-
bered by him as an annoyance.
Time passed. The regiment was
ordered abroad its quarters filled by
some succeeding corps, and Julia's
lapsed once more into the old langrlid
conditions of her life.
Some weeks later, when spring had
come and gone, and summer was at its
height, Aunt Deborah died, leaving her
little property to the lonely girl, whom
she had suffered to live with her under
a sort of protest. As soon as she was
laid in the grave Julia surprised all
those whom her sudden inheritance had
interested, by declaring her intention of
going to finishing school.
"Aunt Deborah" she said, "would
never pay for my education while she
lived but know my own needs, and 1
intend to learn"
There was no one to gainsay her.
She took her own way, and offered her.
self as parlor-pupil to the Misses Jones,
who kept the finishing school in the
little town, and who were glad to re-
ceive her, promising her the comforts
of home and every advantage from mas
ters that her money could procure.
There We're two other parlor boarders
of her own age in the school, and each
had their romance. Each had q lover,
OF friend who was to become such, but
Julia had none. Deep in her girlish
heart she treasured the memory of the
one man who had come, as it seemed to
her, right into her life.
1t was the thought of him that stimu-
lated her to seli-improvement. In her
day-dreams she imagined meeting him
again, when he should be to her what
all the other girls claimed for them
selves. She had been told so often that
she was plain and awkward that she be-
lieved it /; but still in her heart she
hoped that in the future she might, at
least, hold her own with others. 1t was
year since her memorable evening. A
school friend of hers, Amy Chase by
name, had invited her to her house, tell
ing her that a dance was to celebrate
her birthday.
"Not grand affair, you know" she
said" just carpet dance"
Julia felt very little excitement about
it, she accepted because she had no
reason for declining, and was about to
ask some questions as to her dress,
when to her intense surprise Amy con-
tinued:
"Colonel Raleigh is staying with us,
and he is such a man for dancing that
on his account we must have some"
"Colonel Raleigh" exclaimed Julia,
involuntarilv. 81 Thought thought"
"Do you know him ?" asked Amy, in
quisitively. "Isn't he handsome and
delightful, perfect dear"
CT don't know" said Julia, hest
tatingly.
"Don't know! Well, then of course
you can't have seen him, laughed Amy.
"No one ever forgets him; but I'll intro
duce you He's just sold out and
come into a fine estate"
; Julia's feelings at this unexpected
disclosure can scarcely be conceived.
To her this man had been the idealized
hero of every day-dream.
Now all her languor was gone. Her
interest in, in everything connected
with the coming event, was intense.
She consulted the leading dress
maker in the town, and put herself into
the hands of the hair dresser, whose eX-
ploits were renowned. After all she
was to be congratulated in having secur-
ed the assistance of real artistes, for
their choice did credit to their taste.
Her dress was vely simple-white
tarlatan over white silk-and by the mil
liners advice bunch of field daisies for
her hair and bosom were her only orna-
ments.
$50 simple, miss" said the woman,
"and simplicity is the best for young
lady"
Julia herself did not know how much
she owed her for her suggestion. The
awkward, ungainly girl did not realize
the change that had transformed her
into a sweet-faced and not ungraceful
young woman.
Her fair hair hung in curls about her
neck, the expression of her blue eyes
were so childlike and her whole appear
ance so modest and retiring that, with
the pure white dress, relieved only by
the daisies in her hair and bosom, she
looked like some lovely child, and
might have stood for representation
of Innocence itself.
The finishing touches had been put
to her dress by her admiring compan,
ions, and she proceeded with beating
heart to her friends house.
Dancing had already commenced
| opd Jul;a who denended unon hen