The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-01-21
IN. Y. Post.l
Platltude Square.
By H. Ames, Junior.
CHAPTER I.


ats population was somewhat smaller. Many
OF the houses were built of brick and had green
blinds, and where there were windows visible
the panes were of glass. The locality where
Judge Van Schoonhoven had erected his two
story wooden mansion was generally consid-
cred attractive, comprising as it did an un-
fenced tract charmingly diversified by thistles
and goats, and the friends who assembled one
summer afternoon to drink tea In honor of the
birthday Of his only daughter warmly congrat-
ulated Miss Eliza on her prospect of inheriting
SO much real estate Real estate, however,
was far from her thoughts, which had been
liked from the first on fragile and pretty
young gentleman who occupied the only rock
ing chair in the parlor. She had seen few
men in her life beside the chimney sweeps who
occasionally visited the house, and her admi
ration for the stranger increased up to the mo-
ment OF introduction, when she learned that
his name was Mr.. Boreus Noend, and that,
like every young man who amounts to any
thing, he had graduated at Harvard and then
gone abroad to live, shaking the provincial
dust of his native land from his feet. Her
opinions found no expression, though he asked
her, jauntily, If she always broke down the
scales when she was weighed; and it was not
till they had reached the garden in the course
of their promenade that she opened her lips,
and then on his kissing her, languidly, she re-
marked, "Perhaps that was not proper"
"Oh, say!" exclaimed Mr.. Noend.
AS he seemed unconvinced, she grew bolder,
and said, Probably you were too abrupt"
"Well, it's too late now, fancy" said Mr..
Noend.
Eliza looked at him. "You are an English
man." she said wittily.
He blushed, but did not look at her. eyes,"
he answered, II live there. How did you
know?'
"Your clothes don't fit, and your hat is two
sizes too small.''
"Oh, say!" exclaimed Mr.. Noend.
perhaps they are hereditary clothes, EN-
tailed as YOU call it in England"
He stared. Il don't know what you mean
by sentailed.'"
"You could find out"
ooh, couldn't, you know; such a borep'
She looked at him. You walk as If about
to fall on your nose"
He looked at her. 'Only fancyl''
mot at all, - she answered luminously, "its
fact"
He rubbed his left ear with his right hand.
II say" he exclaimed, 'this little festivity
is quite swell for Hoboken, isn't it?''
Eliza smiled vigorously. "Thauk you'll she
said.
"I beg pardon" he said.
What for?" she asked.
For putting more than eight words in my
last sentence"
"Isn't it proper?''
Every bad form, don't you know"
She was silent for a moment; then she ex-
claimed excitedlY, Zone of the boards on tie
barn is loose"
"It ought to be nailed" he said.
cit was" she said.
He looked at her. "Where is the nail?'
She looked at him. "Lost, suppose"
Whatever will you do?'
II don't know" she answered brilliantly.
you could get another" he said.
Perhaps" she said.
II think 80" he said.
"1t is barely possible" she said.
He looked at her. "Was it long nail?"
"Not very.''
Perhaps it was a short one.'
Rather"
"Was it sharp?"
"No, it was dull" She was silent for mo-
ment Whether she experienced pang at
the loss of the nail or was Indifferent she cOu Id
not decide, Now, however, that it was gone,
she remembered looking at this particular nail
and wondering If all nail heads were usually
as square, and it seemed to her that perhaps
she had not estimated nail heads at their prop
er value, and she smiled coldiy, but somewhat
cleverly. Mr. Noend, who was still. looking at
loses things.''
II think you are right" she said.
He crossed from the right side of the walk to
the left "You are clever, but swfully home
She looked at him. care all Englishmen as
faScinating?"
He looked at her "Not ALL"
Perhaps few," she suggested
Some are obtuse, 1 fancy" he said
Perhaps you mean diffuse," she said graph
ically, then added, 81 don't think you ought
to want to kiss me again; we are great stick
lers for etiquette in a America."
"All rot!' he said quietly.
She was silent for moment, fearing that her
hopes were vain, and that an impossible gulf
yawned between their social positions. He
was born to the purple: the choicest phrases
issued like music from his lovely mouth. Still
she nerved herself to the performance of duty
a;sht and said r.. co%Hscie1tiously: %s II guess am
from his moustache. TT is right to be right :"
'Do you like Hoboken?'
'Not L! It's nasty hole"
"It's an old place." said Eliza.
"But not cultured, you know" said Mr.. No
"Why shouldn't it be?"
"You haven't any little Norman churches,
don't you know"
They're building an engine house on the
other side of the square," said Eliza, spasmodi-
oadyyd oslIy you ought to write for the she
elooked at her. "Why so?''
"YOu are SO original. / should think you
could get penny line for everything you
wrote"
GAN that sort of things BORE" he ex-
claimed.
81 didn't know it," she said.
"You do now," he said.
"Maybe do," she said.
At this moment Judge Van Schoonhoven de-
scended the steps. He was about fifty years of
ROrouc lOokod of hin, bo ohad
and said to Eliza, 'Is this old fool y~ur
father?"
"Yes," said Eliza; "but he isn't old.'
Queer kind of bird, isn't he?"
"He knows how to sass" said Eliza, ele-
gantly.
Fortunately for the course of true love, her
aunt, Mrs Prosy, q person with an Unsuitable
fondness for haunting peanut stands, attacked
the judge and diverted his attention. "I'm
out of money" said Boreus, as he bade Eliza
good night, ''and 1 think, on the whole, may
as we'll marry you. If you'll lend me quar-
ter, I'll come up tomorrow and talk about it. !"
She gave him a dollar mysteriously. To-
ward the end of the week he received pint of
boiled chestuuts by mail. The paper in which
they were wrapped bore the intelligence, in
Mrs. Prosy's handwriting, "He's riled. Better
see him. Keep dark!' Boreus went immedi-
ately.
*Note By the author. 1 hope none of my readers
will imagine for moment that l know anything
L
there. It's quite too awfuly bad form to be born
in America, and owe myself a thousand pardons.
The long descriptive passages introduced not at
all to my taste but the Americans like that sort of
thing. you know. Quite decent people, Americans
Lord Digby and the Hon. Vernon Devonshire were
i'll the States last year for fortnight and did the
place thoroughly, passing through Hoboken on
their way to shoot buffaoes at Baltimore. 1 am
indebted to them for their exhaustive notes on the
State of New Jersey.
CHAPTER II.
''I'm going to marry your daughter, old duff.
fer" said Boreus genteelly, as he entered the
Judges study. "Just to kill time, you know"
'Your legs are too bowed to suit my taste,'
said the Judge. "Your collar-bone was broken
by the kick of a colt, near Cheapside, on the
first of April last, and the strawberry mark
is on the under side Of your left arm. You see
know everything, and ain going to throw
you down stairs.
ooh, I saw exclaimed Boreus, "I'm no
cad; take four tubs day."
II don't like English people," said the
Judge.
Boreus yawned and played with the gold
chain he had bought with Mrs. Prosy's money
He asked: "What do you know about the
upper classes?"
.'When the men are not climbing the Alps
they are riding race-horses; and the women,
who are too proud to take in washing, earn
living by selling photographs of themselves" /"
81 do think I'm too sweet to live!" said Bo-