Middletown transcript., 1881-01-07
gtorp.
A CONTROVERSY WITH CUPID.

took possession of the house. declare
Polly Patten, with a stamp Of he
foot.
The 'he' referred to was not, a
might be supposed, tramp or shel
ifs officer, not even poor relation, G
an Irish butler, or a heathen Chinet
Not at all. The object of Polly's wrat
was a parsonage lifted up, as it woul
seem, by virtue Of his position, aboV
human criticism as above human rules
a myth, an unknown entity-nO other
in fact, than the little good cupid him
self. He and his Vaccinations had o
late wrought changes-wOful ones, Pol
ly thought-in the constitution of tn
Patten family; and to her imagination
represented all manner Of discomfOr
and discontinue, the alteration o
plans, the blight of hOpes-innovation
and croSs-purposes without end. Sht
felt toward him a good, honest, hearty
hostility, as one may toward an oppo
nent Of flesh and blood, as she sat i'll hel
bedroom, inveighing upon the subject
to her special friend Susan Gilmore,
who was perched beside her on the
broad Window-sill.
ooh, it's all very well to laugh, she
went on 'but just wait till you try it
yourself. All last year was given up,
you know, to marrying Helen. Her
trousseau, and her presents, and her
furnishing nothing else was thought
of or spoken of for twelve long months.
The house was choked with her things.
We all worked our fingers to the bone.
Nobody could turn round without find
ing a woman and sewing machine at
his back. We never even pretended to
hear ourselves speak. Well just as it
was all over, and Helen comfortably off
our minds, Lizzie must needs set up a
lover and a long engagement. John
Shaw, too, Of all persons Now l may
be dull, but in the name of common
sense why John Shaw, of all men in the
world p
Lizzie knows, presume.
We'll, perhaps she does still, it is
provoking. Every morning of his life
John Shaw looks in for half an hour on
his way down town. He and Lizzie alb
sorb the parlor, Of course. That is all
right, no doubt but, as it happens,
that particular half hour is precisely the
one which 1 used always to take to tidy
up the flowers, water and trim, fill the
vases, and make the room nice for the
day, and the want Of it puts me out
sit and twirl my thumbs,
and scold to mother, and she never will
agree with me. Lovers are privileged,
she says.
of course they are. Don't be a spoil
sport, Polly. It's their turn now. Yours
will come.
Never But there's more behind.
What do you say to Eunice's indulging
in an engagement too p
Not really p
Very really indeed. John Norman
is the happy man, thistime. Two Johns,
you observe, by way of making the con-
fusion greater. So they sit in the din
ing room every evening, while Lizzie
and her John occupy the parlor.'
And where do the rest Of you sit 2
Echo answers. We sit wherever we
may. Mother takes her mending up
stairs, and has a student-lamp on the
round table in the upper entry. Papa
shuts himself up i'll that dreadful little
close den Of his, or goes to the office.
[ observe that he has businens there of
evenings much oftener than formerly
because there is no comfortable place
for him at home, no doubt. Jim makes
/ point of being out. As for Amy and
me, we siAOn the back stairs, or in the
buffers pantry, OF any other odd corner
which nobody else wants. Polly laugh
ed, but there were tears in her brown
eyes, and very mutinous look about
he pretty mouth, which John Norman,
while inprocessof 'sampling the family,
to borrow Polly's own phrase, had once
ikened to beautiful Evelyn Hopes, Of
5he true 'geranium red
AS if all this wasn't enough she
went on presently with half giggle,
half sob, here is a letter come to-day
from Fanny Allen-our cousin, you
she is engaged too and she
to make US visit, and her
young man means to drop along, for
sooth, while she is here. Now where
ire they to sit ? l can't imagine, unless
hey take the air-chamber of the fur
mace. The front steps are quite too
cold at this time. Or I might have the
cleared out for them;
hadn't thought of that before
Polly, you are ridiculous. Your cous-
in will manage that for herself-see if
she doesn't. They will take walks, OF
oh, if they only would If the
whole lot of them would take walks,
and keep on walking, and never walk
this way, how comfortable it would be!
Sue, you are abominably tolerant about
such matters. That miserable cupid
wish [ could hold his wings in the
candle and burn them off. He never
Ties in but to do mischief somewhere.
How peaceful and happy We all were
together before this sort of thing be-
gan ?
Take care /; he will hear you, and
ne is revengeful creature. | believe
him to be the original little pitcher
with long ears, laughed Susan.
i don't care if he does hear me- as
serted Polly deiantly.
Has cupid ears =? Certain it is that
matters grew worse rather than better
fOr Polly from that dow fo,uyard Eo,, |