The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-06-02
button-hole. Other gentlemen had sim

button-hole. Other gentlemen had SIM
liar boutOnnieres.
George was slightly bewildered; but
her keen appetite for supper after all her
open-air exercise assuaged her curiosity,
and she contented herself to await the
explanation of this complication of vel
low roses until after she should have de-
voured her oysters and salad.
The affair had taken place simply, but
satisfactorily. The girls specially inter
ested had fastened to their tea Adele
came rather late. She wore an ivory
colored gown, with gold ornaments;
she looked very beautiful. In her dark
hair. half hidden by the heavy braid. was
a yellow rosebud. She took her place
not far from Olivia. On the table OppO-
site Olivia was basin of yellow roses.
The young lady drew it toward her, after
Adele entered, and said, in nonchalant
but distinctly audible voice, ''Yellow
roses seem to be the fashion tonight"
With these words she took one from the
vase, and stuck it jauntily in the braid of
her hair. The girls near her did the
same. Then Olivia ordered the basin to
be passed around the table. so that all
present might select flower.
At the instant that the sentence had
passed Olivia lips Adele flushed quickly.
She did not raise her eyes Immediately;
but when she did, she looked fully into
Olivia's face and then at Matilda, whose
half-suppressed laugh had reached her.
Then she dropped her eyes again with
out allowing them to transmit any ex-
preston of surprise, or anger, or suspic-
ion. But the quick flush faded into a
painful pallor. She looked for few
moments as if she were fainting; but no,
her spirit rallied. She went on with her
tea. She even, as the waiter, not MOTTO
ing the bud in her hair, held the basin to
her, took from it a rose, and placed it in
her bodice. She left the table when sew
eral Others left it, so as not to attract OBJ
servation, and went to her own room.
The plot had succeeded. She had been
set face to face with her own folly.
When George rushed to Matilda to
hear 8. how the joke went off, all Ma
tilda said was, :. Hush, don't you see
her?'' and glanced toward Miss Riley.
But when George few minutes later
went to find her sister, whom she missed
from the parlor, she had difficulty in
bringing any answer to the locked door
of the room which the sisters shared to-
gether. When Adele. after delay,
opened it, there was no concealing the
fact that her eyes were red with weep
ing. She had evidently been shaken
with some tempest of emotion.
80, Addict" cried the child, what is
the matter? What has happened?" She
caught sight of two yellow roses-a bud
and afiower-tossed on the floor. 30,
my darling Addie! nv beautiful,
splendid, noble sister! what haze they
done to you? o, I'll kill them every
one; indeed 1 WILL" cried George, for
the whole truth flashed on her instantly:
Adele was the victim of the plot. ''And
I'll kill myself, too" cried George.
TWAS now Adele's turn for cxclaml-
ton. ..Be still, be still, my child: don't
talk so wildly. Nothing has happened;
no one has done anything to me. 1 was
tired, and 1 cried. l felt tired, that's
all. o, 1 feel so tired of all the world
to-nightp' And here Adele, seeing that
George was quite hushed, flung herself
into an armchair, and burying her face
in her hands, went on weeping.
George stood perfectly still, as if
petrifed- petrified as to motion, but not
petrifed as to expression. Across her
mobile child-face passed a conflict of
feeling Indignation, pity and
at last resolve. From this last sentl-
ment, resolve, her manner changed en-
tirely; something of a womanly air took
possession of her childishness. She came
to Adele like little mother.
"Come, my dearest, you are tired out,
and | must see you lying down to rest
before 1 90 down stairs. We chi!dren,"
here the small head gave its habitual
scornful toss-''are to dance first; but
you must be down stairs at ten. know
you will be rested by that time, and I
want you particularly, for my sake, to
come down."
All the while she talked she was ca
ressing Adele, and between the caresses
she unfastened her ornaments and I'M
laced her gown. She brought the robe
de cha1nbre. ''For you are to be down
at ten, so you cannot undress entirely,
darling. But just lie down on the silk
coverlet," which coverlet she proceeded
to unfold and to spread on the bed.
Adele ceased crying; she was passive
to Georgie's will. And George, having
seen her sister quite in a restful attitude,
and having made her soIemnty promise
not to shed another tear, and not to
think of anything that troubled her,
turned the lamplight low, and went
down stairs. She danced "the Lanciers''
for which she was engaged, and then
went out alone into the cool, sweet night
air of the moon-lit piazza This piazza
was one of the pleasure haunts of the
nights: it made, with some
detours under pavilions of an ornament
ed courtyard, the complete circuit of the
hotel. .... .....
George walked slowly along the piaz-
"a past two or three groups of girls,
until she came to the angle that turned
upon that portion of the portico which
the gentlemen used after dinner and
after tea for smoking. There were
few young men there with their cigars.
Among them was Mr.. Ellsworth. To
him the child went boldly.
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