Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-09-06

quite characteristic.
"Why, Harvey Ellsworth of course
IT'S pity we could not get his signature
for you to copy exactly, but you must
make itfrom the letters YOU have. There
is capital ii TO begin with"
80, Matilda" said George, I" l could
not sign a mans name. That would be
wrong, am sure. No one has a right
to sign another mans name. Why, that
would be forgery" She was quite de-
cided.
"Well, it must be signed" said Olivia,
''or it will not be of any use. OF course
no one would wear rose for an anony-
nous lover. Come, don't be obstinate,
George; we shall lose our whole joke. f"
Il will tell YOU what she can do"
said Matilda, who had some faint mis-
giving of conscience herself on this
point: ''she can sign it in initials-'H.
E. That might be anybody; at least il
might be any He. Come, child, don'i
haggle; the whole affair is nothing but q
bit of fun. He! he! always comes after
a good joke, you know, George"
So George having found in the scraps
of Consequences the proper capitals,
signed III. E." with modest flourish,
and the note, after due inspection and
admiration, was signed and sealed.
''Now please let me direct it, said
George, "I'll promise not to tell"
30, we have plan about the direc-
tion," Olivia said. "Now you have
done your part nobly, and if there is ever
anything we can do for your pleasure,
be sure to let us know"
81 should like TO see the fun" said
George. "Andyou need not tell me who
it is, for know il is Miss Riley. And
it's almost too bad, only suppose real
old MAZDA real flirting old maid,
mean-doesn't mind whom she wears
yellow roses for. She will just be Won
dering why he doesn't come up and ask
her to take drive, or walk around the
piazza by moonlight. lean just imagine
how she'll quicker her funny crooked
mouth, and dart her poor little yellow
eyes around the corners, watching and
waiting till he dom Gomez" and George
laughed at the picture her Imagination
presented of the excitement of the anti
quated coquette, who had been a warn
ing post to the girls all summer to point
out what they might come TO if they
kept on dancing and flirting till their
hair turned gray, and their dimples ran
into wrinkles, and their voices cracked,
and so on.
Success smiled upon the completion
of the practical joke. When the eleven
a. m. mail had arrived, and the custom
airy application for letters was made al
the hotel office, Mr.. Ellsworth appeared
there, looking over his own budget, as
fortune would have it, quite alone.
Then Olivia came sauntering gracefully
along the corridor, and coming near him,
paused.
80 Mr.. Ellsworth" said she, 'ca,l
you reach that pen on the desk, and nil
you just direct this little hotep 1t is only
a line to Adele; must send it to her room
just Miss Adele HASKELL please" And
she turned to order bell-boy for the
errand.
The ink of its address was hardly dry
when Adele received the note. There
was a picnic that day at Scven-miles
Falls, a drive home by early moonlight
and high tea at nine. Immediately be.
fore tea the toilets were made for the
evening, and by-plot was contrived by
which George Haskell was detained from
being present at the critical moment Of
the Jokes denouement. When tea was
nearly over, she took her place at table,
and glanced at Miss Riley; there was the
yellow rose in her hair! Mr.. Ellsworth,
perfectly unconscious, was seated nearly
opposite her. Then George looked
cautiously at Olivia; there was a yellow
rose in her hair. All the girls, even
Adele, bad yellow roses in their hair.
Mr. Ellsworth had a yellow rose in his
button-hole. Other gentlemen had sim
liar b0utonniereS.
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 yell
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 il toward her, after
Adele entered, and said, in a nonchalant
but distinctly audible voice, yellow
roses seem to be the fashion tonight. "
With these words she took one from the
vase, and stucki 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's 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 q
painful pallor. She looked for q few
moments as if she were fainting; but no,
IlcT SplTlb Tdlllcu. ISHc WeIt OH WIFI ncr
tea. She even, as the waiter, not MOTTO
ing the bud in her hair, held the basin to
her, took from it rose, and placed il i'm
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 chow the joke went off," all Ma
tilda said was, " Hush, don't you see
herP" and glanced toward Miss Riley.
George stood perfectly still, as if
petrified-petrified as to motion, but not
petrifled as to expression. Across her
mobile child-face passed conflict of
feeling-sorrow, indignation, pity and
at last resolve. From this last senti-
ment, reSolve, her manner changed en-
tirely; something of a womasly 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 l go down stairs. We chiLdrcn,"
here the small head gave its habitual
n