Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-10-04
SIMPLICITY ITSELF.

hand. From the expression OF her re-
markedly expressive face-an express
sion that curled the short upper lip of
. large but well-formed mouth, and
caused naturally turned-up nose to
turn up still more-one watching her
might have been led to think that the
contents of the letter awakened no
pleasurable feelings thought that
would have been confirmed when on
reading the last line our scornful young
woman threw herself back in her much
beribboned willow rocker, and ex-
claimed: simplicity, indeed The
mans an idiot"
What man?' asked Miss Phebc,
coming quietly into the room.
Your friends son, Mother Phebe,
Mr.. Peter Candy. Why, his very name
makes you think at once of goose-I
mean male goose"
my DEAR" said Miss Phebe, mildly,
as she seated herself in another highly
decorated chair and folded her hands
in her lap-a sign that she was ready
for a long and confidential chat-.I see
no reason why you should call the
young man an idiot. Idiots, to give
Webster's mildest definition of them,
are 'unlearned, ignorant, or foolish
persons Peter Candy is none of these.
Neither does he, in my opinion, at all
resemble male goose. / met him at
his fathers house last winter, Just after
his return from Europe, where he had
been for three years, most of the time
in London; and speaking of male geese
reminds me that he brought with him
l kaL
worth fortune, my dear. But that is
not what | started out to say. Let
me see-where was IP Oh yes. He
had just returned from England, and 1
found him good-looking Tin a poetical
way), well educated, and, as you must
have discovered from the letter / gave
you to read-never dreaming it would
lead to idiots and ganders-intensely
devoted to Beauty unadorned,' which,
rs you know, the poet Thomson says
'is adorned the most His mother was
my most intimate friend at school,
Our 'pigtails' rude boys called
them-were always tied with the same
colored ribbon, and our sun-bonnets
trimmed with the same colored silk.
People laugh at school friendships, my
dear, but they often outlast those
But that's neither here nor there.
Where was p Oh yes. We were in
separable friends, and we promised
each other MISUNDERSTANDING read
great many romances where such prom
Uses had produced the happiest results
tn t if we married (and we both GER
ta.nly expected to do SOY, and one had
son and the other daughter, we
would endeavor to bring about mar
riage between them when they had at
tanned suitable age. She married,
soon after she graduated, q man con-
siderably older than herself, with the
decidedly unpoetical name of Peter-a
name he insisted upon transmitting to
his only son, though hear, my dear,
that among his dearest friends young
Peter is known as Aurelius; but he (the
elder Pcter) was wealthy, and Matilda
was fond Of But no matter about
that. Where Oh yes, l remember:
she married. A son was the result. /
did not marry, and consequently have
no results. But | found you, my
dear"
"A motherless child, forsaken by an
unloving father" interrupted Verona;
and springing from her chair, she flung
both arms aronnd Miss Phebe, and
kissed each of her plump rosy cheeks.
"And no real daughter, / am sure"
the elderly lady went on, when Verona
had again seated herself by the win
dow, "could have brought me more
happiness and comfort. And now, my
dear, if you will only make up your
mind to receive this young gentleman
in nice and friendly manner, perhaps
you may find him q very agreeable per-
son, and he may find in YOU the reali-
zation of his dreams. And if you should
fall in love with each other"
But, oh, Mother Phebe," inter-
rupted Verona again, Sin spite of all
you say, can't help thinking he must
be such a-such a-idiot! Just listen"
And she proceeded TO read from
the letter, in drawing, affected
manner: Il, like my glorious
teacher, Oscar Wilde, love Nature,
and in loving Nature, love Beauty
Beauty unadorned, Beauty pure and
simple. l would have the maiden of
my choice owe naught to Art If she
wear flowers, let them be the blossoms
OF the fields and meadows rather than
:he costiest of artificial blooms; and if
some slight blemish mar her lowell
ness, let her not seek to conceal IL by
rouge, or powder, or any other lie, but
by the sunshine of her smiles so dazzle
ihe beholder that he will see il not. AS
for her dress, better in my eyes is the
plaincst of homemade gowns than the
richest robes of silk and satin dsfigured
10y all the paraphernalia of the mantua-
maker. All, could | but find such
maiden! Now, Mother Phebe, the idea
Of his writing such stuif-for it is stuff
TO you! But of course he thought |
would see it, and being truly rural
young woman, would DO much i'm
pressed thereby"
my dear, you arc severe -" began
Miss Phebe.
There, knew il. You've caught
the infection-speaking POLITICALLY"
81 didn't mean to, / assure you, my
dear. though in my youth / wrote and
published number OF verses that were
-. But no matter. You will behave
nicely to PeterP Promise me you will.
Verona"
IL will do more. Ill try to be all
he'd have the maiden of his choice
And if he don't like me you'll be con-
tentP"
III be content" And Miss Phebc
rose to go, as somebody near by whis-
tied loud and clear. whats thatp"
"The first bar of Charlie is my dar-
ling" replied the girl, mischievously;
and she proceeded To whistle the second
herself, in bird.likc manner, as she
leaned out Of the window. A slender,
1.-THE young fellow stood in the garden
below. On catching sight OF her face,
he nimbly climbed the old pear tree
that stool directly in the garden path.
and reaching HE bough that brought
him opposite the snuggery, he seated