Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-06-25
FTormer-1 peg you TO be seated
For Florimel, apparently the stoutest

of the group, remained standing.
"My good madam" he said, huskily,
and with some irritation, 81 am TOT
You can't expect seventy years to re-
pose themselves upon low chairs and
divans-like these p
Eugenius, whose appearance was
characterized by an extreme pallor and
fragility, looked disguised. Clarinda
and Daphne, who were friends, and had
come together, leaned back their chairs
with gestures of adherence.
"Mr. Bulge, pray ring the bell, said
Alicia. GA more convenient chair shall
be brought. am sorry, Mr.. Salmon,
but"
"You did not think was so antique
and unwieldy," said the old gentleman,
Grossly. "People never do think. I
beg you, madam, to tell me how could
have furnished the poets Corner for
the ConUersationalist for the last fifty
years if were not 70?"
"We were not aware you had done
So" said Miss Butcher.
But chair suitable to the needs of
embonpoint being now procured, de-
gree of harmony fell upon the scene,
and the poets and poetesses looked ex-
pectantly at Alicia.
eff Thalia would unlock her lps,"
suggested Mr.. Washington, Electrically.
"We are met together, dear poet
friends" began Alicia, to congratulate
ourselves, the world and the author,
upon the appearance of a volume of
poems of unsurpassed beauty, by Colin
| Clout."
unsurpassed as yet" corrected Miss
Butcher. 81 know of but one work to
supersede it, and that is, The Remains
of Daphne as yet unpublished, but to
be committed to the press by me, after
the death of my friend, Miss Flint"
CATER my DEATH said Miss Flint,
who looked many years younger than
Miss Butcher.
Madam" said Mr.. Salmon, with
sarcasm, "may you live thousand
years p
"Narcissus, interrupted Alicia, quick
ly and. turning to that parsonage, sad
looking gentleman of about 40, whose
ill-ftting clothes and haggard appear
ance seemed to bespeak poverty, or a
strange caprice; "Narcissus, you have
hardly spoken. Do you not think we
may consider His Poems an unsur-
passed work, and congratulate Colin
Clout accordingly"
Thus addressed, Mr.. Bulge glanced
nervously at the four ladies, and then
said, eyes, yes! Anything you like,
Thalia anything pray do SO Yes,
yesw
"What rhymes with surpass. ladies
and gentlemen ?" threw in Florimel, at
this juncture.
Alicia and Eugenius smiled. Thus en-
couraged. Sappho smiled too. Florimel
laughed aloud.
"H Thalia is going to encourage such
coarse frivolity," exclaimed Clarinda.
"Daphne and I must take our leave"
"No, no." cried Alicia. "Pray don't
be vexed, Clarinda. I am sure Florimel
meant nothing"
Glass rhymes with surpass as well as
ass" observed Sappho, timidly.
Those who had laughed before laughed
again those who had frowned before
frowned now. Sappho was painfully
conscious of having made matters worse
by her unfortunate remark.
ssThe business in hand" continued
Alicia, "is to offer congratulations to
Colin Clout on his unsurpassed work"
"Tnalia said Eugenius, "most de-
ferentially, but with absolute frmness,
I beg to say that If the word unsur-
passed be adhered to, must SORROW
fully decline to afix my signature to the
memorial"
"But what can we say instead p"
asked Alicia, vexed but preserving her
good humor.
'sKeep to unsurpassed, by all means, !"
said Florimel. 81 shall not sign it if it
be altered. As to Eugenius, the poem
he refers to as SURPRISING Colin Clout is
his own sheepish pastoral, which the
Weekly IdylIic has been weak enough
to publish
Alicia knew not what to do. But,
after momentary pause, bright idea
struck her.
"Perhaps we had better read our
poems first, she said. eve can sign
the memorial presently. Clarinda, may
I call upon you to begin?"
Clarinda acquiesced and proceeded in
blank verse to describe storm, then a
calm, in language equally well chosen.
The reading had continued for about
a quarter of an hour-for the poem was
ong-when sudden deep and sonorous
sound disturbed the tranquility of the
little party. Sappho looked apprehen-
sively at Florimel, and put her finger to
her Ups.
sob! pray don't wake him /" she
murmured. "Pray do not rouse him
from his rosy dreams.
"He snores," pronounced Euginius.
"He is asleep, you know" said Mar
cissus, with feeble desire to make
things clear.
Clarinda folded up her manuscript
with much parade. "Intolerable coarse
ness" she CALCULATED.
"Why should the reading stop"
asked Alicia, rather anxiously. elf
Florimel does not care to listen, it is his
loss alone"
But the steadfast Clarinda shook her
head. An objectionable affront had
been offered to her. 81 read no more, "
she said.
Alicia begged the others to proceed,
and this they did in turn, but the Sleep
ing form of Florimel and the icy de-
meanor of the two outraged ladies
seemed to lie like wet blankets on the
| I:ll1o o,.o~.I1~ C,-~Io Grck