The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-03-22

BY SUSAN n. DAY.

maintains was almost deserted
Half 4 dozen of the late-stay'n
guests were gathered in the httl
parlor for their last evening.
high September wind turned thei
thoughts to the desolateness of tn
winter months in the White Hills
Maud Wellington, always a leade
in talk and action, called to tn
landlord:
"Come here, please, Mr.. Little
tell us how you ever live through
the winter p
"Wa1l, you 'lest come up her
and try one of our east blows!
tell YOU. you don't know anythini
about the mountains. You onl,
come up here when its warm ant
nice. and Mr.. George he drives M
team around, what dye call it?"
Tandem" suggested George.
"Yes, tantrum; and he takes yol
girls to drive, and its all very pretty
Jest let him be here in the winter
and he'd drive tantrum, sur
enough"
"Would'nt it be fun?" asked
Maud. "Would you really take III
in. if we came up next winter?"
Il guess most likely ! could
You would have to put with things
though. / would be real glad to SCI
you, naow; the winter is awfu
lonelyw
Il am in earnest, and / will comt
if the rest will. i think it would bt
very jolly" said Maud
Eyes, quite too awfully ghastly
iolly,n murmured her brother George
whose slang was overwhelming.
The others all promised they
would Join her if she formed a par
ty. and the next day they separated
and forgot all about the plan and
the promise, as people do.
1t was late in December. The
holidays were approaching. Maud
Wellington was restless and dissat'
isfed. The season had been very
disappointing. Everybody was dull
and stupid; Germans were tire
some, dinners more so, and she was
tired of Boston and everyone IN it
And all this because certain
Thomas Sedgwick Thornton had
not appered in the city, as she had
expected. 1t was none the less true
because she would have denied it.
and that she had al ways laughed
at him, and professed to hold him
in the most perfect contempt. She
knew perfectly well that he was a
hard-working lawyer in New York,
with little time for holiday making,
but she was quite unreasonable
enough to think that such trif1es as
business made no difference. He
ought TO have admired her enough
TO have made any sacrifices, and
have made haste to continue the
summers acquaintance. 1t made
no difference to her, also, that there
were many others as assidious in
their devotion as he was amiss. He
was the Mordecai at the gate, and
she was unhappy. The wind howl
ing around the corner of the house
took her thoughts back to the last
evening in the mountains, and a
sudden resolve made her spring to
feet.
Mother" she cried, rushing into
the warm library, where her mother
sat doozing before the fire, Il have
made up my mind. We will go up
to the mountains, and see how they
look with snow on them"
"You crazy girl! we won't do
anything of the sort"
Mrs. Wellington always made a
point of seeming to oppose her
daughters plans, but she always
did just what her children told her
TO do. Maud wasted no more
words in entreaty, but coolly told
her she must 60, without any more
ado.
With Maud to decide was to act.
George was delighted with the pros
poets of such a lark; he had not
known whatto do with the holidays.
Notes were Immediately sent to
those who had been with them
when the proposition was made,
and to several others who might be
congenial spirits. When they had
written nearly all. Maud said with
perfect carelessness
II suppose you viii have to write
to that Mr.. Thornton. l don't
think he would add much 10 the
general hilarity, but l am afraied it
won't do to leave him out and ask
all the rest who were there"
Right you arew said George.
"I'll send an invite to the old duff
fer; he's not half bad fellow after
all. OF course he won't put in an
appearance.
/. But it is the impossible which
happens. For some occulent rea-
son, Mr.. Thornton chose to join
this wild expedition, and presented
himself at the appointed time at
the rendezvous. With the excep-
ton of himself and poor Mrs. Wei
lington, who looked already vic
timized, it was as gay party as
Boston could furnish.
As usual, it was Maud who was
leader and prime favorite. But she
was admirably seconded by three
of her friends, only a little less
brilliant and daring than she. Then
there were two or three society men,
who would have gone anywhere
that Maud and her set proposed.
Little did they care for the gran
deur of mountain scenery in its Sc
we're winter dress, but the trip prom
ised much fun and unlocked for OPP
portunities for carrying out certain
intentions. Last and noisiest of all
came George Wellington, a Harvard
Sophomore, with an equally reck.
less and hair-brained classmate,
whom the young ladies alternately
petted, snubbed, and used as foils in
their more serious schemes.
Mr.. Thornton felt out of his ele-
ment, as he had done so many times
during the summer. He was not
keyed to the same high spirits and
unceasing gayety. He was grave,
quiet-a man who was terribly in