Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-09-20

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Better IN some things even than you,
Philander; for you know you always
say bad words when lose my spectacles,
which he never did, but looked for them
time and again with the patience of an
angel" And taking off said spectacles,
she proceeded to lose them once more
by laying them on the back of the sofa,
whence they dropped to the floor behind
it, where, with the dreadful ''depravity
Of inanimate things they remained
snugly hidden, while she wept silently
in her large lemOn-verbena scented silk
handkerchief.
A few days after VIII Greentree babe
them goodbye the old couple were
installed for the summer season in their
comfortable country house, Greentree
Cottage. And to Greentree Cottage
came, before they had been there
week, this note from one of their oldest
and most intimate friends:
'NEw YORK, June 20. 1882.
MY DEAR TAMASIN AND PHILANDER.-YOu
told me, you will remember, just as you were
leaving the city, that you would like to re-
ce1Ve into your home this summer some
young girl-the more friendless the better for
your Purpose-with view, should she prove
lovable and entertaining, to adopting her
Strange as II may appear, you had not been
gone more than two hours when I met a
young girl VINO i Jnlnk VIII sui you TO
charm. She is pretty, of cheerful disposition,
tolerably well educated, and naturally very
clever; is an orphan and (her grandmother
and only relative, with whom She lived, haV-
ing died three weeks ago. homeless. ] have
spoken to her about your wish, and she is
perfectly willing-nay, anXiOuS-tO come to
you. And am sure her companionship will
add to your happiness, and help you to forget
the disobed1ence of your self-willed nephew.
ANYHOW, receive her as q summer guest for
my sake, for l loved and lost her mother; that
is, she married the other chap.
FalthtuIly yours, JAMES YOWNLIY."
Mr.. Greentree's face frightened as
he read this note. ''There, my DEAR
he said, handing it to his wife, ''Townly
he always was the best and most re
liable old chum a fellow ever had-has
already found our daughter. For this
girl will certainly please US, being heart
lily approved of by him. Pretty, clever,
and cheerful"
eyes, so he says said his wife;
''but he needn't have called poor VIII
lam bad names, for all that. And [
won't give her the boys room. There's
so many trousers and boots and base
balls and fishing things in it, that
couldn't be Of the slightest use to her,
and would only be in her way"
'|DO as you like about that, my dear, -
rejoined Mr.. Greentree, who, to tell
the truth, was secretly pining for the
discarded one, and anxious to have
some young life in the cottage; ''but see
that the room she is to have is got
ready Immediately, for shall telegraph
to TOwnly to send her at once"
And he did. And the result of the
telegram was that the very next morn
ing Miss Zerelda Ardemann made her
best courtesy to the old lady and gen
tleman who wanted a daughter.
And never were any elderly people so
quickly and entirely bewitched by any
fair maiden as were Philander and
Tamasin Greentree by this same violet
eyed, golden-haired, sweet-voiced, pc
tite Zerelda Ardemann.
And as day followed day, and week
followed week, she became more and
more dear to them. She went through
the house from morn until eve, warbling
like a bird, and when evening came she
sat at the old-fashioned piano and sang
the quaint old English ballads that
Tamasin used to sing in her youth,
while Philander, brave in his swallow
tailed, brass-buttoned blue coat, turned
the pages of the music with gentle hand.
She tripped lightly over field and
meadow every day, and culled the love-
lest of wild flowers, which with a grace
that was all her own she arranged in
vases and shells, and whatever she could
find to hold them, until each room
looked like fairy bower.
And many a beautiful poem she re-
peated with rare skill in the cleaning,
bringing the happy tears to the eyes of
her delighted listeners. ''Ah! if Will
had only made her his choicer' the old
lady would say to her husband at least
a dozen times a day.
''By heavens! if he had" that impul-
sive individual would reply, she
wouldn't have waited long for my bless
ing"
The summer passed pleasantly, very
pleasantly, away, and the advent of
autumn found Mr.. and Mrs. Greentree
more in love than ever, if that were
possible, with their charming guest.
''And do you think you could love us
enough to call us father and mother,
and to promise that when you give your
whole heart to some one else you will
not forsake us?" asked Mrs. Greentree
of Zerelda one sunny September day.
81 know I could know 1 do" an
swered the girl emphatically. ''But l
have confession to make to you that |
fear will turn you from me. ="
''My dear, it must be something very
terrible to do that. But make it at once,
and have it over. Philander! Philander!
Zerelda has something to tell us which
she fears will make us love her less.
Please come and hear it. -
Philander dropped the newspaper he
was reading on the porch, and stepped
into the dining-room through the opened
window. Zerelda stood in the CEN
ter of the room with dropping head, but
as soon as he had entered she tossed
back the little ringlets that tried to
shade the brightness of her eyes, placed
her two little hands in the lace-trimmed
pockets of her dainty apron, danced
lightly across to where the old couple
were now seated side by side, and said,
in voice fraught with innocent cheeri-
ness: after all, what have to tell
isn't so Uery bad. l haze amused you