The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-17
THE BEACH PARTY.

81 invite people to my mouse pro-
cisely as 1 arrange bouquets, my
dear" said Mrs. John Granger, sud
denly looking up from the little ala
baster vase over which she had been.
busy for the last half hour. sS9nle
people always will insist oncrowdlngl
themselves with celebrities the love
ly Miss This, the fascinating Mrs.
That, the distinguished So and 20,
like bunch of tulips, with not 50
much a1 leaf to tone tbem down !;
and that when the lions all get BY
the ears because they s&a't and won't {
admire each other-the lovely Miss
This ispouting and the distinguished
So and So in sulks--the poor little
disappointed hostess don know whit
fn tie least lesfio. j & j Is ,tsk y <<lf
the incest people she knew. and she
can't see why it is not pleasant. Now
| ask my nobodies first, just as line
this shell with leaves, that against
their dark background the glories of
the roses may shine forth more roy
ally. First, my substantials-my
wealthy papas, my useful and do
mestic young ladies, my quiet people.
that fill up the blanks and don't ex-
pect any extraordinary attention, and
do the admiration for two or three
lions, who are sure to be gracious,
and do their best, because they have
plenty of room and admirers"
"Gocd!" laughed l. "Now, l know
where l belong-amOng the quiet
people that fill up the blanks and do
the admiration Eth, Mrs. Grain
ger?"
But not whit disconnected was
that witty and wise little leader of
ton.
my dear Miss Maxwell, how could
you think such a thing? had hoped
you would do me the justice to re
member that some l asked out of
pure selfishness, simply because they
were most valued friends"
l hope 1 received this somewhat
sentimental avowal, aided as it was
by cambric handkerchief and pair
of expressive blue eyes, with proper
amount of innocence in my face; but
in my heart laughed. ! had learn
ed too long ago the estimation in
which the world holds poor and plain
old maids to be ruff1ed. If Mrs Grain
ger INVITED me, because she wished
her son to marry the beauty and
heiress, Belle Tarleton, and Belle
would go nowhere without me, whom
she had dubbed her little Mentor,
that was Mrs. Grainger's affair, not
mine. l was there for my own pleas
ure. | like the old stone house, with
its cool. wide halls and grove of pines;
and though it was so far from the
beach that you could only hear, not
see the sea L wno had no beaux and
was consequently, not afraid of thick
shoes, or an unbecOming hlush-cOuld
at any time wander off, and feast my
eyes on something as gray and rest
less as myself Then, too, loved
Belle. Our friendship had existed
ever since our school days, when l, a
member and an oracle of a senior
class, had taken under the wings of
my protection the shy sallow, awk-
ward child, who had ripened into
that full, fair, stately brunette miracle
of beauty - smooth browed, large
eyed, insolently, faultlessly lovely. as
she sat twisting the heavy tassels of
her wrapper, with look that / knew
meant secret WRATH and discomfort.
And no wonder-for Arthur Grain
gers conduct was really unbearable.
He had been her shadow all winter =
his mother wished him to marry her.
| was sure, and so might he have
been. if he was not intolerably stu
pid, that Belle would not say nay. ]
have my own notions about men and
matrimony, and am not exactly pre-
pared to believe that woman has
arrived at the ne plus ultra of human
happiness when she has achieved 8
husband, but Belle loved him, and
as Arthur Granger was no worse and
rather better than most men | saw nc
reason why she should not have hel
too. So there we were. waiting ex
pectant--I am not certain but manpu
vering also; and the happy mar
without rivals, a Jealous young lady
or any opposing mamma, sat by his
beloved, talked. rode and walked
with her continually, and let an al.
most entire season slip through hi:
fingers without ever once proposing
1t was too provoking.
"And / won't endure it," declared
Belle, passionately, to me. "Every
one knows how matters are, and ]
actually appear to be waiting here till
his lordship deigns to throw me the
handkerchief, You needn't say 8
/