River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-04-12
AN APRIL STORY.
BY susAN LEE wEIgs

The Revere house was not only the most
elegant family boarding house in B., but
as Mrs. Chase, its lady proprietress, was
careful to inform all single gentlemen de-
sirable as boarde-s, could boast Of more at.
tractive young ladies than any other similar
establishment in town.
Whether or not from this cause, there
was generally a goodly number of eligible
unmarried gentlemen to be found at the
Revere house-thOugh it must be confessed
that they all paled into comparative insight
ficsnce upon the arrival of Captain Herbert
but lately promoted from lieutenantcy
and come TO spend part of his leave of abb
sence with bis married sister, domesticated
at Mrs. Chases establishment.
The beaux upon whom the Revere house
bellies had lately bestowed their sweetest
smiles, now suddenly found themselves ne
elected if not positively snubbed, by those
fair ones.
How uninteresting they appeared in com
parison with a real army Officerl How
plain and insignificant their dinner and
evening suits beside the undress uniform of
the captain, not to mention his personal at
traetions
'Such a lovely moustachel' lisp ed Miss
Lily Blanchard, in the ladies' par lor after
dinner-"only 4 little too dropping and
trieste, pehaps."
"And his eyes!" said Miss Ros o Pinkney
did you ever see such deep, clear steel
blue2 They positively seem to look through
one, and to read ones thoughts"
'Look through mine eyes with thine my
love
49,, ,-c-,- ,,,s4T,
sarcastically hummed Miss Keane of whose
ready wit. not unfrequently favored with a
spice OF malice, most persons stood in awe
For my part languidly observed Miss
Lexington, the beauty par excellence of the
party-''for my part" have not particu-
larly noticed his features, but his manners
are Just perfect. 1t requires just such a
proud, cold style to win mel"
$50 you design to be won2" sneered Miss
Keane.
''Unless it win interfere with the similar
designs of other people, replied Miss LET
fngton, carelessly.
She and Miss Keaue were very intimate
and as they often mutually remarked, ''un-
stood each other perfectly"
Miss Pinkney came to the rescue.
Suppose we each try our best to capt. vate
him?" she suggested archly. "Surely
among four you ng ladies, each representing
a different type of female loveliness,' as the
ball-reporters say in the papers-from Lily
Blanchard's blond beauty to Miss Letting
toms Oriental splendor-Captain Herbert
must find something to please his taste,
whatsoever it may be-"
'You forget Miss Latane" said the fair
Lily, CHANGING at a young lady who was
seated at window near, with her face halt
averted as she looked out. "Pray, Miss
Latane will you enter the lists with us2"
Miss Latane turned around-a fair girl
with delicate features and large, soft, brown
eyes.
''By no means" she answered quietly.
81 shonld not presume to compete with
those so much better skilled than myself
in the art of captivating"
There was not a shadow of sarcasm in
her manner, yet the four young ladies
looked doubtfully at each other.
As for Miss Latane, she arose aud after
idly turning over some music on the piano,
quietly LEFT the room.
''She must have intended that as a cut at
rs, said Miss Lexington, as the door closed
on the retreating figure. 81 shouldn't have
thought her capable of it, uAsophisticated
little country maiden that she is"
From the country, isshe2 Well might
have guessed as much, " sneered Miss Keane.
A ripple of laughter rewarded this sally,
and the young lady resumed:
There's not one of you, besides myself,
who could discern the true inwardness of
that little speech of our pretty milkmaid.
Why, I've seen all along that she is
jealous of Us, and is herself more than half
in love with Captain Herbert"
"Absurdl Why, he never notices her,
said Rosa.
Certainly not, beyond necessary atten-
ton" chirned in Lily.
'Butsthat doesn't prevent her cherishing
secret devotion for him. I've seen her blush
when he offered her lobster-salad; and
when, yesterday. Mrs. Hughes got off that
stupid joke about chicken beart and re-
quested Captain Herbert to pass it TO Miss
Latane she couldn't have looked more con-
scious had it have been his own heart that
be was offering to her acceptance on that
blue china plate"
what funl" said Miss Pinkney. "If we
could only get her to think that he admires
her. Suppose we try"
Miss Pinkney seemed intended by nature
for a plotter and intriguante. With
broader sphere of action she might, like
some famous ladies of history, have revolu-
tionized. by her little arts, a court or a
kingdom; and even in the narrow circle
of Mrs. Chase's clearinghouse, she had
been the cause of more than one inexplica.
bic denouemeRt among the inmates She
liked to amuse herself in this way. 1t was,
as she had just observed. "such fIni"
as for Miss Latane, she was not popular
at the Revere house, except among the elder
people She had been there some two or
three weeks, having accompanied her aunt
on periodical visit to the city; bat nono of
the young people felt much better acquaint-
ed with her .han on the day of her arrival
The gentlemen pronounced her pretty
r-a-t-h-e-r-but not amoo ing, aud, in con-
sequence paid her no particular attention;
while the young ladies felt, rather than said,
that somehow she did not fraternize with
them.
She seemed, after the first few days, to
hold aloof as il We're; and once, when they
had been discussing with great zest 8 bit of
social scandal, and not being able to agree
upon the point of what party therein was
most to blame. had referred The question 10
her, she had turned with blush, aud re-
piled, gravely, Excuse me, ladies; have
no opinion to offer on such a subject, and
had thenceforth held herself more aloof
than ever.
OF course the ladies resented this pre-
sumption on the part of the ''lit-
tie country maiden, Though she always be-
ing gentle and lsdylike, it was difficult even
for the maliciously disposed to find point
of attack against her, until the invention of
Miss Pinkney's brilliant and amiable plan,
Just mentioned.
The fair ROsa's address was well known
to her three friends; wherefore on the fol-
lowing day. they looked on with some in
terest as carelessly reclining on the same