The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-04
A SUMMER ROMANCE.

hONANHi
town, with her sister-in-law Mrs. Randolph.
At little distance was the fve-year-old
daughter of the latter, with the indispensa-
BILE wooden shovel and pail, as irrepresible
little witch as ever lived, nicknamed in the
family, Toots.
my dear" said Mrs, Randolph, expostu-
lating.
Eyes, a supercilious peacock, repeated
Molly, tapping her foot impatiently.
1t was only the day before that they had
arrived, and already Molly had nearly broken
her sister-in-law' heart This was especially
hard on Mrs. Randolph, who had left her
favorite Saratoga because Molly had said:
II detest fashion, and want to go to some
place where people live sensibly in summer.
Mount Desert, everybody says, is just such a
spot; let US go there"
So to Mount Desert they had come. They
had arrived to find Bar Harbor crowded to
overlooking. Gay New Workers, well-born
Philadelphians pretty Baltimoreans, dys-
peptc Southerners, esthetic Bostonians,
young gentlemen in knickerbockers, young
ladies in navy blue, all stood crowded on
the Rodick House piazza, watching the new
arrivals. when Mrs. Randolph and her party
appeared.
Molly had preceded her sister-in-law few
steps-for the latter had stopped for a mo-
ment to give directions about the luggage
when suddenly our heroine heard a voice
close to her ear.
''By jove," it said, what pretty girln'
Molly turned, angrily, and saw handsome
To- mo 1n bod mi TO nh
yet also more than contented with himself,
staring decidedly almost rudely, at her.
"The impudent puppy" she said to her.
self, hot flush crimsoning her cheek. The
next instant the offender, recognizing Mrs.
Randolph, advanced eagerly, both hands ex-
tended
''Can believe my eyes?' he said. You
here, Mrs. Randolph? And outside the
pale of civilization, as some people might
think? What has induced you to desert Sar-
atoga2
'0hl Mr. Peabody I'm so glad to see you.
But thereby hangs, not tale, but a great
many" she replied, laughingy; I'm too
tired, however, to talk Come to see me this
evening, and I'll tell you all about it."
well, congratulate you that you are
without party, or a dozen debutantes in
| tow" he said; for he had failed to connect
Molly with Mrs. Randolph, supposing that
our heroine belonged to some other of the
arrivals. you don't know what it is here.
Such swarms of girls seeking husbands"
with a shrug of the shoulders. 1.-The grass
hopper plague was nothing to it."
Molly heard all this, and turning, fixed
pair of stern, indignant eyes on the speaker
for was not she a debutante-ths the first
season since she left school? Fortunately for
the young gentleman's peace of mind he did
not see this by-pay.
But he wes made to realize that something
was wrong when in the evening he came to
pay his respects to Mrs. Randolph That
| lady, after shaking hands, again sank into
her armchair, and, tapping her fingers with
her fan, said, indicating Molly with ges-
ture
my sister-in-law. Miss Randolph. Molly,
Mr.. Peabody"
Molly rose and took the offered hand, but
| frigidly; her bow was as stiff as the Arctic
circle.
Connected fop" she said to herself. "He
| thinks he has only to throw his handker-
| chief and any girl will be glad to pick it up"
His soliloquy was not less to the point:
my beauty of the afternoon She over
heard me, that is plain. What a mess I've
| made of it. She'll never forgive me-"
But neither by sign nor word did he indi-
cate this He was too much of veteran in
society matters for that "What" he cried
| with great effusiveness, your sister-in-aw
Miss Randolph, of whom I have heard so
much? This is most delightful surprise
| Heretofore, whenever | have called l have
| been told she was at school, And, helloo
here is Toots. Why, Toots, don't you know
your old friend?'.
And in a moment Toots was in his arms
memories of bon-bons and Mr.. Peabody being
synonymous in her mind
you see, Miss Randolph" said Peabody,
addressing the young girl. and quite ignor-
| ing her frigid manner, that Toots and | are
| fast friends"
"Ahp' replied Molly. indifferently. 1--WE
| all know that the affections of Toots are very
elastic"
But the young man, ignoring this decided
snub, turned to Mrs. Randolph: "Couldn't
induce you and your sister to try game of
| tennis tomorrow? Or, better still, to come
out on my blackboard? 1t will be, at any
rate, novel experience"
| Mrs. Randolph is charmed. But Molly
| stands the very picture of ill-humor looking
prettier than ever however. Thanks" she
| says ungraciously, but l hate lawn tennis,
and don't care to drive on a buck board
yet" At hearing which Mrs. Randolph is
I furious, and feels that she would like to box
Molly's ears. Peabody then begins to talk
| of the scenery. Il like coming to Mount
Desert he says because all along this
| coast you see mountains on one hand and
sea on the other; combination to be found
| nowhere else on our Atlantic coast, You
| must ascend Green mountain. The view
from it is better, l think, than that from
Mount Washington, even" But he fails
to interest Molly, even in the least. in his
| talk.
| The next morning Mrs Randolph Molly
and the ubiquitous Toots go do to the
rocks Mrs. Randolph is quiet for awhile
too much soft is the calm before the storm;
and finally she wakes up and speaks her
mind; and then Molly retorts in the words
with which we open our story "Why
shouldn't l call him superciious peacock?'
she says, defantly What on earth is
| Charlie Peabody to me? l didn't want to
drive with him, and | abomiuate spooning"
Molly" answered Mrs. Randolph severely;
| you know perfectly well that Charlie Pea
| body is the man of Bar Harbor. 1t is not of
the slightest consequence whether you like
him or not. In fact, 1 much prefer you
shouldn't, for he isn't a marrying man,