Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-09-27
A LOVERS QUARREL.

ALOvER'S QUARREL.
''Why don't he Gomez said Lillian
Bourne, peeping earnestly between the
boughs of the monster lilac-bush, whose
purple plumes waved to and fro in the
evening breeze. 'sOh, why don't he
come? can't possibly be mistaken.
He said on Tuesday evening at seven.
and its twenty minutes past, by grand
papa's big clock; and, oh, dearr' with
sigh that stirred the bunch of pansies
| pinned on her left shoulder, s.there isn't
a soul in sightr'
| BY all the signs and symptoms, Lil-
lian's little pink ear should have burned
that evening, for they were all talking
about her at Miss Lorinda Larkins' tea
party in Dover street.
ssOh, she's born croquetr' said Miss
Lorinda. 1.-TWO Jumps of sugar did
you say, or one, Betsy Young? She
can't help it. It's in her nature. Don't
you remember, Mrs. Pepperfield, what
a flirt her mother was before her?
But she'll never play fast and losse
with Gilbert Dawson again-that I'll
go bail!''
.Oh, do tell us all about it, Miss
Larkinsr' said the Widow Peabody,
with her mouth full of chicken
salad.
"Well, If you won't repeat it,
Repeat it!'' We! Never, as long
as we liver was the reply that went
around the tea-table in one accent.
| .Of COURSE added Miss Lorinda,
.'it's all quite private and confidential,
between ourselves. But it was at the
Medbury's party. What business the
Medbury's have to give parties, with
bought ice-cream and two violins and
a harp, / don't know. Every one is
perfectly aware that there's a mortgage
on the place, and that her dress-makers
bill amt paid. But that amt neither
here nor there. l was there, in my
dyed green gown, trimmed with Aunt
Liddy's old English lace. and / was a
lookin' at the big orange-tree in the
conservatory-that's another of Mrs.
Medbury's sinful extravagances-when
see Lily Bourne, in her white frock,
on the other side of the bank of flowers,
gigglin' and a-whisperin' with Squire
Rufus Darlingr'
"Myr' calculated the other ladies,
with open mouths.
"And up came Mrs. Medbury, all in
| a smile-she smiles twice as often as
before, since she got them new false
| teeth-and whispers in her ear. And
says Lily, out loud, says she, oh, l
can't! I'm engaged to MIR. Darling!"
mo-" cried Mrs. Popperfield.
II heard it with these very ears"
solemnly answered Miss Lorinda.
"EngagedH' repeated Miss Lorinda
Larkins.
'.And she keeping company with Gil
bert Dawsonr' exclaimed the Widow
Peabody, breathlessly.
s.But she won't never trifle with him
no more, added Miss Lorinda, with ILL
disguised satisfaction.
''For met Gilbert, yesterday after
noon, and asked him about his moth
er's rheumatism, and what the New
York doctor said about it; and he never
took no notice of my questions. You
know that absent way young men have
when they're in love. Excuse me,
Miss Larking,' says he, but I'm a
little in hurry a lookin' right over
the top of my head, as if wasn't there
at all. If your goin' to Miss Bourne's,'
says l, there amt no such terrible
hurry Says he: What do you
mean?' And he looked at me sharp
enough this time. .Hain't you heerd?
She's engaged to Squire Darling says
1 'heerd it from her own lips; and all
Pekassets talkin' about it, says /.
The idea of a young creeter like that
sellin' herself for money and fine
house. For everybody knows says l,
that that's all that Rufe Darling's got
to recommend him; and he's old enough
to be her father into the bargin,' says
l. And he just turned the kerridge
around, without ever having the polite
ness to say good by and druv' off like
Jehu in the opposite direction.
young men amt accountable when
they're in love-" sighed Miss Polonia
johnson, who was suspected OF being
the poetess who wrote the love sonnets
in the Pekasset Weekly Oracle.
81 amt one that NEEDLES with other
folks affairs" said Miss Lorinda, VIC
iously biting off a piece of soda-biscuit
and butter; .'but l shall never encour-
age flirting with any man, while you're
engaged to another. It's clean ag'in
my principlesw
And before the next days sun set,
everybody in Pekasset knew all about
Miss Bourne's engagement to Squire
Rufus Darling.
Don't mind it, Gilbert said old
Mrs. Dawson. "Do not let a girls
silly caprice break your heart"
She lay on the sofa in the pretty lit
tie keeping -room," where the floor
was carpeted with blue, because blue
was Lillian Bourne's favorite color, and
the walls were papered with punches of
white-and-gold lilies, because the lily
was her name-fower.
Fringes Of pale mignonette hung on
the window-boxes, and a canary chirp-
ed gleefully in the sunshine; for Gilbert
had made his home beautiful because he
wanted Lillian to like it.
Mother" said the young man, with
a tremble in his voice, IL loved hertz
But you never were actually betroth-
ed" spoke the old lady, pitifully.
mot in words; but we understood
each other, and No matter; it's over
and past now" said Gilbert, sadly.
Mrs. Dawson pressed his hand with
true maternal sympathy.
my poor boy!' she whispered.
Try and forget her.
II can't do that. mother. But" with
sudden resolve, "I'll go away
from here. I'll accept my Uncle Raven
burns invitation to go with him to those
old Mexican cities, where he is to sketch |
and paint. I'm not much of an artist |
myself, but L can manage to while |
the time away somehow. At all events
/ can't stay here and see Lillian mar
ried to that pompous fellow, Darlingr'
He had not been gone ten minutes |
to the village, after that momentous
conversation, when there came the tint |
est knocks to the door, and in response |
to Mrs. Dawson's '.Come inn there |
entered-Miss Lillian Bourne herself.
Fresh from the spring woods, with a
basket of the pale pink, trailing arbu-
tus which she herself had gathered, in
her hand.
But she paused on the threshold rs
she saw the hardening lines around the
mouth of Gilbert's mother.
.sAm in the wayg' she asked, tim
IDLY. Have come at the wrong
timer
pray walk in," said Mrs. Dawson,
trying to simulate the cordiality which
her soul refused to offer to this girl who
had broken her sons heart.
IL found these arbutus-stars in the
woods said she. II knew you were