Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-19
TO THE SWEET"

SWEETS TO II SWEET.
Roses for Alice,
c, the lily's pure chalice,
ohy lttle vl0!ets, lift up your heads,
Whisper q message,
That shall but presage
somebody plea, when hfther he treads.
Tell her her wOOer
so Fainw would bestrcw her
rain with your blossoms robbed of the thorn:
Say to her beauty
Tribute is duty,
WIN me her favor and Danish her scorn.'
"Wall, naaw, that's realprettv," said
Aunt Becky, "only it kinder spiles it to
think likely he's writ the very same to
a dozen gals. Wonder if he writes
Mahala poetry. Didn't know he'd tried
his hand on your gal. Wall, she's
faound him aout naow."
Alice, meanwhile, had fled from the
room. She ran on into and through the
garden, to the grove beyond, and there,
in the depths Of the wood, sat down to
cool her heated cheeks, to still her fiut-
tering heart; %resolutely to reason away
the glamour of enchantment which had
encircled this Adonis; to call up her
womanly pride and righteous indigna-
ton. A brief shower of girlish tears,
and then she calmly recalled Aunt
Becky's hateful story and decided what
to do. An hour later she was on her
way to Amelia's. Yes, it was true.
Amelia had felt his destinations; but
she knew the whole story. Then to
Nellie's. Nellie denounced him in I'M
measured terms. After a little hesita-
ton, Alice directed her steps to Ma
hala's. Miss Mahala Graves was a
lady of forty or forty-five years. She
was very tall, very slim, and not very
straight. Her wisp of hair was fastened
behind, in a tight knot, the size of a
large thimble. Her round eyes, prom
inent teeth, small nose, and receding
chin were none of them types of beauty.
Yet a warm and true heart beat beneath
the plain exterior.
Her pride was in her house, which
was very old (though in a state of X
cellent preservation), and in the many
heirlooms which had gathered about
her.
She greeted Alice with the utmost
%cordSlity, and, after discussing the
weather and the health of each member
of the Aston family, Alice bent her
head over a beautiful bouquet, saying:
''What lovely fowers!"
EYES," said Mahala. "Came this
morning, those came last night, these
yesterday morning, and those over
there the day before. In the parlor are
some beauties which came Friday and
Saturday; and there are a great pile
faded and thrown out the back door"
II had a handsome bouquet sent in
vecterdav :, caid Alico chvlv
"EhPS queried Mahala, calmly.
likely. He's told me about YOU"
"Perhaps, too, you know about his
acquaintance with Nellie Waters and
Amelia Squires?"
"Oh! Alice, Alice, you can't believe.
all you hear. Yes, yes. 1 know all
about it and l am perfectly satisfied.
When the ycarnings Of ones heart are
het, Alice, and the golden dreams of
ones youth realized; when two hearts
beat as one, Alice, no one can sunder
them. You'll find it so yourself, my
DEAR and Mahala sighed affectedly
and shook her head in a most significant
way.
Then she took Alice over the house,
showing her the various Mayfower rel
les and treasures of n sort and anoth-
er, which it was her delight to display.
Finally, in a burst of confidence, after
numerous illusions to Cupid's arrows,
Loves young dream (D, golden chains,
she said: "The course of true love
never did run smooth, you know. No
body sympathizes with me. Nobody is
glad 1 am happy. They say the cruelest
things, but then-they don't know him
and I do; and oh! Alice, we're going to
put an end to this by being married two
weeks from to-day"
Alice chopped she might be happy"
Now she had begun, it seemed great
relief to tell some n all about it. So
she began at the beginning, when he
stopped at the gate ten days ago and
begged a flower, and admired the old
house, and asked leave to call next day
and walk through the ''ancestral halls
$50 he called them). This Mahala de-
clared made her "palpitate." She
went on, and gave a detailed account
of his brief, but vigorous wooing, until
she brought it down to his kissing her
under the sslaylock" tree last evening,
looking just like a 'troubadour." This
brought them to the wedding.
AS Mahala truly said, this was her
first wedding, and '.migght be her last"
and, of course, she felt very solicitous
that it should pass off well. Having
neither kith nor kin of her own, and,
in consequence Of the unfortunate pre-
JUDGE existing against him, it could not
be brilliantly social. She was deter,
mined it should be unique. Now, would
Alice please advise whether it were best
to make it aesthetic or antique?
Alice was quite at a loss what to ad-
wise. Mahala had at first thought OF
aiming at aesthetic effect chiefy-of
swathing her fragile form in creamy
lace; not fashions in any vulgar shape;
but merely wound about her, fold on
fold, just disclosing her blushing face
and destitute of ornament except NY
on her breast; but last evening she had
discovered a rich yellow brocade dress
which would be elegant. She had also
found an old bridal veil.
Therewitih she took Alice to the attic
to inspect these treasures. On II