The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-10-27
..1t,s hurting the house," said Miss

|
the object of consideration with--the ladies
of the house. Sooth to say, there were no
| gentlemen before the Pulsifer arrival. 81
Shall not think of coming back next year
unless Mrs. Colman puts a stop to these
proceedings"
ayes, just look at her" said Miss Evans
81 suppose she's going to traipse out OF
the meadows in that rig to make point in
the landscape for some of her painters
and not to be at home till midnight.
don't know how Mrs. Colman can expect
respectable people to remain in the house, y
said Miss Evans, with every ribbon brist-
ling.
It was a pretty rig of the little minx,s-a
pale pink muslin with full shoulder puffs
belted lust under the arms like one of the
Empress Josepnine's gowns, and falling
straight down to the little high-heeled shoes
without a ruffie, the round neck filed in
with strings and strings and strings OF
pearl beads till you hardly saw the pinky
pearl skin beneath. She came running in
with an envelope in her hands. 80, I have
a telegram from Benz" she cried. Sand
he'll be here before l expected. Isn't ii
lovely of him? I've half the mind to GO
| over and surprise him-he'll be in Hills.
borough on the five-o'clock train. Pm
always in such hurry. What do you
| thinkW
81 think YOU'RE half beside yourself.w
|
Pm so glad and happy. Perhaps it's fool
ish to be happy in such world as this,'
with sigh of pleasure. And the contrast
made by herself in her beauty and radi-
ance, and her words of disillusion, was
sufficiently piquant. cat any rate, it's
adding just so much time to ones happi.
ness, so l think I'll go. And perhaps the
boys will go, too"
"The boysp breathed Miss Evans, in
| disgust. ~
afhe boys" said Miss Putsifer, with
emphasis. "lNy boys, if you want to be
more precise. How do you like this dress,
Mrs. Browne~ and she pinned bunch of
red tupelo leaves over her heart.
| "They turned early, just on purpose"
said old lady Browne.
$50 they did. And don't they make a
rosy flame of the whole of the gown; and
doesn't the gown give them vivid life of
their own? Pm so glad l put it on to-day
| | got it up, though, for Del's delectation."
And she danced out of the room singing:
"a very aesthetic, highly magnetic, peripa-
| tetic silver churn," OF words to that effect,
whatever in the world they meant.
1t was not remarkable that we saw no
more of Miss Pulsifer that afternoon; we
| seldom did after she went out on her war
| path, as Mrs. Bedlow called it; but to-day
she had not taken May Bryan or Helen
Warner with her, as she often did. At
Pulsifer was probably improving that
ridiculous dress of hers by roasting CLANS
at beach fire. At bedtime she confided
TO us: "No Miss Pulsifer, as usual" At
midnight she went past my door with lamp
in hand, trying Miss Pulsifer's door, and
setting it wide open on her way down to
the water-cooler for ice-water, her own ice
having melted.
Didn't know anything could melt your
ice," muttered old lady Browne, soto uoce,
opening and shutting her own door as Miss
Evans huttered by with the ribbons of her
wrapper streaming after her. Miss Pulsi-
fer had once whisperingly declared that
Miss Evans had bought out a ribbon shop
at some indefinite past period, and was
spending her life wearing out the stock.
At breakfast Mrs. Colman began to
fidget. 81 don't know where Miss Pulsifer
is" she complained into the depths of the
teapot, stirring the grounds with spoon.
"And here's everything a-getting cold"
81 can tell you where she is not, and
where she hasn't been all night" said Miss
Evans, bridling with conscious virtue.
"You needn't trouble yourself" said
Mrs. Colman, trembling 81 know all
about it, an great sight more'n you do"
"Well, | declarew said Miss Evans
"You always are a-declaring," said Mrs.
Colman.
The day wore on; it was day of soft
dull sky and fine incessant rain, and din
ner came and went as dinners do and still
there was no Miss Pulsifer.
''I'm half worried to death, !" murmured
Mrs. Colman.
81 never knew anybody else to worry
over an elopement," said Mrs. Bedlow.
81 never knew such hard-hearted set
of women, if do get my living out of
'em," said Mrs. Colman, in high state of
evaporation. "What does she want to
clone for I'd ike N L-uOy1- ~
"Well, if she hasn't, it's pity she hasn't,
that's ALL" said Mrs. Bedlow. ''She went
| off yesterday afternoon with that Mr.. Del
aware, and it's twenty-four hours since,
and she hasn't come back. It's very
poor piece of business for your house, Mrs
Colman, at any rate"
''Pshaw!" said Mrs. Colman. sold lady
Browne and me amt the only ones anx-
| lous. The young men down there are in
great fright, and are scattered all over the
marshes, and are shooting their rifles and
blowing horns and getting ready to build
| fires for the night, rain or not. And | am
worried, just as | said, e'en-a'most out of
my wits, for one. | thank the Lord
warn't made with heart like a neither
milestone whenever pretty girls in ques-
tion" And banging the door so that the
house shook, Mrs. Colman added, when
| safely III the hall, that she didn't care
mite for such boarders, if they never came
| back.
L confess | was quite as much concerned
as old lady Browne and the rest of the Pull
| slter party, as dark came down again and
| thatgay voice and vision were still wanting.
| And there were no lights down in the tent
under the willows, and here and there. far
| out on the wide wilderness of meadows. I
saw faint CLEANS Of fire struggling with
the rain and mist and going under. and
realized, indeed, that the little Pulsifer.
with her attendant, was lost in the marshes.
and perhaps dying of hunger and expos.
| ure.
AS the night settled, even the Evans
| party announced cessation of hoStilitles,
and Miss Evans herself began to fit un
easily about, her agitated ribbonS PLAYING
| the part OF flags of truce, and it was she
| that suggested the house should be LIGHTED
from top to bottom, as she began to haunt
the window where Mrs. Colman was al
ways wiping the pane and peering out I'M
der the shelter of her hand Mrs. Bedlow
came and sat down by me, saving she
really felt quite creepy as she thought of
chat poor little thing fainting and perhaps
| dying out there in the rain and dark Old
| lady Browne took the occasion to read
them lecture as to the past, with doxology
OF forgiveness at the end; but the more
anxiety they now expressed, Mrs. Colman
stitfened the more Indignantly. lawful
| sott-hearted at last" said Mrs, Colman.
For my part, Pm just as vexed with her
as can be, the hoighty-toighty little sim
pleton, galivanting Off on this mash that
| amt got point of the comnaSs about ~ ~