The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-07-06
AURA MERRIAN,S FOLLY.

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AURA MERRIAN'S FOLLY.
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TN tell you exactly how It came about
though am sure as | look back at it all
think l must have been crazy. At any
rate 1 knpwif i live to be one hundred
yearsolaIsE shall never cease TO turn
hot and cold every time l think of my
folly.
My roommate at Miss Hough's semi.
nary was Ellen March. / did not like
her at first. She was one of those noisy,
ill-bred girls, who irasp your nerves and
make you feel every place is too small
to hold both you and them. We had q
small room, almost closet, and being
the two eldest boarders and in the same
classes, Miss Hough allowed us a good
many privileges.
She said to me: 81 put Ellen March
with you, Aura, because you are one oi
the quietest girls in school, and she il
the most boisterous. There is really nc
harm in her, and she seems to like you
so much that think your influence will
tend to make her more refined and lady
like"
That was the verdict we all pro
nounoed on Ellen March, No harm in
hern
Shewas given more money than she
needed, and was generous with every
thing She had Besides Shis, she was
obliging and good-natured, and OF
course was not to blame if her people
Were uncducated and Vulgar and had not
taughbher good manners.
But it wood have been better for me
II Ellen had been termagant in temper
and as mean and selfish as Lizzie Carnes,
who VISA by-Werd to- every girl in
lt'wts contrary to the rules of the
school for room-mates to talk after
going to bed, but Ellen would insist
upon keeping up a whispered converse
lion Tor hours and hours, when we should
have been asleep ftst ff&t
AT first would not answer, for up to
that time I had. never broken the rules
Of t!ie school. Still, / listened, which
was just as bad. She talked about balls
and parties that she had attended, but
her fayorite topic was beaux, particu-
80 y WV JOuh9 luCIs W DOtn VI WlOul
she said she was engaged aA&# z
g You see, Aura, 4 she said, ''it's the
greatest fun to see fellows making fools
of themselves about one. It's Just de-
lightfultoAla them think each is the
favorite, and then see them glare al
each other whenever they meet. Don't
Ighave fun when one happens to call
when the other is with me! They're as
Jealous eas cats, and so polite to each
other | wouldn't miss it for anything.
don't know yet which i II marry. Per
haps | WON'T marry either Of them,
but Wouldn't be withouttwo strings to
my bow anyhow & How many beaux
have you gotp'
Not one, and Tn glad of it." an
swered, indignantly. ''Do stop this non
sense. Don't you know you're break
ing a ruler"
81 don't care if i am,'' she an.
swereds plaeidlyi II didn't come here
to be tied to rules, and pas too rich
for old Hough to be too strict with me-
But just to think! YOU'RE sixteen, and
YOUR prettier than am, and haven't
got a beau! Why, I've had beaux since
was thirteen. And people say if you're
not attractive to gentlemen when YOU re
young, you meyer will bes and then, ter
chances to one, youth be an old maid
Why I'd be wretched if the fellows
didn't fall in love with me and / with
them
Yeqgthink, pioidoobt, 1 ought to have
been Disguised with this conversation.
was at FIRST But by degrees I began
to be interested, and out of curiosity
read Ellen's love-letters, which she
used to get under AN assumed name.
and in the spirit of fun even helped
her to answer some of them. You will
hardly believe it, but after time, un-
der thesinfpence of hereonstantta talk, ]
began to feel almost ashamed that ]
had no beau. | think Ellen must have
read my thoughts, for she soon began
to praise her cousin, Guy Reeves
"Sudh a splendid fellows she said.
IAN the girls are desperate about him
You are just his style, for he worships
dark beautiesy / wish he could see you
know he'd lose his head, and I'd give
anything to see Guy in love, for he laughs
so at my little affairs, I Wish you could
see something of life. You've beer
broughtlup like a num- Y8 X0I I'll
Guys real name / afterwards found
out was Gideon but Ellen did notthink
1t suited theroniance she was beginning
to weave about him. She must have
written her cousin about me, for not
long after she said she had a message
for me, and then read from q letter she
had just received something about his
great desire to meet his cousin S lovely
friend. g8AtARs AAN9sF ~
Of course, you. will. say that ought
to have treated this message with COO
contempt, but it seemed very molten
slye, Whatharm3 could there be in it:
thought. So | merely replied in q
bantering way: "Well, he won't get
his desire. But other messages fol
lowed, unit. one day. Ellen, in great ex.
element, took me aside and said:
% Aura! | sent Guy your photo
graph, Just to look at it, you know, and
he says you're too beautiful for any,
thingn'
''Sent him my Photography 1 ex-
claimed, ip dismay g Why, how could
you DO that?'' .GSG,i
"0h, it was not to keep. just to look
at, that's ALL Why, anybody has the
rightto.l look at d photograph. / suppose
YoW have. the queerest, lold-fashionec
notions I've given away dozens soi
mlpe'to young men.
ewas really frightened, but to be
pronounced beautiful, when have only
moderate share of good looks, flattered
me.te the point of forgiving the pre-
sumption Of my room-mate. Message
followed message after this, until one
day q letter came to me inclosed in one
to Ellen. My first loye-letter! 1t was 4
miserable piece of bombast, but / was
not disposed to be critical, though | read
it with 4 timid, guilty feeling.
'.Of course, you'll answer it.,' said
Ellen, as we talked about it that NIGHT.
No" | replied, hesitatingIy. 70l
think you'd better send it back to him,
and tel him he mustn' write again
"l'a do uo such thing" ellen ~.
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