Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-05-08
Gales arlo Sketftes.
4 ROMANCE or neusR-cIEAyIsG.

Hale. with slight grimace. THAT shipper
ing fine young lady, with useless white
hands and the shallow little society laugh
Oh, Aunt Della. pack my port-mantesu.
and let me be of on lecturing tour, until
Flora Lees visit comes to end!'
Mrs. Dove looked little disappointed.
To confess the truth. she had especially
arrssged this visit with reference TO her
nephew, Eric.
s.He's fine young man." she said to
herselfwith true feminine diplomacy, with
an excellent parish and fine prospects
and it is high time he was settled in life
with wife. and think Flora Lee would
suit him exactly"
And here was the young man himself
upsetting this charming little castle In the
air, without the least scruple Of conscience,
like the modern iconoclast that he was.
well. Eric" said Mrs. Dove. despair
ingly "I'll write to her not to come. OF
course don't want to put you out, just
when you're so busy, too, with that course
Of lectures. But l really though Flora
would make the house lively"
''She's deal too lively to suit me-"
said Eric Hale. "Ask her to come in June,
when shall be off to Omaha and Nebraska
on that conference business. But as for
visitor, should prefer Polly Peppercorn's
big wax doll with the silk black hair and
staring black eyes that open and shut by
machinery
So Mrs. Dove, choking back the tears OF
disappointment, for she had been nursing
this pet scheme in secret for long while,
sat down and wrote to her friend, Miss
Lee, postponing the proposed sojourn at
Cedarborough farm until roses should be
in bloom and strawberries beginning to
ripen.
"Adonijah," she said to the hired man,
take this letter to the post Office"
"Yes. 'um," said Adonijah, and he put
it in his pocket and straightway forgot all
about it.
The carpets were up. the pals of white
wash stood steaming in the middle Of the
parlor floor, and Mrs. Dove herself, with
her grey curls tied up in yellow damask
pocket-handkerchief, which her great IN
Gle had brought from China half century
ago, sat crying on the lower edge Of step
ladder. For Betsy. the help, had fallen
down the cellar stairs and broken her leg,
and Mrs. Mulrony, the char woman. had
sent message that her eldest son had bro
ken out "wid de maisles, sure-speckled
all over like shower of red pepper. and
sorra bit of clanin' could she undertake
Tor until the wakes over. ~
Il was dismal rainy morning in April,
the yellow jonquils beaten to the ground
the very wild violets shutting up their
eyes as If in unmitigated disgust at the
unpromising state of the weather. Over
head racks of gray clouds scudded across
the heavens. and the little sheet of silver
lakelet under the hill was dotted and dim
pied all over with falling rain, as If pierced
with thousand tiny javelins.
Its no use trying" said Mrs. Dove,
plaintively, the fates themselves have
eonspired against me ~
''And these three days of all Others"
sighed Mrs. Dove. when Eric has changed
pull pits with Mr.. Washburne! And he dis
likes housekeeping; and
Dear me, Mrs. Dove, what is the mat
ter ?"
Mrs. Dove started to her feet with a
little scream-for there, exactly as if she
had been rained down out of the grey
zenith. stood Flora Lee herself in neat
brown travelling dress. with neat little
handbag. gossamer waterproof cloak,
and silk umbrella
"Why, Flora" cried she, show came
you here ?''
by the train. of course" said Miss
IL wrote you not to come" said Mrs.
Dove in CONSERVATION.
but l never received any such letter,
said Miss Lee. shall go AGAIN."
mo. you darling. you shall do nothing
of the sort, said Mrs. Dove enthusiastical-
ly. at was only because-we were house,
cleaning"
''I'm not afraid OF house-cleaning,'
said Flora. IL see how it is" with
comprehensive glance around the scene
Of confusion. land I'm going to help you
through with it,"
..You?" said Mrs Dove.
''Yes, l." said Flora. why not just
lend me one Of Betsy's old dresses. BY the
way. where is Betsy?"
''Her father has just carried her home
in the wagon" said Mrs. Dove. "She
broke her leg"
'And your char woman ?'
ooh, dear Oh. dear ~ said Mrs. Dove,
''She has visitation of the measels, or
smallpox, or some other horrid disease
in her family. And my nephew Eric. is
to be gone for three days; and l made
sure I could finish the housekeeping
while he was absent"
"And we WILL" said Flora. cheerily
'How can we?"
''Oh, you shall see," nodded Miss Lee.
And depressed though she was. Mrs.
Dove began to feel the mercury rise in
her mental thermometer al once.
And Flora Lee arrayed herself in one
Of Betsy's csst-off calicos. tied her rippled
brown tresses up in cambria sweeping
cap, and went vigorously to work with a
scrubbing- brush. while Mrs. Dove lent
her attention to the window glass, and
Adonijah with more zeal than discretion,
splashed whitewash over himself and the
floor. with laudable impartiality.
WAL said Adonijah. afterward, 1 new
er did see no cricket work spryer than
that city young lady. By gracious. she
beats Betsy all boiler at 1t And she's
got such an up-an'-d down pretty way Of
doing. too. declare l couldn't hardly
take my eyes off her all the time I was in
white-washin'.'
Mrs. Dove. however, was unused to the
severe exertions incident upon house,
cleaning time, and went to bed with the
sick headache in the middle Of the after
noon.
Never mind. Mrs. Dove said Flora
IN make some of those cream waffles