Middletown transcript., 1883-11-23
DECIDED BY A FREsHET.
BY MARY REED CROMWELL.

Yes" Louise Raymond said, nod
ding hear head SO that golden-browI
hair on her forehead danced coquet
tishly up and down" yes, lam pretty
but 1 don't think 1 am sufficiently
beautiful to send all the young men of
my acquaintance into ecstasies over
me; and yet 1 know am pretty"
And as she gazed composedly into
the depths of her mirror, she took from
her belt withered white rose, and a
bunch of faded pink hyacinths, and
then arched her pretty eyebrows over
them in a puzzled fashion.
Philip Marion gave me the roses, y
she soliloquized. ''Philip is a very
handsome fellow, and Ialways did have
a weakness for handsome fellows, and
besides, they say he is rising young
man in his profession. Well, like
talented lawyers, too, so will keep the
roses little while. And here are Max
Huberts hyacinths-poor silent, awk-
ward Max and yet there is something
about him that won't let you despise
him. He certainly is not handsome,
and yet his face reminds you of one of
those old marble creations one sees in
the Academy of Design. Well, 1
won't throw the hyacinths away either
at any rate till 1 come back from
Grandma Carlisle's.''
A few days before, Grandma Carlisle
had written a piteous letter to her step
son up in town, setting forth that she
was not feeling at all well this winter,
and was so lonesome she did not know
what to do with herself, and begging
one of her three grand-daughters to
come down and stay with her awhile.
And Louise had astonished the whole
family by volunteering to go.
" Ny dear child y Mrs. Raymond had
said, you don't know what you are
undertaking. 1t is a common farm
house, and so awfully lonesome /"
"And the old lady is as full of whims
as an old lady can be, the elder sister,
Augusta said. "Indeed you may go,
for all me ~
"Well," Louise had declared, 81
am tired of balls and dancing, and
twelve-o'clock suppers and matinees
and I mean to go and try the other
extreme-just for fun"
"You will find it anything but fun,
my DEAR" Mrs. Raymond rejoined,
her eyeglasses upon her aris-
tocratic nose.
Well, at any rate, 1 mean to try"
Louise persisted valiantly, and, papa,
want you to write to grandma that l
am coming I"
The scene was indescribably beautiful
10 Louise Raymond that frosty winter
night, as the jolting, numbering old
wagon, with buffalo robe thrown over
,he seat and the sleepy old horses trot-
ing along in front, came into the turn
If the road from which she could see
he ancient farmhouse brown with
lalf century of suns and rains, while
he brown, wooded hills rose up on
very side, and one ruddy beam of light
glanced from the windows under the
'aves of the old house, making very
beautiful the brightness acrossthe road
n front Of the house.
"You'll find it desperate lonesome.
he rough charioteer said, who had
oeen sent to the depot to meet Mrs.
Jarlisle's granddaughter, " but she's
you'll come-lonesome or
ively."
Lonesome p cried Louise, glee-
.ully, as she sprang out upon the snowy
ground. Why I think it is splen-
lid"
And she entered the CHEEKY kitchen,
III aglow with q roaring fire of pine
ogs on the hearth. Grandma Carlisle
lad evidently expected her, and as
bestirred herself for the occa-
zion, for the table was spread with hot
,hortcake, baked apples fairly smoth-
red in rich yellow cream, quivering
Iuince jelly and homemade cottage
cheese while the old lady herself, in
resh cap and ribbons, came forward on
Ter crutches to welcome her grand
laughter.
"Why, my DEAR" she cried, taking
! long survey, "you are pretty as a
picture"
Yes," said Louise, blushing and
aughing. "Oh, grandma, what
5lorious fire you have got, and what a
larling, old-fashioned tea-urn ! Oh,
low good everything does smell. 1
laven't had such an appetite in an
.ge.''
Before Louise Raymond slept that
light she had taken Grandma Carlisle's
leart by storm. She had been an
innate of the farmhouse for a few
ays when a storm came on, which S
made the old lady's rheumatism grow i
o much worse that she was obliged to t
eep her room but Louise went about
S light-hearted as ever, doing the |
Vhole work of the house, with such as j
as John, the hired man, was C
BILE to render her. The rain had {
allen all day, steadily, blown hither v
nd thither by the wind, that howled v
lgubriously through the gorges of the C
ills, and at last, as twilight was set t
ling down over the stormy earth, and
.ouise was sitting thoughtfully and
estfully before the fire, John came in
nth the message: d
"Miss Louise" said he, "there's
wo gentlemen, rain-bound, outside; C
pears they've missed their way, and
heir horses is clean tuckered out. and n