The Penn's Grove record., 1884-07-26

Her cousin admired her, appreciated
her beauty, her manner and her con-
v~ersation, and had fallen into the family
arrangements without a murmur had
been congratulated as "A lucky feilOw''
by his enyious friends, and had taken
/ it for granted that he was one indeed,
without exerting himself to think much
about 1t any way. Latterly, however,
he had begun to see things a little diff
ferently he had found himself once or
twice, differing with the ''divine Fred
erica" he began to think vaguely, that
perhaps eyeglasses were not the pretti-
est things in the world, and to obiectto
being perpetually hemmed in by his
aunt's rigid rules AMI restrictions.
Therefore, after a little, the monotonous
| engagement was e~nlivened by little diff
ferences which, between a couple less
high in the social scale, would have
been called downright quarrels-after
which Philip would retire to Glueck
street for comfort and consolation.
~ don't know what | should do
without a little friend like you" he said
to Mignonne, during one of these seas ms
of recuperation. Its solid comfort to
run away from everybody and come
here for a while"
Away from everybody" repeated
Mignonne with wondering eyes, ''away
from Mss Vanderventer, sir ?"
Bother Miss Vanderventerl" said
Philip rudely 1.-THE truth was, he and
Frederica had not agreed very well
that morning she had expressed dis
| pleasure at some trivial occurrence and
he, not being IN the sweetest of tempers
had taken umbrage accordingly 81
am glad to get away from everybody, |
am cross and Disqualification mind
what | say-that's q good child" and
so MignOnne went on with her drawing,
and he sat and looked at her in silence.
A sudden thought struck him after a
while, "Mignonne, " he said, acting on
the impulse of the moment, did you
ever go to the theatre ?"
The great dark eyes looked up at him
eagerly. ''0nce or twice." she said,
with Jack"
Would you like to go with me
sometime. if Jack didn't mind ?"
The look on her face answered him,
and half-laughing at the pleasure which
shone i'll her eyes, he sauntered away to
arrange the matter with Jack. 1t was
Monday now, he was engaged every
night until Thursday, but then Freder.
lea was going out of town, and Thurs
day evening was his own-they would
go then-and SO Mignonne was formally
invited.
Luckily, Philip Handkerchief was
not much at the studio during the in
tervening days, and he knew nothing of
the worry and bother of preparation
into which Mlgnonne plunged, and,
when the night came, he little suspected
the surprise in store for him.
1t was a few minutes before the de.
signated time that he came into the
little sitting-room, and Jack sat there
alone, dubious and unhappy.
whats the trouble, Chandran ?"
asked his visitor. "You look as though
you had lost your last friend What is
it 2"
81 am afraid 1 have" answered
mind me, | am low-spirited you see ~
and then Mr.. Va~nderventer inquired
for Mignonne. as the little gITl
ready ?" he asked, and Jack replied
with a groan.
81 should think so"-he began, but
just then there was a rustic Of drapery
in the hall, and the door opened.
Il am ready" said Mignonne's
voice, and then Philip turned slowly.
Could that be Mignonne ?-Mlgnonne
of the short frocks and long braids p
Mignonne, the ''lIttle girl 2"
1t was Mignonne's face certainly, and
MignOnne's shiny hair, but the hair
vas no longer braided child fashion
down her back-it VAS gathered up in
a glorious knot IN the very top of her
pretty head, a long, curling, %golden-red
lock falling here II there yer her
shoulders, The short fTock was sup
planted by a preltily-fashioned dress.
which, trailing behind her IN soft folds,
gave a new statelIness to her slender
figure, and, as she stood there blushing
and smiling as they looked at her. a
V~anderyenteI's heart.
Mignonne was a child no longer; he
had lost his little friend forever.
do you not like mt as we'll ?n she
said, putting out her pretty hand half
timidly. Jack is disguised with me,
but am too old for short frOcks any
more, the dressmaker said.'
"Plague take the dressmaker ~ inter-
polated Jack"
Il am quite nineteen, you know"
this rather deiantly, and so-and So
here / am"
"How beautiful she is" thought
Philip, as he took her hand for a mo-
ment, and then with a sudden anger,
what a fool l have eenl-what a
fearful and wonderful simpleton -
All that evening he watched the
lovely face under the pretty hat, like
one in a dream. Not one word that
was spoken by the actors did he hear or
understand he even answered Mig
nome at random, and grew almost irri-
table when she laughed at his pre-occu-
patton, although he begged her pardon
most humbly a minute after.
See, "she said suddenly, at the close
of the first act, ''there is your cousin,
Mr.. Vanderventer, she is bowling to