The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-07-08
NELLIE THE DANGEROUS.

Very well wait till she comes, girls
that Is al" qu"th |, amidst general fut-
terings and feminine outcries Of indigna-
ton.
1t was in the cosy old house at New
bury-cold enough, too, W. found it there,
but Mrs. Haydn only KEEP. up the better
fires, and we had better excuse for
gathering about them.
There were Lou and Ni2ia-and need
not say to any friend of theirs, after that
that DR.. Guy and Philip also were every
evening on our horizon, my respectable
self, Bell Stanley and Otto Winstanly.
1t was just after dinner, and We were all
IN the library Viva was sitting near
me, az think the little luss was fond of
doing, reading out to me here and there
a line from ''eraldine's Courtship," that
happened to please her, and occasionally
casting side glance over at Philip, who
loo<ed half jealous Leu was teaching
DR.. Guy to crochet, with the drollest lit
tie pursedup face imaginable. Bell and
Otto were playing chess, and also, if
am not much mistaken, flirting; Mrs
Haydn and Polly were loing over cou-
pie OF neighbors' characters. and |, having
read Nellie Mddct,n's letter, had
brought down on myself a general storm
OF Indignation for warning them to look
out-the men for their hearts, the girls
Tor th"V lovers--ln rrpy TO which made
the answer with which this story com
mrnces, and was put down hv Bell Stan
ton, who | think, has small notion of
having Otto intertered with
" Girls Mr. Martial is sim,l,. taos;pr
us. | have seen Nellie Middleton. Last
at church, and asked me if | didn't think
she was 'stunner' told him if stun
ner meant pretty, no. She has no par
ticular complexion U}ell's pink and white
cheeks were her forte), and am sure she
is stiff. She looked as stiff AZ a ramrod. :"
SO contented myself with quoting to
Viva, I" "Whom the gods wish to destroy
they first make mad
And Viva said softly, "Dear Mr. Mar
tial, is she really so very pleasing?'
"She really is
Do you like her.
Yes; | can't help it,
"Why, is she so very beautiful -
Not so very beautiful; or, rather,
that is not her chiet attraction. She is
lively, but think what makes her ire
sistihe is her apprecativeness.
don't understand"
"My dear child, Nellie Middleton is
not coquette-at least, in the ordinary
acceptation Of the term. She has an ex-
ceeding desire to be liked, to be petted :;
to be something more than mere ac-
qualntancc of those whom she admires.
She is n general tavorite among women,
unless they chance to be Jealous of her
though how she manages that doubtless
you will soon be able to tell better than
|; but with men she has the art to find
out the thing in which you specially de-
sire to shine, and to appreciate you in
that thing. For instance, keen little
thing that she is, she discovered what my
wife don't know yet, that | am not very
proud of my scribbling--t it, in fact,
very poor stuff indeed-but like to be
considered as a man of fine taste and
keen perceptions and sympathies. 1t
didn't take Nellie more than three times
to find that, and she is always appealing
to those supposed qualities. knew per-
fectly all the time she was playing with
me; that it is only her way Of making
! herself agreeable; that she isn't over
whelmingly anxious for my approval :;
that she isn't occupied when away from
ME in picturing to herself all my good
and winning qualities; and yet | like it.
When she is looking at me in her soft,
appealing way she can twist me around
her finger"
Viva gave little sigh.
"And you say she is coming this after
noon 2"
"Yes; she will be here to supper"
Notwithstanding Indignation and pro-
testations of disbelief in Nellie's power, l
think the girls were little uneasy. Belle
truly looked superb; her bright golden
hair and brilliant complexion contrasting
with the deep blue of her dress.
Viva nestled up to Philip closer than
usual, and am quite sure that l heard
her whispering as | passed through the
music room, ado you think you will al
ways love me, Philippe
Only Lou, saucy, insouciante child as
she is, disdaincd to be uneasy-stood firm
in her belief in her own attractions and
bright faith Nellie was invisible until
the evening-a very pretty girl, fair, but
not blonde, with brown hair brushed
away from the wide, calm forehead
gray, cheerful eyes, and face in general
outline of feature not altogether unlike
that of Marie Stewart.
She was quiet, almost silent. The girls
looked at one another as if to say, "Is
this the paragon whom we were tc
dread ?" and arched their brows and
pursed up their mouths in pretty con
tempt at me, not seeing, as | did, thai
Nellie was simply taking their gauge anc
a survey of her position.
She felt instinctively certain stand
ofiishness assumed towards her by th'
feminine element, and set herself to com
bat it found in less than week a hun
dred WAYS of being useful and entertain
ing She was skillful in devising way
in which to afford the girls tete-a-tetes will
their respective particulars" behaved
in short, more like grandmother than
belle of twenty; won them all over, eve
including Belle, who seemed to like he