The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-02-07

picturesque
eff you saw one.you would be disap-
pointed" said MI. Russell, there's a
a great discrepancy between the real
and the ideal"
81 dare say you are right" said Miss
Gray, 'tbut 1 and the photographers
call that word discrepancy. l
cannot resist the temptation, you see!
However, as to the fishermen I cannot
help thinking I should be interested in
seeing them at work, and in their WI
homes"
"Homes!" said MI. Martin. 'Don't
desecrate that word, by applying it to
their wretched novels. [ assure you the
| squalor in which they live is indescriba-
ble."
THAT word is pronounced s~quaylor,
I beg to state" said Miss Gray; ''what
has become of your Latin, Mr.. Mar
tin?n
This was too much for Minnie's
equanimity. She burst into a little
laugh and made a motion to clap her
hands together, but remembered her.
self in time.
Mr.. Martin, for his part said THANK
you," as politely as before, even more
so perhaps, but it was more than ever
apparent that he did not enjoy being
found in the wrong. He went Off to
smoke presently, accompanied by his
host, and when the three ladies were
thus left alone, Eugenia Gray turned to
Mrs. Russell and said:
'.Now, honor bright, Minnie, don't
YOU think we've had enough of itP 1
haven't been caught so far, but l feel
the ~discordance OF the situation as much
as any Of you. MI. Russell does not
like it at all, and I'll venture to say
there has been more hard feeling be-
tween you and him in the past hour
than in the fifty that preceded it. Mr..
Martin, of whom l had almost made a
real friend, is now ready to murder me,
and Mr.. Turner has been looking
thunder bolts at Carrie, and Carrie her
self feels rather resentful and sore.
Don't you see it was all a mistaken"
NO" said Minnie, stoutly, Il am
not willing to believe we are such a
petty set. don't mind, a
bit, only 1 did get a little
provoked with MI. Martin and
was so glad you paid him back. The
idea of him asking George what had
become of his Greek!"
Miss Gray looked across quickly at
Miss Temple and put her finger on her
lip, a warning which she was not per-
fectly sure the other understood.
".As for Mr.. Turner" said Miss Tenn
pie, 81 think he has behaved absurdly.
If this is his disposition L am glad to
know it. He needn't suppose he
can brow-beat me like that. 1 Ujsh 1
could catch him in another mistake.
Wouldn't 1 pounce?"
When the gentlemen presently came
in, there were still visible certain evil
dences of uncomfortableness, but a dis
position to let by-gones be by-gones was
manifested, and Mr.. Turner approached
quite affably.
81 have been making enquiries--"
he began.
"Enquiries," put in Miss Temple,
promptly.
Mr.. Turner said nothing. He did not
even look at Miss Temple, but those at
whom he did look found that gaze the
reverse of pleasant.
"Poor Carrie! She's done for herself
now," commented Mrs. Russell in
wardly, in great distress of mind.
Miss Temple, however, if she left
herself under Mr. Turner's ban, carried
it off with spirit.
1--WE are both in disgrace" she
whispered to Eugenia, with a little
laugh. ''Mr. Martin is really quite as
angry as Mr. Turner, but it is a more
controlled kind of anger"
cit is really most preposterous," said
Eugenia, 81 wish he'd make another
mistake"
"We have all had our lessons in the
evil habits of careless Speech" Mr..
Martin said, presently, with the ex-
eepton of Miss Gray. She. it seems, is
impregnable."
81 don't venture to hope that" said
Eugenia, ~concealing her sudden
elation; ''but while I think of it,
let me say that the word you have just
used is pronounced by authority as well
as custom eU't with the i elided. l
don't know why it should be. Evil
has a cOrrecter sound-but so it is. So
also with deUit-saving the company's
presence-Pve heard you treat that
word in the same punctilious manner,
but the dictionaries give deU'L."
Greatly, Miss Gray,'put in Mr.. Rus
sell, go don't know as ever | knowed
a gal as knows as much as you knows
Any mistakes in that sentence? If so,
don't put them down to me. It's a
quotation. We must present you to our
friends as the Great North American
Corrector.' You should have a pLa-
card to that effect hung around your
neck"
'Placard, Mr. Russell, please. No
objection to the scheme, but in my
aforementioned character I must except
to the pronunciation"
'.Why don't you hire a hall and give
a lecture, Miss Gray?' said Mr.. Rus
sell. s'You might call it Grammatical
Heresies and Schisms.'"
eff 1 did l should not pronounce
schisnls as if it were a word of two syl-
lables-nor prisnas either, nor baptism
as if it had three, as most people do"
"May 1 ask" said MI. Russell,
"whether, by any chance, you ever
make a mistaken"
"Assuredly," said Eugenia, 'my es-
cape to-day is pure good luck-or else
because of the leniency of my compan-
ions," she added, looking at Mr.. Martin
wickedly. 'Indeed. sometimes l err
deliberately. For instance, nothing
would induce me to say clark for clerk,
in this country, or to speak of a Sitting
hen, though l acknowledge the correct
ness OF Doth OF these points. L don
want to go so far, in my aim at purity
of language, as to merit the epithet APP
piled to ME by a clever man 1 once
knew, who called me "A Grammatical
Prude.'"
Miss Gray laughed as she recalled
the expression, and Mr.. Martin might
have been seen to smile significantly.
That night, when Mr.. and Mrs. Rus
sell found themselves alone, the former
opened tie conversation by saying:
"What do you think of your expert
ment now, Madame Min?"
40, George" said Minnie helplessly,
elbow unpleasant it has been!"
"Tolerably unpleasant, l must ad,
nit. There's Turner won'tlook at Car
RE, when he's been quite unable to see
any one else heretofore, and Carrie, for
her part, is obstinate and defiant to the