Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-04-02

encouragement, yoIye been send
ing him nice messages and raising his
hopes, and now you want 10 turn
round and insult him. You can tell
him yourself il you choose shall not
hurt the poor fellows feelings"
In day or two | wrote. trying To be
very firm and decided. He replied to
that, urging reasons for writing, and
one letter brought ON another, until in
the excitement and delight of u scnti-
mental correspondence, / expressed
myself more strongly than l intended
In fact, i might MS well tell the truth; l
wrote TO man had never seen and
knew nothing about that there had been
stranger things than learning TO love a
favored correspondent.
i was very foolishp do you sayP Yes.
Crazed with excitement and not re-
sponsiblep No. For / had been led to it
against the protest of my good sense.
Let it serve rs warning TO other
girls. These written follies somehow
have the knack of coming back upon
their authors, like ghosts that will not
be laid.
l was to leave school about the time
OF my seventeenth birthday. AS that
period drew near, began TO feel more
deeply the folly of what / had done,
and to see the necessity of getting out
of the ENHANCEMENT into which l had
been led. To tell the truth, too, / be-
gan TO get tired of the correspondence.
l found that my admirers letters were
often ill-spelled and badly expressed.
At times he became so high-lown that
/ could not quite understand him. In
my ignorance i thought L could end the
matter when / pleased, and the very
idea that father or that my brother
Harry should find out anything about
it terrified me. | had no mother, but
my good, kind father was mother and
father both, though sometimes he could
be very stern when did wrong.
told Ellen that l was going home
the next week, and should not write
again to her cousin. She must tell him
that / wanted the correspondence to
cease, and if he wrote to me ut my home
l should be compelled to return tho
letters.
"You know it's been in fun, any
way" said. "And L wal tyou to get
my letters from him and burn them up.
Here are his" handing her n package.
To my astonishment, she burst into q
rage. She, who had taught me that it
was only fun to engage in these affairs,
all at once became indignant at my
falschood. She was always coarse and
common in her speech, but that day no
virago could have surpassed her in vul-
garity. She exhausted herself at last,
and then burst into passion of tears.
"You needn't think TO throw him
of in that way" she cried.
you've led him on, and now you're
going home, because you think your pas
richer than he is, you're for casting him
to the winds. l want TO say TO YOU that
fun's fun, but this matter has gone far
ther than fun. Won't he give it TO me,
tool" and she had another stormy par
oXysm.
| was terribly frightened and il dis
gusts me To think of the quantity of
humble pie Twas forced TO eat that day.
l cried, prayed, presented Ellen with
a set of pink coral, on which she had
long cast covetous eyes, and ut last she
apparently relented, and promised to
get me out of the scrape.
"At least I'll do my best" she said,
shaking her head, "but you don't know
Guy. He's mule when his heads set
on anything, and you can't drive nor
coax him."
That was not exactly the noble char
actcr she had before given him, but l
was too glad to have the promise of an
advocate in the matter to find fault.
How happy / was when l reached
home, and felt that l was not to leave it
again! How beautiful the garden and
lawn of Plainlicld looked under the mid
summer sun! Then, too, Harry was at
home, handsome fellow Just twenty,
with marvellous mustache, which he
had grown within the year, and trying
hard to be dignilied and imposing in
manner.
The following week there was to be
grand party ut Plainfield to celebrate
my seventeenth birthday. How happy
L was in those days, choosing my dress
and having it made up, and receiving
and visiting the dear old friends who
crowded in TO welcome me! 1t seemed
to me no girl in the world had a more
blissful lot, and the future stretched out
before me, cloudless vista. If an in
trusive memory of the past year forced
itself upon me, thrust it quickly away,
and went singing and dancing through
the house.
At last the momentous day dawned,
and from carly morning the household
was in stir. had taken upon myself
the decoration of the two large parlors,
and mounted on step-laddcr, was nail
ing some trailing wreaths of ivy and
roses over the doorways. Old Uncle
Zeb, our colored dining-room servant,
marched in holding card on salvcr.
"Its no use bringing that, Uncle
Zeb," cried from my lofty perch. 81
couldn't see the Gar of Russia to-day,
with all this work to be done. Tell my
visitor I'm very sorry, but it's impossi-
bic for me to see any one. Tomorrow
l shall be glad TO receive visitors"
81 done tolt him SO, Missy" Zeb
said, in an injured tone, ''but 1 reckon
he amt much of a gentleman, least
wise he SEE, Of you read his name, you'll
be sure to see him."
He handed up the piece of pasteboard,
and my Mortified eyes saw &C. Reeves
on it, and then my brain seemed to swim,
until 1 grew giddy. There was one
paramount instinct with me-to run
away. did not stop to think or reason
on the subject. l made one spring to
the floor.
go back to the person, Uncle Zcb,"
l said, breathlessly. "Say you can't
find me, that I've gone away to stay
ever so long. just get him out of the
house. and %, Uncle Zeb, I'll do any
thing for your
The next moment l had rushed out of
the house and into the woods which ran
on the side of IL. I threw myself on the
ground and by degrees my senses began
TO come back to me. Why didn't / see
the fellow at once, and get him away
before my father or Harry should meet
himp Besides, if he came once, he
would be sure to come again.
Twas utterly desperate, and decided
it would be best to meet him in the
road, and have the horrible interview
over. / ran to knoll which COM
manded view of the house, and after a