Smyrna times., 1884-03-19
The Plague of his Life.

That girl has done nothing but nro-
woke and annoy me since She came
from school three months ago. l wish
carrie, you would send her away some
Where-anywhere out of my sight.
she is the plague of my life."
Miss Carrie Ives looked pleasantly
up from her reading, her plump finger
marking the paragraph that had been
interrupted by her brothers impatient
speech.
why, Fred, what has that child
done now| she inquired.
His fine, pale, grave face flushed a
little, and a half confused expression
came into his serious, gray eyes.
This is the young vandal's latest
achievement in the impertinent line p
ne said, with a short laugh of chagrin
as he pushed toward her big volume
of some abstruse work and turned nm
the fly-leaf.
Thereon had been sketched an
lnlmltable portrait of himself, sitting in
MS familiar and scholarly attitude in
his leathern chair before his library
table-an inelegant study gown hang
ing from his large shoulders-and the
hand that supported Websterian
head clutching an untidy shock of
halr. 1t was too cOnsummate a re-
semblance to be gratifying, and alto
gether too exact for caricature. the
dexterous pencil had not in the least
exaggerated the peculiarities of Fred
erlck Ives, for he had his own little
eccentricities and mannerism. lust as
we all have, if we chose to admit the
fact.
1T is an amazing likeness of your.
self, Fred" was his sisters lauSbino
comment.
Possibly" he returned in that half
mortified, half angry manner; "and I
dare say it may be good for man to
see himself occasionally as others see
him. But this sort of establishment
is not precisely desirable in a valuable
book of science. Jessie EVELYN is be-
coming quite too mischievous, Carrie:
and fear if you cannot provide home
elsewhere for her, shall feel COMPEL
ed to leave you"
40, Fredp the gentle little ladv
cried in dismay. "Surely you cannot
mean that? Jessie must really stav
with me while she is minor and re-
mains unmarried. If you would be
less captious toward her she would he
more amiable toward you. You treat
her as if she were little vixen. and
she resents it by being as vixenly as
possible; but that is a woman's way. I
suppose" she added humorously.
II know nothing about women and
their ways" he answered grimly.
"But you could try to win Jessic's
liking, Fred" she returned coaxingly.
IL win her liking" he repeated in
a strange harsh voice. "You suggest
what is impossible, GARRETT is only
too obvious that our protege detests
me-"
Just then dark, swift something
rushed past the window outside. It
was only handsome, smiling girl rid
ing a superb black horse rapidly up
the gravclled path toward the stables;
but at the sight Carrie uttered q quick
cry of surprise and amusement and the
man standing to his feet, his features
ashy and his limbs unsteady.
"I advised Jessie not to ride at all. |
] forbade her going near that horse"
he exclaimed after long, incrednlous
stare at the composed rider and ad- |
mirably behaved animal. 81 wonder
she is not killed"
"She has subjugated your horse,
Fred, just as she manages to subjugate
everything else which opposes her."
the lady said admiringly. "Observe
her and allow her cleverness. She has
metamorphosed my old black cloth
mantle into really pretty habit; with
characteristic ingenuity she has arrang-
ed your mans saddle to suit a lady's
seat; and she has utilized your best
silk hat Fred-it becomes her too with
that bit of deep gauze about the tall
crown"
81 detest anything mannish In a
woman Fred declared Grossly as he
resumed his leathern chair.
Certainly the gentleman had expe-
rienced very little peace since that per-
verse girl of seventeen, that incarna-
ton of alidacity and witchery, had in
vaded the tranquil country home of