Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-06-04

Lies LIES best music yet:
Though worldly ways are closed to me,
My heart hath no regret.
Take thou this little blackthorn spray
1plucked upon my homeward way,
| It doth ue comfort bring:
4Sensn hGRS hath survives
Leads to eternal Spring.
All the Year Round.
from Home Cbimes.1
THE PROPOSAL,
There was great dinner party at the
Brandon Hall, which was to be followed
by ball the next night. Numerous
guests had arrived to share in these
festivities, and among these was very
pretty young girl named Florence
Molyneux. She found herself con-
signed to the care of good-looking
young man, whom Lady Brandon had
introduced to her as Capt. Chiches-
ter. When they had taken their places
at the dinner table, which FILTERED
with crystal and was tastefully decorat-
ed with wreaths of flowers, she vent
ured remark.
"How pretty all this isl Inever saw
anything like it before. The flowers
are laid in wreaths upon the table-cloth,
and l see some. of my old country
friends, wild flowers and ferns. am
afraid they must feel very awkward"
"Oh, no." said Capt. Chichester,
smiling, lit is very pleasant to be adj
mired and thought pretty. Do you not
lind it so? 1 believe this is your first
dinner party, is it not?"
"How do you know?" inquired Flor
ence, an9iously. "Am very awkward
Have done anything wrong?"
"Not at ALL" laughed Capt. Chi
chester: LADY Brandon told me, so I
thought you would know how the
flowers felt"
"But that is quite different. Flowers
can't do wrong, and besides they will all
be dead tomorrow; they will pay for
their pleasure"
Il am afraid you will find pleasure
and pain 60 hand in hand" said Capt.
chichester, looking at her pretty,
blushing face.
"What pain shall I have to bear?" she
asked, ,"everything is delightful; and
the ball tomorrow! 1 have never been
at ball."
At this moment her next neiehbor
awkwardly upset glass of champaene
into her lap. Florence uttered an ex-
clamation OF dismay.
II feel quite guilty." said Can't.
Chichester; II am q prophet of III
Here is trouble come already. Let me
help you. Is your dress quite spoilt ~
"Oh, thank you," cried Florence, lit
is no matter. Yes, it does matter
though, for this is the dress I was to
wear tomorrow night"
But what will you do?"
"Wen, I have an old black dress,
not Learly as nice as this, but it must
do"
"But could you not put in a piece?"
said Capt. Chichester. "What is the
stuff called-calico?
"Oh, no-tarletan," said Florence
but # you spoke to Lady Brandon,
she would get you some."
"Oh, mop besought Florence. "Pray
say nothing about it,"
II must say you bear your pain he
roically," said Capt. Chichester: sand
now have the pain of telling you Lady
Brandon Is bowling to you, and you
must CO."
Florence ran up stairs and changed
her dress, making as little as she could
OF her misfortune; but as soon as she
left the room she became the subject of
discussion among the othe. ladies, Miss
Jane Morris, a sour-faced, plain, and
not very young lady leading the attack.
$50 that is Miss Molyneux," she said.
addressing Miss Brandon. "My dear
Ada, 1 thought you said she was pretty.
Why, she is not good looking, and she
is such dirt and so very forward-is
not she, Jane? If you only heard the
way she went on with Capt. Chichesterl
She never let him say q word to me.
Once he tried to, but she instantly up
set q glass of wine into her lap. and
such fuss as she made about it! T
heard her telling him she had no other
dress to wear at the ball"
"Oh, 1 am so sorry," said Ada. II
must 60 and see what can do for her"
You need not bother yourself. De
pend upon it, that young lady can take
care of herself. She probably has q
piece of muslin in her box
"Oh, nonsense, Jane! You are too
hard, said Ada: and I think she is verv
pretty; she has such lovely compiler
ion, and such penciled eyebrows"
| "Penciled indeed" said Miss Morris,
@black lead pencils! I wonder does
she know Capt. Chichester is engaged
to Lady Ida Leigh. If not, somebody
ought to tell her there is no use in her
setting her cap at him."
Next day, on going to her room,
Florence to her surprise, found Ada's
maid busily engaged in. repairing her
damaged dress. On being asked where
she had got the muslin, she said the
footman had found it on the hall table.
and as it was addressed to Miss Molly
neux, he sent it up stairs.
| Florence flew to thank. LADY Brandon.
but neither she nor Ada knew anything
about it.
She tried to pursue her inquiries, but
the gentleman turned off the converse
ton, Capt. Chichester having appar-
emily forgotten the accident.
Mary and Jane Morris exchanged
glances and smiles, and whispered:
II told you so. just as If he cared
about her dressl You will see he will
not go near her tonight; I prophecy
that"
Miss Morris prophecy was not full
filed, however, for Capt. Chichester
danced so often with Florence. and paid
her so much attention, that Miss Nor
ris thought it her duty to tell her next
morning that he was engaged to Lady
Ida Leigh, and that there was no use
wasting her time trying to catch him.
And, oh if you had seen her face.
my dear Adal she was q red q : tur.
key cock, end almost told me / was
impertinentl'
Meanwhile the days few BY agrees-
to Florence. Captain Chichester WAS
always by her aide, ever charming and
tender. She did not dare to analyxe
her feelings, She was drifting down :
rapid current, leading abe knew NOT