, 1884-09-07

brought up entirely by her father, who has
the most unheard Of ideas on the subject OF
educating, or rather not educating girls It's
a wonder she isn't spoiled
@Pity more women weren't spoiled in the
same way" growled Fred.
Save for her confession at tho station. two
circumstances only betrayed her ignorance.
He used to post letters almost daily 70 her
father. but always addressed in Hates writ
ing. The other was that he came upon her
once in the library, and found her reading
HArper's Monthly upside down.
h really touched him. There was some
thing pathetic in the idea that she so felt the
difference between herself and other girls
that she was led into this childish way Of pre-
tending that she was not so ignorant as he
might think from her inability TO write. He
longed to tell her that he at least valued her
all the more because she hadn't been spoiled
by ridiculous theories OF education he
found an occasion.
They were talking one day-that is, Kate
and Milly were-of "a woman's novel that
was running in one Of the magazines. Dolly
had been very silent, and Fred judged that
his time had come for declaring his prefer
ence for unschooled and unlearned femininity.
Throwing himself back on the grass, and gaz-
ing up at the blue patches Of heaven visible
through the net work Of bows above him, he
announced, dictatorially;
Il never intend 10 read a line again from
any woman. It's all nonsense. There's my
friend Danforth, who has married Miss
~Colby-she calls herself Daisy Earle on paper,
/ believe. FancSa man deliberately selecting
a literary wifef On,~14ot anything but an
educated and superior female companion
Dolly looked conscious and embarrassed,
but was silent. Kate retorted:
"Oh, you goosei You are like all the other
men in the world, thoroughly inconsistent.
l notice that in real life you never pursue
sweet ignorance, as one would expect from
your conversation; indeed, the girls you like
are invariably those who are called brilliant
and -
Nonsense said Fred; who ever said l
liked a foolT But, seriously, the brightest
and most charming women" Che hardly
dared say woman Il ever met could neither
read nor w.ite.n
No one answered for a moment Then
Kate, swapping her embroidery silk petu-
lantly, folded her work, and rose, saying
with some dignity:
Since you are bent upon making yourself
so agreeable, III go to my painting awhile.
@Oh, come. now" said Fred, springing to
his feet. am walk 10 the house with You and
make up
The next day was the last of Dolly's visit.
It was TO be celebrated by a moonlight lawn
party, with oil the charming accompani-
ments Of supper served in a great, brilliantly
lighted marquee, of music everywhere, and
above all, judicious gloom of Chinese Ian
terms in the more romantic and secluded
parts Of the grounds.
Everything happened precisely as it ought,
even Fred's well-devised scheme to beguile
Dolly into Il particularly dim and romantic
and secluded spot, and there tell her that he
loved her and her only. The plan yas well
laid, and, rs had been said, went off with a
precision which Is rarely granted To the
plots OF wooing man at moonlight fetes.
But the denouement did gang very much
agley. At the critical moment. when the
heroine permits herself to be tcnderly
gathered to the hero's manly heart, and
Reginald whispers, "Oh, speak ever thus,
Dolly drew herself emphatically away
and burst into tears Frei was dis
tracted. He did his best, his mot artistic
best, to comfort her. but he so evidently
meant what she said in begging him not to
say a word that he was forced to wait ST.
lently until she managed to compose herself
sufficiently to sob out:
"Oh-if-you only [sobl knew all about
me [sobl you wouldn't [sobl ask me" [sob, sob.
sobl
But 1 do know, Dolly. know
"Oh, no, you don't-you don't know the
worst
There can't be any worst. Try me, and
see"
Al can't cannot" quite composedly this
time. But I'll give you something tonight,
when you go away, which will explain it all
Now, don't say another word, please. In
deed, l can't stand it, and Dolly, wiping her
eyes, marched Off toward the house.
Fred didn't feel very badly, for he knew
her secret, but he saw she was too much un-
nerved for an explanation juss then. After
they reached the house she disappeared for a
few minutes, and Fred, meeting her at the
foot Of the stairs, walked out under the porch
and received from her a little box, some
three inches square, carefully tied with blue
ribbon.
Promise me-" she said, with a trembling
voice, "that you won't look at it until You
get home" And putting out her hand,
Goodbye; I'm going tomorrow, you know"
He took the little hand, pressed it warmly,
and replied, with much feeling, mo; not
goodbye. l mean to see you in the morn
ing
Dolly turned away without u word.
1t seemed at least a week before he said
goodnight TO his hostess and found himself
at home, where he could examine the over
whelming proofs Of Dolly's un6tness to be
his wife. The harmless little box contained
several newspaper cuttings, all verses. and
purporting to be written by one Daisy Fern.
There was "a Spring Twilight "The Re
turn OF the Robins, p 1.-THE Orioles Nest and
various other not very original headings, in
Producing not worry original verses. Ii took
Fred something more than n minute to com-
prehend that Daisy Fern and Dolly Ferris
must be one and the same person, and that
all his well-meant animnd versions against
literary wives had had n far different mean
ing for Dolly from the one intended. He
groaned just once, perhaps twice, to think
that even inability to read and write couldn't
save a woman from being the victim Of
literary aspirations, But one thought of
poor little grief-stricken Dolly banIshed his
only half-recognized misgiving. Besides, he
wickedly reflected that he would undertake
to make it impossible for her to find an
amanuensis
At half-pAst o ON the next morning Mr..
Fred Rylance's gray Roderick was paving
the gravel in front Of Mrs. Ferris house, and
Mr.. Fred Rylance in the drawing room was
holding a little white-robed maiden to his
heart, and telling her between times that he
didn't care If she wrote "Theophrntus Such
When a more lengthy interval of lucidity
came to both, Mr.. Rylanee asked, with
amusement:
]But, Dolly, my dear, VIII wrote them for
YOUR
who wrote themf' Indignantly. why,
they're mine, even II you don't like them"
o yes, l know; but who was your aman-
uensisi You know you told me yourself
that you couldn't write"
What" said Dolly, in amazement. "WhAt
do you meanF'
~Why, at the station, the day you came,
when 1 wrote your telegram"
Dolly looked at him a moment in utter
wonder, then burst into peals Of laughter,
until a rapidly gathering cloud on Freds faca
sobored her.
Little Joker is the best smoking to-