The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-02-09

evil habits of careless speech" Mr..
Martin said, presently, with the ex-
cepton of Miss Gray. She, it seems. is
impregnable.
81 don't venture to hope that" said
Eugenia, concealing her sudden
citation; "but while l think of it,
let me say that the word you have Just
used is pronounced by authority as well
as custom eU'L with the i eiided. |
don't know why it should be. Evil
has correcter sound-but so it is. So
also with deCit- saving the company's
presence-pVe heard you treat that
word in the same punctilious manner,
but the dictionaries give deU't."
"Really, Miss Gray" put in Mr.. Rms
sell, 81 don't know as ever | knowed
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 pla-
card 10 that effect hung around your
neck"
''Placard, Mr.. Russell, please. No
objection to the scheme, but in my
aforementioned character must except
to the pronunciation.
"Why dom you hire a hall and give
a lecture, Miss Gray?" said Mr. Rus
sell. "You might call it Grammatical
Heresies and Schisms. +"
'1f | did l should not pronounce
schismS as if it were word of two syl-
iables-nor p7'iSn1s either, nor baptism
as If 1T had three, as most people do.
CTsMay ask said Mr.. Russell,
''whether, by any chance, you ever
make 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. "lndeed. sometimes | err
deliberately. For instance, nothing
would induce me TO say clark for clerk,
in this country, or to speak of sitting
hen, though | acknowledge the correct
ness of both of these points. 1 don't
want to 90 so far, in my aim at purity
of language, as to merit the epithet APP
piled to me by clever man | once
knew, who called me "A Grammatical
Prude. p"
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 the conversation by saying:
"What do you think of your expert
ment now, Madame MINI"
80, Georgen' said Minnie helplessly,
Chow unpleasant it has beenn
"Tolerably unpleasant, l must ad-
nit There's Turner won look 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
last degree. I'm afraid neither will
ever make the concession necessary to a
reconciliation. So what becomes of
your plan? Then there's Martin, who
was just ready to fall into your trap
concerning the other little scheme
more smitten than ever | saw him in
my life before, indeed completely
turned around. I'll venture to say he
has set Miss Gray down as female
prig. His self-love has received NOR
tai blow. And there is Eugenia her
self, who used to think Martin delight
full, but who'd tell you now he was a
conceited coxcomb. And this ism t all.
Minnie, look me in the eyes. Tell the
truth, dear. When have you ever felt
toward me before as you did when 1
corrected you this morning."
81 know, George, and I'm awfully
sorry. 1t wasn't because of the mis-
take only l did think if went wrong
You shouldn't have been the first to
catch at it. 1t almost seemed as if YOU
were glad. You didn't look sorry for
me one bit"
The answer returned to this, having
no connection with the present nara
ton, need not be given here.
1t is probable that the other members
of the little party Judged Mrs. Russell's
experiment to have been as unpleasant
in its results as the host and hostess did.
Certainly Miss Gray, though she had
come of unscathed, experienced no
| agreeable emotions in consequence.
The whole episode had been disturbing
and disconcerting. She feared she had
taken rather too much upon herself and
that the others thought so. With re-
gard to one of them at least her sur
mise was correct.
"And to think, ~ said Mr.. Martin to
himself between the puffs of his bed
| time cigar, ''that was nearer falling
in love with her than I've been with
any woman for years. Well, I'm in no
particular danger now. Fairly ont of
it, by George, and good thing it is !!
l wonder who the man was that called
her "A Grammatical Prude.' I'd like
to shake him by the hand. 1t was a
felicitous epithet. The poor fellow had
reason to speak feelingly, | expect.
o, that Eugenia could have heard
him!-Julia +. Magruder, in The Con-
ttraeft.
The late Mr.. Holloway, of London,