Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-06-13

my dear Miss Lydia. Imay bea fool
| but, upon my honor q have come here
i this evening with the deter aimed sinten:
| ton of asking you whether yon vii
! have me. You know II worship thu
4. very ground YOU walk on = And &c
| Iydia's great consternat ion, the old gen
4 tleman, ere she could prevent him gal.
/ lantly knelt at her feet, and took bel
. hand, with the evident intention 8:
!, pressing it to his lips. H. .... s... \.
I "Do get up, please, Sir Pertinax,
| said Miss Lirripip, forgetting for q mo.
ment that Horace Ereake was within
! hearing, but anxious that the bsronet
should not make himself unnecessarily
ridiculous even to her. "You can tall
| just as we'll if you sit down; but really
you mustn't talk in that way. / don1
want to be married; indeed, I don't
You know / like you very much, but
could not possibly marry YOU" -.
| Sir Pertifax rose with dignity and
looked rather disappointed. II had
hoped, Lydia, that you liked me well
enough even for husband. What you
say, however, may not be final, because
nothing can alter my regard for you,
and perhaps in the future you may
think better of me-"
! II could not think better of you than
I do" returned Miss Ilirripip, feelingly,
"and you do not know how sorry I am
that this has happened. We can never
again be the same to each other. am
sorry" ....
Sir Pertinax began to feel sorry, too
for, up to that evening, he aud Lydia
had always been like uncle and niece,
and, in an uneasy way, he turned the
conversation into another channel.
But he could not for long carry it on,
and in less than quarter Of an hour he
said goodbye, like s. sensible man that
he YVES in spite Of his weakness. and de-
parted.
No sooner had he quilted the room
than Horace emerged from his hiding
place. Lydia blushe d to remember al
that he had overheard; but he did not
allude to it. LYDIA" he continued,
almost as if nothing had happened to
disturb him, II love you truly with all
my heart. VIII you, can you, learn to
love me; for your love alone will make
me completely happy"
do not ask me, " replied Lydia, who
was once more seated. You know what
I have just gone through. My head is
in wl1irl."
"But think how happy You can make
me, Lydia! You would be every thing
to me, as indeed You are already, and I
would spend al my days in making you
happy"
It is unnecessary to cronicle the whole
of the further conversation that took
place. Suffice it to say that aJ last Miss
Lirripip discovered not only that she
could, but that she actually did love
Horace Freake a little, and on the
strength of that she promised to marry
him.
Horace was in the act OF presu1nins
upon this promise by kissing Lydia for
the first time, and was enjoying one Of
the happiest moments Of his life, when
another OF those furious ratattatats
shook the house.
"Anoth said Mr.. Freake, with q
smile. Il shall go back to my retreat
until'we know who has arrived, for now
/ must be on the spot to look after you.
And in spite Of Lydias protestations
lie once more retired ito the back draw
ing room.
Two minutes afterward, the general,
very hot and very angry, stamped up
stairs and burst into the presence OF
his daughter. Everything has gone
wrong" ne exclaimed. "!rhey voted
mo out OF the chair; they flew in nv
face; they decided that the wretched
Foreigners don't want cold baths" And
no pounded with his stick, which he
had brought up with him, and looked at
Lydia as if she was the cause of his
discontinue.
well, papa," said Miss Lirripip,
soothingly, AL the better. Now you
won't have to go to any more of their
horrid meetings."
At this juncture, Horace, who was
troubled with slight cold, gave fortl,
astifed and enthusiastically small sneeze.
Lydia, said the general, as he threw
himself YEARLY into an arm chair, "I'm
sure there's q cat in the back drawing
room. Go and turn it out" And Miss
Lirripip, having no alternative, went
cautiously behind the heavy curtains.
and was there received in her lover 8
| arms.
"You cannot speak to him tonight" ,
she whispered. HE would not listen
to you. You see how cross he is. Come
again tomorrow"
Horace, therefore, took another kiss :
and Lydia, having unlocked the little
used door OF the back room, chased him,
with many expressions Of luminosity,
down the softly carpeted staircase, and
with a cry OF "Shoo, cat!" finally let
him out Of the front door.
When she returned to the drawing
room, General Lirripip gave vent to
some angry expressions of hostility to-
ward the whole feline tribe, and when
he had thus delivered himself went of
to bed.
How the story ended may easily be
guessed. When Lydia's father was in a
cooler mood Horace found no difficulty
in obtaining his consent to the marriage,
which took place three months after
wards; and to the end of their days
neither Sir Pertinax Popinjay nor Mr.
Merton Murley had any idea that third
person was present when they proposed
to Miss Iirripip in Bruton street, Gros-
venor square.-Chambers' journal.
| One Kind Of Failure