Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-01-21
BRING MYRTLE"

BRING MYRTLE"
A number of letters we're awaiting
Colonel Haldane, cOmmandant of
Newly, on his return from parade.
he was unmarried, rich and rather
MISUNDERSTANDING. 1t will there
fore surprise no one that he was accus-
toned to receive great many sweetly-
scented, delicately-monogrammed, pref
tily-worded letters from. the various
members of the fair sex with whom he
was acquainted. Among the little
heap which lay before him was one
conspicuous for its careless handwrit-
ing and rough envelope. Oddly
enough, this was the one he selected
first for perusal. Scrawled on the lip
of the envelope were these words:
bring Myrtle"
Colonel Haldane put up his gentle
manly eye-glass, and held his head a
little on one side; he twisted his iron
gray moustache into a yet more
poignant expression as he inspected
those curious words: bring Myrtle"
Who was Myrtle? What was Myrtle?
How many times he read and re-read
that message he was perhaps unaware.
But it was useless. Bring Myrtle"
remained on the lip of the envelope, an
unsolved enigma.
Slowly he,opened the letter. 1t was
an invitation to afternoon tea at the
Whites-people he knew slightly, as
he knew so many in the heavily-garri-
soned naval and military town close to
the barracks at Newly.
The letter was from Miss Florence
White, who wrote in her mothers s
name.
He called up vision of Florence
White. Tall and stately, girl with a
mass of golden brown hair, rolled off
her forehead; girl he had greatly al-
mired, as one admires a serene and
lovely landscape; girl who made him
feel provokingly "fogyish." Other
young ladies ratified away at him, as if
he were sub, asked him oplay tennis
with them, and treated him like a mere
youngster. But this young lady had
placed him, with due regard to his
complexion, in a shadowy corner of the
drawing room on one or two occasions
when he had taken "tea" there, and
had introduced him to some deep-toned
matrons, as if in that direction lay his
natural bias, and now this stately
young lady sends him the jocular
postscript bidding him Bring Myrtler'
Colonel Haldane sat down in the
comfortable red velvet chair which
faced the parade-ground, and COM
manded fine view of the ever-com-
panionable sea- The little rippling
waves had an expression of infant
smiles to-day, and the buoyant clouds
were chasing one another like school
boys on common. How innocent
and fair was the world of nature! lie
sat dreaming over his problem "Bring
Myrtle quite happily.
A knock with the knob of stick on
the door breaks into his reflections, and
Captain Hilton enters with his Gus.
tomary off-parade familiarity.
"Well, old fellow, what's up? Sea
and sentiment, eh? It's fatal to sit in
that attitude, looking at the sea.
What's up, ask you?"
Colonel Haldane reused himself from
his reverie with an effort; he gently
tapped his left hand with the letter
which yet remained idly between his
finger and thumb.
"Jane!" he said, addressing Captain
Hilton by his nickname. Jane! what
on earth does it mean when you receive
message from young lady 10 Bring
Myrtle?" and he handed the envelope
to Captain Hilton.
Jane, who had rolling eye and a
rollicking smile, took the envelope
daintily, and, after reading it. pressed
1t to his heart, and said, with strong
brogue: "Why, man, it's proposal!
What do the ladies wear on their
festal brows, and twist about the now-
) ing satin of their bridal gowns but
myrtle? Bring myrtle tell you, is
proposal "a bona lde proposal. l
wish you every joy. She is sweet
girl, if bold one"
Without a word. Colonel Haldane
5prang, in a melodramatic manner, at
the throat of Captain Hilton, and held
him with grip of iron.
"IIow dare you speak of Miss White
like that? She is the most distinguish
ed girl my acquaintance. Apologize"
Captain Hilton rolled his eye with a
ghastly appeal on Colonel Ialdane,
when the latter as suddenly relaxed his
grasp and said: