The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-02-20
- BRING

L u w III. biiclCiolt; sui li ioC iO piO tiboO IN
was accustomed to receive a great many
sweetly-scented, delicately-monogramed,
prettily-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
handwriting and rough envelope. Oddly
enough this was the one he selected first
for perusal. Scrawled on the lip of the en-
velope were these words: Bring Myrtle"
Colonel Haldane put up his gentlemanly
eye-glass and held his mead a little to one
side; he twisted his iron-gray moustache
in a yet more poignant expression, as he in
spected those curious words: Bring
Myrtle" Who was Myrtle? What was
Myrtle? How many times he had read
and re-read that message he was perhaps
But it was useless. Bring
Myrtle remained ON the tip of the envel-
ope, 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-garrisoned naval and
military town close to the barracks at
Newly.
The letter was from Miss Florence
White. who wrote in her mothers name.
He called up a vision of Florence White.
Tall and stately,a girl with a mass of gold
en-brown hair, rolled off her forehead; a
girl he had greatly admired, as one admires
a serene and lovely landscape; a girl who
made him feel provokingly ~''fogyish."
Other young ladies ratified away at him as
if he were a sub, asked him to play tennis
with them, and treated him like a mere
youngster. But this young lady had
placed him, with due regard to his com
plexion, in the shadowy corner of the
drawing room on II or two occasions
when he had taken tea there, and had in
troduced him to some deep-toned matrons,
as if in that direction lay his natural bias;
and now this stately young lady sends him
a j%ocular postscript bidding him Bring
Myrtle"
Captain Haldane sat down in the com
Portable red velvet chair facing the parade
ground and commanded fine view of the
ever-companionable sea. The little rip
ping waves had an expression of infant
smiles to-day, and the b~ouyant clouds
were chasing one another like schoolboys
on a common. How innocent and fair was
the work Of nature,
He sat dreaming over his problem,
Bring Myrtle" quite happily.
A knock with the knob of a stick on the
tain Hilton enters with his customary off
parade familiarity.
"Well, old fellow, what's up? Sea and
sentiment, Ell? It's fatal to sit in that at
titude 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 re-
manned idly between his finger and thumb.
''Jane," he said, addressing Captain Hill
ton by his nickname. 'Jane, what on
earth does it mean when you receive a
message from a young lady to Bring Myr-
tie p" and he handed the envelope to Cap
tain Hilton.
Jane, who had a rolling eye and a rollick-
ing smile, took the envelope daintily, and
after reading it pressed it to his heart, and
said with a strong brogue:
'Why man, it's a proposal What do
ladies wear on their festal brows and twist
about the flowing satin of their bridal
gowns but myrtle? Bring Myrtle, tell
you, is a PROPOSAL bona fde proposal.
wish you every joy. She's a sweet girl, il
a bold one."
Without a word Colonel Haldane sprang
in a melo-dramatic manner at the throat OF
Captain Hilton, and held him with a grir
of iron.
Glow dare you speak of Miss White like
that? She is the most distinguished girl OF
my acquaintance. Apologize :"
Captain Hilton rolled his eyes with a
CHASTITY appeal on Colonel Haldane, when
the latter as suddenly relaxed his grasp and
said:
Forgive me, Hilton; but really object
to-to-such an unseemly idea
Il beg your pardon, Colonel, said Cap
tain Hilton, stiffiy. Il object equally to
being throttled. Allow me to wish you
good morning"
''Stop, my friend, " said Colonel Haldane
confusedly. Il don't know what is the
matter with me. I'm half asleep. | think.
Sea and sentiment, as you said just now.
Come, my friend, do tell me what on earth
Miss White means"
means Z? something green y said Hilton,
viciously; "but whethersprouting in a tub,
after the fashion of a poisoning shrub, or
done up in a glass case, after the artificial
mode, | know not. wish you good morn
ing, Colonel"
And with that he retreated to the mess
room.
s.Blossoming shrub murmured Colonel
Haldane. ''Bless his llibernian wit.
Eureka! Now | have it, And with that
he sat down at his writing table and penned
the following letter:
eau Myososotis, 10, Avenue Victor Emmanuel
"a Mention, Alps Maritimes.
Lr--l a. 80 -n,ir ,.,tI xA,, a.AG