Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-01-29

memory oweIt with so much fonduess
he devoted himself to her the whole
evening, and during the next day it
was remarked that the gray froek-
which by daylight was of Cashmere in
stead OF sllk-was never without the
attendant figure of handsome Jack
Dormer in close proximity. Lady FL
lerton and her easyg going husband. who
had promised to do his part-which. as
his wife said. was only to hold his
tongue-looked on with amusement
and with satisfaction. As to the Qua
keress herself, it is difficult to explain
exactly what was in her mind about the
gigantic fraud she was perpetrating
upon her innocent victim. She was very
reticent upon the subject even when
| chance threw her alone in the society
OF her friend, and received the laughing
congratulations upon her acting with
an extraordinary quietness and a 81
lence which was truly remarkable. 1t
is, however, to be surmised that she
threw herself into the part con amore,
and that the character she was portray
ing was IN no way unpleasantto her. for
she evlnced much willingness to be
led into retired shrubbery walks, and
showed no indisposition to unduIv lin
ger IN distant greenhouses and sum-
warehouses; SO that Mrs. Richie made
spiteful remarks about the aptitude of
Quakeresses for Irritation, in spite of
their charity-school-like personal APP
pearance; and Lady Sale murmured
not original illusions to those quiescent
waters whose springs are supposed to
be run in the depths of profundity.
Of course JACK never thought of tax
ing his Quakeress into the stables-the
only place for which Miss Rose exper-
fenced unhealthy longings. which she
had some difficulty in suppressing. He
was fond of horses, and would like to
have gone TO them himself and smoked
| his pipe there in peace and comfort
But it would have been a profanity to
have subjected this sweet, old-fash-
toned blossom of a girl to the odors of
stables and tobacco, and to the lower
ing atmosphere of a stable yard. 1t
did cross Jacks mind once to think
that it might be nuisance to marry so
delicate and pure creature, from
whom the coarse influences of daily life
must be forever carefully guarded.
But after all, one can't have every
! thing. and anything was better than
the fashionable girl of the present day
such a one. for instance, as his friend
Kyrle had described to him.
As the days wore away, Jack Dormer
| was obliged to confess to himself that
he was over head and ears in love with
Miss Rose.
On the last evening of her visit there
were to be private theatricals at Eos
borough Court. A small farce was to
be acted before select but not large
audience, and the name of it was The
Girl of the Period
'.Are you going to act, Miss Rose?"
asked Jack of his divinity.
'sOh, no; / could not" she answered.
..No-acting is not in your line, I'll
be bound; you are the last person on
earth to care about making q public
show of yourself
At this moment Lady Ellerton burst
wildly into the room, with an open tel
egram in her hand.
What am to do?" she cried. 81
am in perfect despair. Here is tele-
gram from Miss Grey to say that she
can not come, her grandmother is dead.
Oh. what shall do!''
Now Miss Grey was supposed to
be the leading lady" upon whom all
the success of the nights. entertain
ment depended, and without whom
| The Girl of the PERIOD must needs
fall to the ground. There was, how
ever, no Miss Grey In existence. .sOh,
what shall do'' cried Lady Ellerton,
wringing her hands and almost in tears
CATER all, she was almost as fine an
actress as Kate Ingleby). IAN the
people are asked, and the supper and
the stage scenery have arrived. and
how can / put it all off! Oh, Jack,
what am / to do?"
:.My dear girl, I'm awfully sorry,
I'm sure I don't know what can be
done; can nobody else take her part?"
does the sprightly old maid, and Mrs.
Halket the timid mother, and Colonel
Spriggs the heavy father, and George
Andrew the lover He is the only one
that can act a bit except Miss Grey;
the whole thing depended upon her,
and who is there who can take her
part?"
Then Miss Rose,said very hesitatingly:
.'Oh, Lady Eilerton, I'm afraid should
do it very badly, but if you are in such
difficulty would do my very best, if
you have really no one else; / would
try learn very quickly by heart, and
you might show me.
My dear, you are an angel, dar-
lingt" cried Adela, rapturously. clasp
ing Miss Rose in her arms '.How too
dear and good of you! / can't tell you
how grateful am
You are the first person in the world
to do kind and good-natured action. y
whispered Jack in her ear, almost fiat
" contradicting the very last remark
he had made to her. But he was IN
that idiotic condition of mind with re-
gard to her, when whatever woman
does or says, or leaves unsaid or un-
done, seems to be equally perfection In
a mans eyes, Nevertheless, when Miss
Rose had been carried away by his sis
ter to be drilled and coached, he could
not help owning to himself that, ami
able and good-natured as was Miss
Rose, he feared that her acting would
be failure.
AT such a short notice, and such
part, so wholly foreign to her nature.
Poor little girl, how can she do it?''
1t was with very nervous feelings
that Jack watched the curtain go up be-
fore a crowded audience that evening
He saw upon the stage Miss Rose.
and vet Miss Rose mysteriously trans
formed; wealth of dark curls over
her brow, red satin dress made IN
the latest fashion, and the glitter OF
diamonds upon her white smooth
throat; and then the saucy glance OF
her laughing eyes, that seemed as II
more than once they singled him out
of the audience before her, the easy
gestures. the perfect enumeration, the
natural talent with which she went