River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-03-19
BRING MYRTLE"

unmarried, rich and rather distinguish
edlooking. 1t viii therefore surprise
no one that he was accustomed to re-
| ceive a great many sweetly- scented,
delicately -monogramed, pretty worked
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 care
less handwriting and rough envelope.
Oddly enough, this was the one he Sc
lected first for perusal. Scrawled on
the lip of the envelope were these
words: Bring Myrtle"
Col. Haldane put up his "gentlemanly
ye-glass, and held his head little on
one side; he twisted his iron grey,mus-
tache into yet more poignant express
ion 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. It was
an invitation to afternoon tea at the
Whites-people he knew slightly, as
he knew so many in the heavily garrison
ed 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 vision of Florence
White. Tall and stately, girl with a
mass of golden brown hair, rolled off
her forehead; girl he had greatly adj
mired, as one admires a serene and
lovely landscape; girl who made him
feel provokirgly "fogieish." Other
young ladies ratified away at him as if
he were sub, asked him to play ten
mis- 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 ma
irons, as if in that direction lay his nat
ural bias; and now this stately young
lady sends him jocular postscript bid
ding him Bring Myrtlei"
Col. Haldane sat down in the com
Portable and velvet chair which faced
the Parade-ground, and command
ed a fine view of the ever compan-
ionable sea. The little ripping waves
had an expression Of infant smiles to-
day, and the buoyant clouds were chas-
ing one another like schoolboys on a
common. How innocent and fair was
the world of nature! He sat dreaming
over his problem Bring Myrtle" quite
happily.
A knock with the mob 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, Ell? It's fatal to sit In
that attitude, looking at the sea.
What's up, ask you?"
Col. 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.
"Janel" he said, addressing Capt.
Hilton by his nickname: "Jane! what
on earth does it mean when you receive
message from young lady to Bring
Myrtle p" and he handed the envelope
to Capt Hilton.
Jane, who had arolling eye and a roll
licking smile, took the envelope dainti-
ly, and after reading it, pressed it to his
heart, and said, with strong brogue
"Why, man, it's proposal! What do
the ladies wear on their festal brows
and twist in the flowing satin of the
bridal gowns but myrtle? Bring myr-
tle,' tell you It's a proposal bona
fide proposal. l wish you every Joy
She is sweet girl, if a bold one"
Without word Col Haldane sprang,
in a melodramic manner at the throat
of Capt. Hilton, and held him with q
grip of iron.
'How dare you speak of Miss White
like that? She is the most distinguish
ed girl of my acquaintance. ApologizeP p
Capt. Hilton rolled his eye with a
CHASTITY appeal on Col. Haldane, when
the latter as suddenly relaxed his grasp
and said:
"Forgive me, Hilton, but really II
object to such an unseemly idea"
II beg your pardon, Colonel" said
Captain Hilton, stiffly: ~ object equal
Iy to being throttled. Allow me to
wish you good morning"
"Stop, my friend" said Colonel Hal
dane, confusedly: 81 don't know what
is the matter with mel I'm half asleep
think. Sea and sentiment, as you
said lust now. Come my friend Do
tell me what on earth Miss White
means"
"Means? something green" said
Hilton, viciously; "but whether sprout-
ing in tub, after the fashion of the
blossomiLg shrub, or done up in a glass
case, after the artificial mode, / know
not. I wish you good morning,
Colonel"
And with that he retreated to the
mess-room.
"Blossoming shrub, murmured Col
onel Haldane. "Bless his Hibernian
witt Eurekal Now have itw And
with that he sat down at his writing
table and renned the following let
ter:
eau Myosotis 10, Avenue Victor Emmanuel,
ga Mention, Alpes Maritimes
''Send the finest Towering myrtle you pos
sess to the following address, Miss Florence
White. The Grange, Portertown, Sussex The
myrtle must arrive on the afternoon of Septem-
Der the 7th one week from this date.
Then Colonel Haldane rang the bell
hastily, and told his man to post the
letter. This done, lie placed the note
from Miss Florence White in the peck
ct of his frogged coat, and then pro-
ceeded to read the rest of his cores
pondence.
The afternoon of the 7th duly
arrived, and with a strange pal
pitation at his heart "a sensa-
ton which ought to have aroused his
suspicious as to the exact state of his
susceptibilities.) Col. Haldane drove
up in his little hooded carriage, with
the tiger jumping up and down behind,
to the gates of the Grange.
"Here comes the pig in the poke,
said Felicity White, a younger daugh-
ter, who was given to using her brains
in off-hand criticism "If a man will
drive a carriage with hood, what Is
one to call him but pig IN poke, you
know? He is tidgeting at the gate most
awfuIly, Florence; do come and look. "
AZ like that hooded carriage" said
Florence. "Le style c'est Phomme
meme" And then she turned with
ready grace to meet Col. Haldane, who
had Just entered the room.
Felicity and | were drawn to the
1 II aaI M