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

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 daughter, who
was given to using her brains in off-hand
criticism. ''If a man will drive a carriage
with a hood. what is one to call him but a
p~ig-in-a-poke, you know? lie is fidgeting
at the gate most awfully, Florence; do
come and look"
II like that hooded carriage, " said Flor
ence. ''Le style c'est I'homme meme"
And then she turned with ready grace to
meet Colonel Haldane, who had just en-
tered the room.
Felicity and | were drawn to the win-
dow by the magnetical influence of your
charming little carriage" she said. / so
admire your poke"
'.Do you % said Colonel Haldane, CRATE
fully. SIT is very kind of you;' and then
he looked steadfastly at Florence, abso-
lutely blushing as he did so.
Florence, catching the glance interroga-
tive, was arrested in her amiable intention
of transporting him to the other end of the
long lone drawing-room and introducing
him to Mrs. Harrington, the rector's wife.
This agitated gentleman did not look ex-
actly in a fit state to be discoursed to
to about winter blanket clubs and work
ingmen's clubs and friendly societies.
It's all very fine to talk about leading an
~unpuzzled existence, like Jane Austen, but
why on earth did Colonel Haldane look at
her with this unfathomable glance from
his undeniably fine gray eyes? What did
it mean? She fell away from him, mus
ing, and turned the outward machinery of
trite commonplace of her greeting of the
numerous guests who were now rapidly
arriving.
The Whites had just started a page, who
answered to the ubiquitous name of
'sTommy," one of those specimens much
adapted by ambitious matrons as an i'm
provement on parlor maids, a creature raw
of the fields, with the expression of an ami
mated turnip and brains to match. In the
midst of a buzz of voices intermingling
with the frou-frou of rich dresses,
Tommy had suddenly darted into the
room and made straight for Miss Florence
White, carrying in his lobster-colored
hands a book suggestive of the P. d.
Company.
Colonel Haldane, from his solitary seat
-, Tho 1aan raoocc of tho hay window fao n
ing the entrance to 1.-THE Grange" felt an
aw full sensation come over him. Was this
the myrtle arriving, and had the Mention
folk absolutely charged the carriage to
Miss White? What should he do? He
shrunk behind the deep amber of the eur
tains, then as suddenly emerged.
Bring Myrtle.'' These were her own
words, and he made a violent rush across
the room to her side.
cts the myrtle" he said b~reathlessly.
"Allow me. The stupid people have made
a mistake" he continued incoherently.
THE idea of charging the carriage to
you And he threw a sovereign into
Tommy bashful fingers.
Miss White looked at Colonel Haldane
with ever-enlarging pupils. He had re-
turned lately from Egypt, had been indie
fatigable at the bombardment of Alexan-
dria, had had an illness on his return, and
she remembered hearing that he had
been obliged to have his head shaved.
She continued to look at him quite tender
ly as these thoughts fitted p~hantom-like
about her.
Thank you, Colonel Haldane,' she
said, "You have saved me the trouble OF
fetching my purse. This is a new boy
country manners, you know; he wants in
struction!' and, smilingly pleasantly, she
moved out of the room after the vanishing
figure of Tommy.
In the round, roomy hall stood a huge
tub matted up and bearing the name: ''Au
Myosotis, a Mention" etc.
Its a Towering myrtle, Miss, said
Tommy; ''the biggest the carrier says il
ever fell to his duty to deliver"
s'Fetch a pair of gardening scissors.
Tommy said Miss White; and another
time never venture to bring p. D. c. books
into the drawing room. Go to the house
keeper with that kind of thing"
Tommy took the color natural to him in
vet deeper hues and ran for the scissors,
Miss White soon shipped the OBTAINING
strings and gave way to a very natural de
light as the starry poisoning myrtle was
axnoSed 70 view
Every odd" she thought; ''it's address.
ed Enthusiastically to me. Poor Colonel
Haldane. What does it mean?"
Thinking again of the shaven head and
the bombardment of Alexandria she sigh
ed a little pensively and a little compass
sionately, and returned to the drawing
room just in time to escape the entry OF
Mrs. Danvers, whose forest cart, drawn
by a lovely pair of Welsh ponies she saw
turning in at the gates. That lady now
entered followed by her inseparable com
panion, a perfect Dandy Dinmour, a long
bodied, low-legged, flap-eared, pedigreed
creature, which rejoiced in the possession
of seven prizes.
Florence Immediately made a rush at
the dog. 'Ah. you have brought Myrtle.
| was afraid, when | saw you this morning,