Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-05-30
THE DOUBTFUL YOUNG PERSON,
by ErTIE ROGERS .

by ETTIE ROGERS.
Everything seemed to have gone
wrong with little Prissie Ives. She
had anticipated such q superabuDdance
Of gayety and delight for this particu-
Lar dag, and instead she had only q vast
disappointment, intensified by multi.
tude Of irritating trifies
A grand picnic In the great breezy
wood beside the big blue lake ten miles
away had been planned. A huge,
heavy, springless wagon had been car
peted with fresh yellow straw, cushion
ed with soft, furry robes, draped with
flags, and canopied with cool piny
bo1ghs aud this gorgeous chariot, i'm.
provised for the occasion, was to be
drawn by six showily caparisoued
horses and graced by violinist, who
would be slowed away somewhere be-
meath the drivers heels. And Prissie
with her own pretty hands had made
really a marvellous cake and plethora
CHI cken pie, and had futed all the ruff
hes and laces of her dainty white mus.
lin dress, and had tied yards and yards
of delicate azure ribbon into knots and
bows for her coquettish hat, her flax gold
curls, and the adjournment of her whole
exquisitely fresh and charming cos
tune.
And after all the care and labor, af
ter all the delicious anticpations, the
morning had brought thick, gray,
continuous drizzle and 3 chill and most
unprom isipg southeast wind.
"I'll Just finish that last square of
my crazy quilt, just to kill time" she
sighed dolefully, drawing her rocker
and workable before window
through which she could watch for a
possible CLEAN of sunshine In the misty,
leaden sky. =,
But somehow the fragments of silk
and satins would neither contrast nor
harmonize, the skeins OF silky floss
would become provokingly entangled,
and needle after needle snapped asun-
deri n her petulant contest against the
evil fate which had turned everything
awry and 80 thwarted and vexed her
on this especially unlucky morning.
"That bit Of orange Just ruins that
lovely shade of peacock green, and l
have made botch Of the entire pat
tern. But, then, nothing goes right,
she complains mentally, with another
vicious jerk of the needle that drew the
fine, strong thread 80 sharply across
her finger that bleeding cash WAS left
in the tender pink flesh.
She uttered cry of nervous pain
with q sudden needless movement, that
Overturned her fragile workable and
sent thimble and spools rolling across
the room to the very feet Of hand
some young man, who had just been
admitted.
"Did I startle you coming in so alb
ruptly, and 80 cause all the mischief p
he ina uired with droll exaggeration
of sympathy, as he began promptly to
gather up the scattered articles.
"You did not startle me at all, !"
Prissie said as she Grossly twitched the
sbaky little table upright again.
i" Everything seems going amiss. 1t il
to be a day of mishaps, think, Barry"
"You are disappointed about the pic
mic, are you not?" he returned sooth-
lingly. "But you are to go after all.
The wind has veered to the west, where
the horizon is already clearing; there
is every promise of pleasant day that
will be all the more perfect for the
slight Storm"
"But the grass will be wet and the
trees dripping, and the lake too rough
for the boats" Prissie answered dis
mally.
"The sun will have dried all the
damp long before you will have arrived
at the grounds" Barry said cheerily.
Then In deprecatory sort of way he
added "And l am not sure, Prissie,
that shall like you TO go out In boat
! shall not be there-something has
occurred that h:nders me from going
with you"
: "You are not going to the picnic
at all? Oh, Parry, why ?" she OK,
claimed in surprise and somewhat
resentfully.
"You suall know the reason when
you come back, DEAR" he said, In a
, manner that she fancied was singularly
hesitating. 81 have promised Miss
Gastrell-'
"Do you mean Violet Gastrell, thai
!, dark girl in black, who came from the
/. city and is stopping at the village
hotel ?" Prissie interrupted, with
frowning brows and sparkling eyes
.She Is some adventures, l am Ger
tain."
II You are judging her rather hastily
? should say" he observed with q
queer smile.
"You cannot maintain she Is no
:. that" Prissie decls red, her anger wax
= ing, her jealousy afiame. "You car
know nothing about her, yourself, sine,
s abe has only been in the place n fau
hours. She has the most disagreeabl,
countenance ever beheld, and he
manners are coarse and bold: Anu II Oh,
were an irreLroaohable young person
= she would not be summering all nlon,
!. in strange hotels. and. she oopc' ndas
scathingly-'andm making appointment
with strange gentlemen, IN sne soom
to have done with you"
At this juncture Barry Fayre be
8 gan to look as wraLhful as ever
Prissie herself. However. he supp-sss
. cd his annoyance and coaxingly put a
? arm about her pre- tty suoulaors.
D But, Prissie, dear, YOU who are h
. be my wife ought" he began.
!. But again she interrupted him, he
l. blue eyes blazing, her lips like snow.
F" am not so sure shall be you
wife," she said passionatsly. II VIII
never be tho wife Of pAn who cal
J. affront me 30 Rrossly-who can troubl,
: and neglect me for the sake Of doubt
full young person such as Violet Gas
treli."
The young man gazed at her for /,
moment in deep silence.
oil You will be sorry for your rasl
tauuts, Priseie-some time-whenevs
you may choose to listen to explana
tions," he said grimly. at length.
And then he turned away with digni
ty and strobe out of the house.
Something worse than the inoppor
tune rain, or the botch in the Graz,
quilt, or the overturned work table aul
thepoor little gashed finger, had chances
. to poor Prissia INV. Sur nau qua rel
= ed with her lover, her dear, honest lover
In whose manl,hoss anu loyalty he