The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-06-04

roadside. 1t will be a great dea
cheaper than Newport and more
sensible than Cape May"
ooh, papa, do let me gop' SAID
Ruby, c!asping her pink fingers &c
t statically together. Mamma says
= yes"
A year ago, Mr.. and Mrs. Alden
, Archer would have considered this
sort of thing as nothing more nO1
less than Punishment. The Misses
Archer had never been anywhere
else than at Saratoga, Long Branch
and Atlantic City. But times were
altered now. The Financial pres
sure" whatever that might be, had
acted very unpleasantly on the at
mosphere of the Archer household.
Euphelia, the eldest daughter, had
just discovered that Mr.. Fontenoy
Favrier, to whom she had engaged
herself, was not next heir to an En-
glish baronetcy, at all, but a de-
faulting clerk from Threadneedle
street, with half q dozen detectives
after him; and Alicia, the second
blossom of the family-tree, had
been unceremOniOusly deserted by
MIR. Dallas, of the Polo Club.
eff a girl-aw-hasn't got money,
you know-aw," said Mr.. Dallas,
there's no use-aw-in keeping up
the thing We amt like wavens
nowadays, to be fed by-aw-the
prophets. We must-aw-haye
cash"
''But, mamma" pleaded Ruby,
winter"
Child, don't be absurd" said
Mrs. Archer. Il said you should be
introduced into society, if Euphy
and Allie were married, but they're
not; and 1 can't go into bathrooms
at the head of a regiment of daugh
tiers. What would people sayp
at isn't my fault that they are
not married." pouted Ruby; "and
am so tired of the nursery Nam
ma, can't I go to Atlantic City with
your
Certainly notp' said Mrs. Arch
er. "And mind, Rubia, if any one
asks you how old you are, you must
say sixteen"
"WhyY cried Ruby, with open
brewn eyes of establishment, "But
was seventeen last birthdayr'
There's no sense in your grow
ing up so fast!'' pronounced Mrs.
Archer irritably.
How can 1 help it2' said Ruby, |
almost ready to cry. 81 can't put a
stone on my head, can I?''
There are the girls TO consider"
said Mrs. Archer, sorrowfully.
"How are they to be bettered by
my telling lies about my age?" re-
torted Ruby.
And then her mother told her to
hold her tongue and not speak again
until she was spoken to.
So that old Uncle Ennis offer
was truly welcome when it came,
and merry little Ruby was like a
lamb let loose upon the hills that
sloped down to the blue tides of the
majestic Connecticut river.
She tore her dimpled brown fin
gers with blackberry briers; she
ri1ed birds nests for addition to
her collection of eggs; she romped
like a child, whistled like boy, I'm
til all OF sudden she was recalled
to the facts of real life.
She had come in from the black
berry-felds all sunbrowned and hap
Ply, her cherry lips stained with the
purple dyes of the fruit, to find I'm
Gle Ennis pouring intently over
couple of letters,
"Well, little one," said ne, "what
do you think? Here are two sur
prises for your
1.-TWO, uncle?" she cried.
"One to a picnic party at the
Great George"
, ooh, can 1 goW exclaimed Ruby,
jumping up from her bowl of bread
and milk. jerome Franklin told
me that"
"Held on, lassie--hold onW said
Uncle Ennis. THE other is'a pro-
posal~ of marriage. Mr.. Dubarry
wants my sanction and all that
sort of thing"
chr. Dubarry, indeedr' said Ru-
by turning very red. ga stuffy old
professor who don't know anything
except about the ruins of Pompeii
and Heculaneum!'
'You don't like him, pet?"
mo, indeed, / don't"
"Then, said Uncle Ennis, indul-
gently, "there is an end of the whole
thing. Only when my little girl
begins to receive offers Of marriage,
it gives me a queer sort of feeling"
Ruby ate her bowl of bread and
milk silently,
Il wish they wouldn'tp' said she.
"Some day you'll wish they
would" said the old gentleman.
And he laughed so heartily at
his joke that Ruby could not but
laugh also.
"But one thing you must mind,
my little lass" he added more
gravely-"let that Jerome Frank
lin alone"
"Why, Uncle Ennis?" said Ruby,
earnestly.
"He's a wild fellow" said Mr..
Ennis. "These Franklins never
any of them came to anything yet"
but perhaps he WILL" said Ruby.
Il wouldn't try the experiment if
l was you" said Uncle Ennis.
And just then Ruby looked up
and saw Harry Stafford standing in
the doorway.
81 wonder" she thought, 'if he
has heard all we have been saying? |
1 don't like Harry Safferd one bit.
He is so precise and dignifed, and
Polly Twitter says he thinks am
romp, What business has he to
think about the matter one way or
anotherY'
So Ruby rose and went out of the
room with the stateliest step that