The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-04-29
An English Cinderella.

days than the world ,imagines! The old
story is enacted under different cir
cumstances, with varying details, in
many an English household. The
daughters of the land may be fair, but
there are too many of them, perhaps,
for the anxious maneuvering mother
to pilot among the shoals and quick
sands OF society. Now and then
younger one is kept out in the cold for
little; forbidden to cross the bor-
derland between the school-room and
the drawing-room-not exactly forced
to sit in ashes, but repressed, hidden
away in the dim background. There
may be reason, plenty of worldly wis
dom in this, and yet the girl-woman
is apt to wax rebellious; her sisters
triumphs fill her with envy. All sorts
of radiant visions of possible and inn
possible delights seem to beckon to
her from that unknown world. Why
must she, poor little Cinderella, waste
her sweet bloom unseen and unheeded!
One fears Mabel Templeton had
some such thoughts as these as she
watched half sadly. half enviously,
the progress OF her sisters toilets one
bright June afternoon, and also the
packing OF two well-filled trunks, into
each OF which Rosalie was depositing
a perfectly new and dainty ball-dress.
For Mr. Templeton had consented to
take his two elder daughters to Ok
ford for the Commemoration; and
though there was no mother in this
case, Aunt Selma, who was also of the
party, had fatty refused to act as
chaperon to more than two nieces at
time.
"Disagreeable old thing" muttered
Cinderella, with a curl OF her pretty
lips. She was trying to brave out her
disappointment in this fashion, but
tears lay very near the surface, for the
poor girls heart was very sore. cit Is
such shame, too, when Owen is my
own brother, and have never seen his
rooms nor his cap and gown; and papa
took you both last year"
eyes, butt was not commemoration
time; everything was as slow and stu
pid as possible, returned Violet placid
ly. Don't be cross, Nab; neither
Pauline nor can help Aunt Selina's
fads. You know papa does not like
us to cross her, because she is SO rich.
1t was not possible for ME to put in a
word"
She spoke in a tone OF good-natured
banter, and patted her younger sisters
shoulder kindly as she passed.
Don't, Viz returned Nab, rather
irritably. 1T is all very we'll, your
saying that about Aunt Selma, but
you know that neither you nor Pau
| line said one word-you never even
mentioned me. And yet Owen begged
so hard should go this year"
"Oh, Nab! how tiresome you are"
her indignant speech. ALI the Temple.
ton girls were handsome; but though
Pauline was very fair and stately. one
or two old friends of the family had
predicted that Nab would one
day bear the palm. II wish you
would not pr evoke me into saying it,
but l must own that l think Aunt
is quite right, and three would be too
many. 1t is our turn this year, but
next commemoration, who knows"
And here she stopped to survey her
self in the glass.
Mabel gave little stamp with her
foot, but she had sweet nature on
the whole, and she wisely resolved not
to give vent to the feelings that Cypress
ed her; She was cross, she knew
dreadfully cross-but, oh! if they only
imagined what this disapI ointment
meant to her. how really unhappy she
was. But that was just what she
could not own to any one.
Nab had her own little secret, though
she was only eighteen, and neither
Pauline nor Violet would allow that
she was quite grown up. Why, it was
only this week that the governess had
been dismissed. And she was quite
right in her surmise that neither of
her sisters wished to include her in
their party. 1t i difficult for a girl to
be perfectly honest on all occasions.
Nab was hardly telling the truth, that
is the whole truth, when she alleged
her fondness for Owen and her desire
to see him in his undergraduate garb,
as her reason for wishing to 60 to Ok
ford. Owen was certainly very dear
to her, but it may be doubted if some
one were not becoming dearer still.
Last vacation Owen had brought q
friend home with him, and the two had
been great deal in the school-room.
where Nab still did some pretence of
lessons with Miss Dalton. Neverthe-
less her demure manners in the draw
ing-room of an evening were as grown
up as Pauline's could be.
What would Mr.. Beauchamp think
when he saw only Violet and Pauline?
And yet he had begged her SO earn
sstly to come down for week.
"You will be out them" he h ad said
quite eagerly. 'Mlss Dalton tells me
she is to leave in June"
"Oh, yes. shall be out then. l
am quite grown up now" Nab assur-
ed him with much naivete and little
dignity; but she blushed like rose
over the young mans next words.
every well. / shall look for you,
and you must give me your first dance
at the University ball. l will dance
with no one else until you appear. Do
not disappoint me. shall know
what to think if see you. It will
show you care little for my wishes,
in spite of all your teasing-for you
have teased me sadly, have you not
Miss Mab?"
But to this Mabel made no sort of a
reioinder except by that blush.
She sat and thought about it all when
the carriage had taken them at last
to the station, and she was left alone
in the sunny, deserted drawing-room.
Miss Dalton was gone, all the lesson
books were put away she was a grown
up young lady, as she said. Her time
was her own. At the present moment
she was mistress of that great house,
| L. ~%c o% hoy,