The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1886-12-18

la, SATURDAY, DECEN
note to Mrs. Robbins. Gerald rushed
eagerly down stairs and exclaimed, a.
he met the housekeeper:
Where is Maggie gone tO?"
For answer she placed the note in
his hand. 1t was written in haste, and
was from Maggie. It ran as follows:
"DEAR Mr.. DE VoIssY: Allow me
to thank you for your kind attention
during my stay in New York. l have
been unexpectedly obliged to return to
Long Branch, and cannot, therefore.
have the pleasure of bidding you good
by except by letter.
"Yours, truly, MAGGIE"
This was all the information Door
Gerald could CLEAN concerning the girl
he loved, for Mrs. Robbins would
answer no questions, ,and when at length
he spoke of his affection for her daugh-
ter her face expanded into smiles, and
she told him not to lose hope, because
she believed all would be well. and that
Maggie returned his affection. She ad-
vised him to write her few lines.
which she promised to post. The re-
suit was an effusion of mingled jealousy
and love from Gerald, which Mrs. Rob-
bins forwarded that night. The next
afternoon the stranger who had caused
my companion such anxiety again
called, and we were barely civil to him.
until he handed Gerald a note from
Maggie, inviting him and me warmly
to return with the bearer to Long
Branch, where she was staying.
We needed no time for reflection. but
started at once, full of anxious curios-
ity. Our visitor was strangely silent
on the journey. Only roguish smile
twinkled in his eye as he eyaded our
questions. We both were lost in con-
lectures as to what would happen next.
At last we arrived at a certain we'll
known, large hotel. and followed the
stranger into "a handsomely furnished
private sitting-room.
"If you will be seated, gentlemen, l
will tell Maggie you are here" he said,
as he left the room
In few minutes he returned, They
had seemed hours of torture to Gerald.
He led Maggie up to him, and with
mock gravity, said:
h az Allow me to introduce to you a
capricious young lady in her real char
acteF. This is my daughter, Margaret
Livingston, known to you both, l be-
ieve, as Maggie Robbins"
We We're speechless with surprise,
and look of intense relief passed over
Gerald's face. Maggie, laughing and
blushlng, was very reticent in answer
ing our inquiries as to the meaning of
the delusion practiced on us. Later on.
when she and Gerald were engaged,
with her fathers consent, the whole
truth became known to us.
Mrs. Robbins was her foster mother.
and when she wanted to spend few
days in New York she frequently stayed
with her. Mr.. Livingston was wild
over, and disliked the city. so he sell
dom accompanied his daughter there.
Maggie confessed, to his surprise, that
she had known Gerald well by sight,
and heard great deal Of him from
one of her girl friends before he had
met her.
For myself l privately conjectured
that Miss Maggie had fallen in love
with my handsome friend before even
she spoke to him, and that her little
plan bad been all arranged between
Mrs. Robbins and herself previous to
her visit to New York o
Maggie laughingly told us that she
had also heard of Geralds determi-
nation never to marry girl beneath
him III station and that when she saw
he took her for Mrs. Robbins daugh-
ter she enjoyed the joke much, and
determined to keep it up. t..s
Well, he had to make no sacrifice of
pride, for Margaret belonged to good
old knickerbocker family, equal to any
in the land. tt ts
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.