Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1888-11-24

| tuo monkey, having temporarily escaped
from his mistress room. sat looking down
at the disturbed writer with infinite inter-
est from the open transom over the door.
But finally Dick managed to compress
his hopes, fears and desires into -four
closelywoven pages of commercial note
"lf l may venture to hope" he said, in
a burst of originality at the close, twill
you wear at your throat when you come
down to dinner one of the Jacqueminots
the chambermald left on your dressing
case this morning." and signed his name.
! This epistle, enveloped and addressed, he
took upstairs Miss Francie's door stood a
little ajar. He raped once, twice, but
only echoed replied. Hesitatng moment,
Mr.. Blake stepped softly in and with half
reverent glance about the prettily fur
nished little apartment with its atmos-
phere of womanly purity and taste, laid
the letter on a chair where it would catch
the young girls eye on entering, and
withdrew.
He was met on the lower corridor by
the stylish widow, In q most becoming
morning negligee
Had Mr.. Blake seen her naughty, naugh-
ty Sim that morningl
Mr. Blake had. He was even then placid
ly munching bonbons in his favorite resort
the open transom over Mr. Blake's door.
He
Yet glance at the transom showed that
it was empty. Sim, taking advantage Of
Dicks absence, had probably descended
in quest of more bonbona It was a way
he had.
But thorough search of the room, which
Mrs. Browns sense of propriety did not
permit her to enter revealed no trace Of
the missing link. So finally the lady took
higher flight to the second and third
stories, whittier the erratic Sim was wont
to escape whenever he slipped his chain,
which on an average was six times week.
Ten minutes later Mrs Brown, with
heightened color and Sim struggling in
her arms, passed Mr.. Blake's door and en-
tered her own
But Blake had little thought for captor
or captive. The Marguerite refrain-'she
loves me--loves me not"-kept repeating
itself over and over again in the mind of
this usually matter-of-fact young man.
Would she or would she not wear his roses7
Hope suggested she would-fear took
contrary view. And so the pros and cons
struggled for precedence till the summons
to dinner.
Though Dicks back was toward the din
ing-hall door, he knew with lovers clair
voyance when Francie entered. Above
the clatter of chair legs, tie rattle of dish
es and babble of voices he heard the soft
rustic of her dress before she reached and
passed him, but he had not the courage for
the moment to look up.
Not until Francie had taken her accus-
toned seat at the table directly opposite
did Dick raise his eyes to learn his fate.
And then his heart almost stopped beat
ing. He saw nothing of the Ittle smile
and nod of recognition. All he saw was
that at Francie's viii g throat, encircled by
a dainty rufile scarce whiter-7nO roses tere
pinned
How Dick managed to get through the
form of eating that Thanksgiving dinner
he does not know to this day He ate and
drank mechanically Of the odorous turkey
that tasted to him like the ashes of Dead
Sea apples. Side dishes were an abomi-
nation and pie hollow mockery. The
only time he ventured a second glance in
Francie's direction she was chatting gaily
with that internal young Golden, Of whom
he had long been secretly jealous. And in
metaphor, this was the last feather
Guess you left your appetite upstairs,
eh, Blakel" cheerfully remarked Widger,
on his left entirely unabashed by Dicks
angry glare.
The Rev. Mr. Putter, Dicks Uis-d-uts saw
an opening for a word in season. He was
stiff, pasty faced individual, with nut
ton chop whiskers and a chronic dislike
toward Dick. who had once surreptitiously
inserted Mrs. Browns pet alligator be-
tween his led sheets
II fear,n he solemnly remarked across
the table, "that your young friend is not
duly thankful
"What the devil have l got to be thank
full forP savagely calculated unhappy
Dick.
Rev. Mr. Putters turned quite pale at
this unexpected and altogether diabolical
outburst which fell like verbal thunder
bolt in the immediate vicinity. Yet what
could one expect from young man who
had boldly avowed his sympathy with the
heretical professors OF Andover
From the standpoint of those who had
heard this explosive query, Dick Blake
had much to be thankful for. Youth,
health. intellect cook looks and a COM
competency are certainly bless
ings worthy Of being counted.
Thus in effect mildly remarked boarder
ag Dick, havipg pushed bis chair back, !