Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-31
Blue, OR CRIMSON !?
Harper's Bazaar.

so than the reader, glanclng at tue title
of this story, imagines. The young lady
standing by the window, in street eos
tune, gazing at the blooming squares IL
the little garden below, was no nearer de
Gliding it than she had been three days
ago; yet it must be settled this afternoon
and the hands of the clock were pointing
% ten minutes 70 8. "Blue, or Crimson
the words began to adjust themselves
with annoying pertinacity to the monot-
onous ticking on the mantel-"blue, OF
crimsonf Yale, CT Har-vard?" and then
this further affix, containing the kernel
of the difficulty. "Rolfe, or Marston
Rolfe, or Marston?"
Which should it beP The clock drop
ped preliminaries and struck to the tel
lingclause with persistency so aggravatIng
that the young lady knitted her pretty
brows and finally stopped her ears. she
must think-she must think. Here wers
only fifteen minutes in which to balance,
for perhaps the thousandth time. the
merits of two rivals aud declared suitors
for her hand, represented by the colors
of the rival colleges. Which should 1t
bef
How it was that, though neither of
these suitors had been accepted, each be-
supposed lady-love to wear his colors Is
mystery which only an accomplished Co
quette could explain. This particular Co
quette did penance for much previous
filtration during the mauvais quart d'heur
at the window, trying to make up her
mind whether to purchase blue or Grim
go, rihbon for Elinor Vance's party.
She had put off pr rchasinR either as
long as nossibIe, and had had immense
tro9hle to prevent being presented with
both But for this unfortunate party,
which had given each admirer an excuse
To reouest a proof of favor, he need not
have decided quite yet Wheeler To accept
ROGER Marston, whose dark eyes and
charming manners had turned the heads
of half the girls in her set, VINO was
bandsome. aristocratic and-oh, most
notept word!-rich; or Walter Rolfe, the
the slittle lover of her childhood, mel
pIavmate and teacher at once, her loyal
cham pion always, and the hero of her
earliest day dreams.
"Why, Lou, what in the world are you
standing there for, with your myers IN
your earsH So you're going ou5F with
a disappointed accent.
"Yes'm. Whyf"
ooh, I've just got note from your
Amt Maria. She's sick, and nothing ii
do but / must go up there this evening
And | thought perhaps you'd make the
bisouit for supper. l can't trust lnga,
YOU know" Inga was the Swedish "help'
majestic, snow fair, picturesque, serene,
and as yet innocent of the least details Oh
cooking. "Can't you be back In hal1 an
bourP It don't take long to make
cream TARTAR biscu1tf"
Eyes, m" with desPairlng glance a.
the clock. an try"
One would not have said she was trying
very hard, noting her deliberate pace
when once on the street. She could nave
wished the walk TO town twenty times as
long. How provokingly things happen
ed. The 'thelp" only fit to look at, and
Amt Maria sick to-day, of all the 500
days in the year! Oh dear! DEAR!
Should it be blue Oh Crimson
OF course it ought to be blue. waiter
and she had seemed to belong TO each
other-always. She had always oelieVed
him, till lately, the cleverest, oesb ana
and handsomest boy In the worlo' Ne
might be-yes, she was afraid ne was
he was-a little common place, put ne
was as much part of her past rs her
brother Jeremy, and seemed as much
part of her future. To eliminate WaiVer
But then what girl she knew "ouIo
think of refusing Alger Mafstoni he
belonged to one of the Boston families
he had five times Rolfe's property; he
was handsomer, too-at least the girls
Thought he was; he sang, he painted;
and poorsRolfe was apt to yawn over
"enthuslasms." Surely no one else would
hesitate between the two and yet
II ,hc pt door.
clocks were pointing to 5:15 O'clock
She passed that door, and the next, and
the next; then turned back resolu ely
What was the use of waveringr 1t should
be crimson.
81 declare. Miss Lou!" This greeting
given by an irreproachable gentleman
of 80 who was patrolling the center OF
the store. II can not believe my eyes
For two weeks you have passed without
a glance at my windows, and now, when
I'm in the depths of despair, In you
walk as if cothing had happeded."
"Yeu see, Mr.. Batchelder," was the
sauoy response, 81 couldn't endure the
separation any longer. And how fortunate
1 am to find you at liberty to attend mel
"What! You're going TO ignore the
claims of friendship, are you, and pur-
chase some sordid trife or otherf"
"Do you keep sordid trifes? was
looking for ribbons"
"Ribben. All, yes, yes; now see. Why
couldn't you have spared my feelings and
gone TO Mr.. Eilard'sf He would have
sold you ribbon without pang, while
T.. At the very thought [ feel quite
sanguinary.
He had selected while speaking roll
of crimson, and was dexterously looping
it as he held it before his customer, who
surveyed it and him with astonishmen
not unmixed with anger. 1t has passed
to proverb that nothing should b'
taken for granted where woman Is con-
cerned.
Miss Jennings remarked cooly as sn'
turned to the case:
perhaps some other color would maxi
you feel less sanguinary. This straw
color for instance"
"Ha! hal" still holding up the Grim
son.
''You see I'm like Joel Bagstock, sly
devilish sly"
"Indeedf"
"Almost as sharp as Harvard senior,
ssure YOU"
"You have an excellent opinion Q
yourself"
"Well, I'm no Solomon, Miss Lou-n
Solomon. But then it doesn't require tn
wisdom of solomon to know that 20
want crimson ribbon. Any Yankee ca
tell that"
sYesf"
'Only see what lovely hle! Yor
color exaoly BruueGtes should wes
something rich and brilliant"
Miss ernings returned thanks for til
advice and allowed him to show her ever
nrin,son rihhnn in the case. Finally ST