St. Landry democrat., 1889-01-05

|
listening to various plans for my
restoration to strength and beauty be-
sides a great deal of conversation quite
too delicate to bear pen and ink! =
The next morning was handed over
to the tender mercies of. an umbrella
surgeon, and his face was certainly a
study as he examined me. My fractured
ribs, my warped backbone, and gen.
| orally broken-up condition, evidently
made a great impression upon him,
for, adjusting his glasses, he looked
searchingly at Adolphus and asked,
dryly: "You didn't make a mistake
and bring the wrong umbrella? This
isn't worth mending.''
POSSIBLY I'm the best judge Of that, :"
with his most lordly air.
'All right, all right, sir; if you don't
mind paying twice as much as, you
would for a new one, I'm sure I've no
objection to put my work on it And
then followed a discussion as to my
dress and equipments, that was in
| tensely interesting to me, for | knew
how much depended upon it. Ii some
delicate color were chosen my life
| would indeed be a gay one, for should
be reserved for full-dress occasions,
but, alas! how soon it would end! as
fade | must, and SO be thrust aside into
some dark corner and forgotten! So
was thankful enough when Adolphus
decided (being of a literary turn) that
,, ! should be thoroughly red.
"Remember. | want it as soon as
possible" was the last direction; and
the surgeon, looking after his retreat
ing back, observed, so screw loose
somewhere in that head; cra1ks are
thicker than usual this year." And
then he fell upon me, and such a
wrenching, and pulling, and straight
ening of ribs never happened to one of
my family before, [ am certain, and I
squealed and groaned at every pull;
but it was done at last. and then came
my dress, which went on comfortably
and fitted to charm, and | should
have been quite satisfied if the surgeon
had not discovered at the moment a
fact that tried vainly to hide, namely,
a crack in my head.
This is the mischief to pay" said
he; my crank will make it hot for
me if | don't make better job than
this" And he turned me thoughtfully
over and over in his hands
i, to t,y II rr1,,
that head-up; thers'll Just have to be a
new head, and / know where there is
the very thing, at my neighbours, the
pawnbroler's, On that broken cane
that | saw there the other day, that
will be just the style to suit my dude
customer"
l felt this to be fatal move, for
how would the cane-head ever accom-
modate himself to his reversed posi-
ton in life; and by the time my would
be friend came ambling back, / was
thoroughly depressed, although l
realized at the first glance that my
new head was much <handsomer than
the old; and in spite OF the fact that
We were regularly joined together by
u massive gold ring, nothing could
change my forebodjng that the union
would never be a..fappy one.
Promptly on the following morning
Adolphus called and fastened me to
the abode of the fair Arethusa, who
received ME with delight, and ex-
pressed her admiration in most elo-
quent terms, saying: just fancy!"
and How awfrlly jo1lyr' (Oh, yes, she
was very English indeedD a great many
times in all her choicest tones. This, of
course, was very soothing to my feel
ings, but | was not long allowed to
bask in the honeyed words, for pick
nicking was the order of the day, and
| was Immediately called into requi-
sition, and my troubles began. At the
first whit of wind my head made
violent effort to resume his natural
position, and drag my pretty dress in
the dust. an effort which [ resented
and strained every bone to prevent;
and in the commotion that ensued
there was another hat catastrophe:
but this time it was Mr. Radcliffe who
was the sufferer, and much diversion
his antics afforded us, as he ambled,
and leaped, and scrambled, and climbed
back and forth on Il stone wall in his
pursuit of 1t, and made himself gener-
ally ridiculous in full view of his lady
hns in,
the rosy shade which, in my gratitude
for holding me firmly aloft, shed over
her in profusion. / am sorry to be
abliged to state that his race was en-
livened by occasional breezy express
sions, to which Arethusa and politely
closed our ears.
why, my DEAR said she, sweetly,
when, red and disguised, he rejoincd
us bearing captive the muddy hat, 81
am afraid so much exercise must have
fatigued you so soon after breakfast y
The words. were sympathetic enough,
but unfortunately there was a full
blown twinkle in her eyes utterly at
variance with them, and it was this
that Adolphus' quick glance took in at
once, ard to this he responded irrita-
bly,: "Oh, quite understand. / dare
say you deliberately pushed my hat
off with that detestable umbrella for
the sake of seeing me make myself
why, Dorphy, how can you say
such things! Rm sure it was very
pretty to see you play with the wall
so nicely. | had no idea you were SO
agile!'