The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-09-13


dear Frank Oil stop that nonsense if /
live), on the train which reaches there at
O'Clock p. m. If | am belated, | will
telegraph from Kansas City"
No dispatch had come. Of course the
trains were on time. Only twenty-four
hours. Well, the emergency must be
met, and there was no way l could think
of but to take Harriet into my conf
dence. Harriet is not person given to
exclamation points. | hated to lower
myself, as | knew | must, in her eyes,
by the relation. If it was a fact that the
advent of the girls had swept my mind
clear of the befogged sentimentalism
which had reigned there in my loneli-
ness, it was equally a fact that this sister
had not in her the capacity to believe
that any man In his senses would be
guilty of the follies with which had
been entertaining myself tor the last
twelve months.
And how good she was! She listened
patiently, studying my face, meantime,
with something of the look with which
pagan might have gazed down on the
remains of his shattered idol. There
were sorrow, pity and deep solicitude in
it. But she uttered no ungracious COM
ment. Of course she had set me down
as insane, but she was mindful of the
trite maxim for such cases, "humor the
patient"
Entirely ready she was to advise with
me on the preparations. One might
have supposed, from the way she en-
tered into the business, that this was
matter of every day occurrence with
me. She agreed it was not best to men,
ton the purport of the making ready to
the little ones or even to Eliza. They
might imagine surprise party was on
the docket. One was, for that matter
All took hold.
She and played the mysterious, and
such jocular, hilarious time as they
made of it! didn't feel especially hila-
rious. Before o'clock the next morn
ing the house was decorated as for the
reception of a princess. Edith said so.
groaned. Eliza planned the reception
programme. think she had hint from
Harriet
And the hours sped by! Three o'clock!
Half past! We issued forth. l, alone in
the little basket phaeton. three mounted
sisters moving as guards on either side.
The railway gate was at the farthest cor
ner of my park, the road to it winding,
zigzag, measuring a full half mile.
There! the train bell! The cars, instead
of moving in, were moving out, and
that was a thirty minutes stopping
place.
glanced at Harriet. knew it hazily.
She had put back the clock. The pre-
cious girl! saving for me and them
half hours respite. But what was that?
The gate was opened. l was to pass
through, enter the ladies' waiting room,
find and snatch my bride land dear knows
how should pick her out in the crowd,
am short sighted), bear her to my car
riage, seat myself beside her, turn back
again, pass through that gate-John,
with his cue heightened by yard of
white ribbon, standing with it in his
hand ready to close it after me-my
escorting cavalcade was to take up again
its line of march, the direction being
home again.
l said we had reached the gate John
had opened it. l, in pursuance of this
portion of my programme, was about
urging my horse through when smart
buggy, containing two persons. dashed
into the space and stopped. It was
Frank Howard, the showiest beau in
town, and lady, a stranger.
"Ah, Mr.. Rowland! Mr.. Howlandw
he started off effusively, taking off his
hat and bowling low, low enough to do
reverence to all my sisters ten times
over Congratulate me, Mr.. Howlandl"
His face was shiny enough to light
match by. 'Let me introduce you to
Mrs. Howard" taking the lady by the
hand and doing the bow over again. ''My
wife, Mr.. Howlandl My wife, young
ladiesl Half an hour ago Miss Lizzie
Kent. Now! now!'-he swelled up
again-"Mrs. Frank uowardr
"Hurrah!'' fairly shouted.
"God be praisedH' heard calculated
from the lips of our good Harriet.
My whole being echoed the thanksgiv-
ing. 1t seems she had been holding the
manacles ready for me or both of u.s. 1t
was paper Howard had thrown away
that l picked up. He had then got
through the mountainous experience
that marked my initiatory work. My
Lizzie had been corresponding with
him for three weeks, and she took
me up and kept me along, because,
you know, if anything should hap
pen to despoil her of the first. it
would be well to have second in the
house to fill the gap. That Dear Frank
letter was intended for him. In the
hurry of getting it off she mixed up our
names. Harriet found that out somehow
Pm free man and there aren't in all
the forty-two states six prettier, nicer
girls than are my sisters, and there isn't
a prouder, happier old bachelor than is
their brother Francis.-A T. Perry in
Home Journal
Scrap Out of the Past.
In the spring Of 1889 several families,