The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-01-16

LAWS, NlSS, yOu Chl ~ o4o LII
this storm; it's fairly raining cats and
dogs" said the now sympathetic
Celia.
II can not stay here" said Miss
Brown, bravely, but with CULVER Of
the lips that betokened not not very
remote Mysteries.
'But do sit down here, Miss, while
the gentlemen look for your friends.
I'll stay with you, and no harm shan't
come to you. They're all very re-
spectacle gents, miss. Mr.. Brown,
him that amt your brother, is q law
yer; and Mr.. Redmond, the tall one
with the brown mustache and blue
eyes, he's something in a steamship
Office down town, and Mr.. Benton s."
ooh, are there three of them?'
moaned Miss Brown. What shall l
do!'
Eyes, miss, there's three" said
Celia, with conscientious, though pitt
less accuracy, resuming her interrupt
ed narrative. "And Mr.. Benton's an
officer at League Island. They're very
respectable gents, as | said, and they
don't never carry on"
After Celia had travelled back and
forth several times between Miss Brown
and the library, the three men were
permitted to see the false memorandum
to which they were indebted for the
young woman's company, and their
guest received an invitation to
dinner. She was told that
the meal would be served to her
alone in the spare room if she SO pre-
ferred, but after a struggle between
embarrassment at meeting the three
strangers face to face and an hysteric-
al horror of giving them more trouble
than was actually necessary, she de-
cided to dine at the table with her
hosts. The young men debated whether
Redmond, as a special cause of embar-
rassment. should be banished during
the meal, but his eloquent and plausi-
bic plea that his absence would only
accentuate Miss Browns blunder with
regard to herself, and impress her with
the sense of having unnecessarily in
convenienced one of the party, decided
the question in his favor. BY the time
negotiations were ended the dinner
hour had arrived. Mr.. Brown there
upon escorted the trembling girl to the
dining-room where Mr.. Redmond and
Mr.. Benton stood behind their chairs
in ceremonious expectation. Miss
Brown" said the escort, gravely. per
nit me to present my friends, Mr..
Redmond and Mr.. Benton"
Miss Brown received the formal bows
and murmured salutation with what
she intended should be a self-possessed
smile, but what was really a half-hys-
terical, vain attempt: Once seated and
fortified with u cup Of tea, she was
more at ease, and the dimples that had
so pleased Mr.. Redmond on the way
down from Pittsburgh showed a dispo.
sition to recover from their fright and
take their accustomed places in cheek
and chin. Of course, the mistake was
discussed.
You would probably have suspected
something wrong" said Mr.. Brown,
"but for the fact that my friends, who
have just joined me here, have neg
lected to place their names on the
card in the vestibule."
Miss Brown devoutly wished that
they had not been so negligent, but she
realized the awkwardness Of express
ing the wish that she might have been
spared the hospitality which she was
at that moment accepting, if not en-
joying. so she answered with a non
committal smile. Then followed
the explanation from the guest
that her brother and his wife had
| just removed to new quarters thai
week. Her letter accepting an invita-
ton to visit them had been sent to hel
brothers place of business, but a dis
patch notifying him that she would
arrive one day earlier than she had a.
first intended had been sent the nigh
before to his house, as she supposed
ooh, then, this is your dispatch?'
said Mr. Brown, producing one received
the day before. 81 wondered what my
sister was doing at Pittsburgh. It is
signed E. Brown. My sisters Christian
name is Ellen"
"And mine is Esther" said Mis-
Brown. II signed the dispatch thus
in hopes that the people at the tele
graph Office would not know that tn,
message came from woman. l thinl
people are apt to neglect women's bust
ness" she added.
The gentlemen mildly proteste'
against the suspicion of any such TN
gallant conduct on the part of thei
sex, and Mr.. Redmond showed a dis
position to ascribe to all men chiv
alrous regard for punctuality in al
things involving the interests Q
women.
Celia remained in the room through
out the dinner, save when she went t.
answer the hall door-bell. The hrs
ring was that of a messenger boy, VIII
reported that there was no Thoma
Brown at the corresponding numbe
on Spruce street or Arch street. Thi
was not communicated to Miss Brown
Celia's second exit was followed b,
noises that Enthusiastically proclaimed
the arrival of a trunk. Miss Brow
leal=al i;aL,.uccal ~, e.aI,I,d h,,