The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-28
ORDERED BY TELEGRAM.
A Dainty Bride That Was Not to
Be Married.


That was tho tenor of Il telegram Miss
Botscy Blythe knew, because sho read
1t over forty times, if she read it once.
She picked it up on the steps of tho tel
egraph Office, whore the lucky recipient
thereof must have dropped it-and un-
luckily the address was torn off tho
northeast corner Of the folded paper
But Miss Bctsey Blythe had not been
engaged in looking after her neighbors'
business all her life to be foiled now.
She wiped the strcet-mud off tho tclc-
gram with her pocket handkerchief, put
it safely into her roticule, and carried it
homo to her sisters, Miss Arcthusa and
Miss Pamela Blythe.
"Thcrc," said she, didn't tell you
Harold Smith was going to be married
on tho sly?"
Goodness mcr' said Arethusa.
at can't be possible" piped Pamela.
"But who can the bride bop
"That's the question: declared Miss
Bctscy, staring back at the poll-parrot's
cage in the window. "And Friday is to
be the wcdding-day
(Which Friday, wondcr?" said Miss
Arcthusa.
"Why, this Friday, OF course!" pro-
nouncod Miss Pamela. "The day after
tomorrow, Of course; or it would have
been deal easier and cheaper to write
instead of tclcgraphing. Don't you
sce?"
Fridays an unluclly day for we'd
ding" groaned Miss Betsey.
just like Harold Smith to get mar
ricd on Il Friday" said Miss Pamela.
"ic's always making fun of what he
calls 'superstitious obscrvances.'"
"Well, 1 never" said Miss Arcthusa.
"Who is the bride. anyhow"
IF she's a girl of any spirit what
ever" tartly observed Miss Betsey,
''she won't allow herself to be tele-
graphed around the country, like pack
age OF dry-goods."
'Somo girls will do any thing to get
married." said Arethusa, wi til vicious
emphasis.
"It's Jessie Mordaunt, of course" de-
cided Pamela. "Shc's been flirting on
and off with Harold Smith for these
three years, but didn't suppose he was
foolish enough to fall into her trap!'
Cor perhaps it's Marian Shelton"
added Miss Betsey. 81 hnoD they've
been making up new white-silk dress
with tdblier fronts and trained skirt, at
Sholton's. Miss Nccdlepoint told mo
so, herself. And I can believe any
amount of folly of the Shelton family,
since they changed that girls name from
Mary Ann to Marian!"
There's the three Misses Mackenzie,
every ono of 'em crazy after Harold
Smith," suggested Miss Arethusa.
= Mo- said Miss Pamela, decidedly.
"You may be quito certain it's Jessie!
Jessie's Eighty enough for any thing!
think she'd rather enjoy an cscapado
like that''
"And dare say" vindictively added
Miss Arcthusa, who was the eldest Sis
ter of tho three, and tho least addicted
to favorable views of human nature,
they think it's an unfathomablo Sc
crct."
"Walkley Station is only three-ouar
tors of an hour from New York" said
Miss Bctscy. ''Lets go to the we'd
ding!"
"And" added Miss Pamela, in
chuckle, lets notify all our friends to
go."
For the three Misses Blythe were not
pleased that Mr.. Harold Smith should
presume to take so important step as
that of matrimony, without their con-
sent and advice. Hadn't they known
him as 4 curlyheadcd lad, before ever
he went into college? Hadn't he played
many practical joke upon them, in his
wild, rolliclling way-and didn't they
know perfectly we'll, that he regarded
them as three sour, ridiculous, disap-
pointed old spinsters?
And now that they had come into pos
session of one of his choicest, dearest
secrets, it was scarcely in human nature
not to be rcvenged, fully and entirely.
do you suppose she'll go out in tho
cars?" asked Arethusa.
''In full dress! What nonsense" re-
piled Pamela. "She'll drive, of course,
in carriage!"
"She'll get her death of cold" said
Miss Betsey, with a SILVER. Driving
fifteen miles in 'full-dressn
"The idea of Harold Smith ordering
her around in that majestic fashion!"
cried Arethusa. but, girls, I'll tell you
what we will do; we'll go and call on tho
Mordauntsr'
Mrs. Mordaunt a pretty, full-blown
rose style OF matron, was doing crcwel-
work. Jessie, her daughter, who CORE
sponded with the rosebud of tho family,
was painting vase of purple pansies in
water-colors. They did not appear in
the least like custodians of an important
secret; looked surprised whom Miss
Botsoy alluded to the subject of impend-
Ing marriages, and said they had heard
of no wedding in the ncighborhood; and
they stared whom Miss Arcthusa asked
II they hadn't had drcssmaker in the
kouso lately.