Nevada County picayune., 1890-10-30
A FREAK OF FATE.

Mrs. Bethune Browne, her son Herchcl and her daughter Beatrix were in state of excitement that morning. They expected a visit from Miss Harper, the New York heiress whom the son confidently ex- pected to marry, and thus redeem the waning fortunes of their house.
 In the meantime the young lady expected had got off at the wrong station, and was plodding along the country road in the direction of the Brownc's cottage as directed by the station master.
 It wasa 2 little cottage; the very poetic, picturesque cottage of her glrlhood's dreams, with caves reach ing nearly to the ground, wilderness of woodbine, morning glories, and scarlet runners wresthing it around, and latticed window panes; and at the door there stood young man, the handsomest she had ever seen.
 Am living the pages of story book ?" Melicent asked herself; land is this the enchanted prince?"
 And then she came forward, smil- ing, yet timid.
 "I am Miss Harper, from New York" she said II have come to visit you. Were you not expecting me-"
 The gentleman look puzzled.
 "No," he said.
 "Then you never got my letter. :"
 "Never," said the enchanted prince.
 ''I wrote to Miss Browne"
 Did you?" with some surprise.
 "How provoking" said Melicent, reckoning and biting her ripe-red cherry of a lip. But 1 hope you are glad to sec"
 "les, indeed we are," said Harry Brown, instinctively polite, as he opened the door wide to admit the fair stranger. Do come in, Mari an" to some one beyond, there's Miss Harper, from New York, come to see you. She wrote us from New York, but of course the letter never reached us"
 Marian, a slim, dark-eyed young Diana, looked quite as bewildered as her brother had previously done.
 You are welcome" she said. ''Please come up to my room and take off your things"
 It was the tniest of little rooms. In fact, the cottage itself looked to Melicent's metropolitan eyes as if you were viewing it through the lit tie end of an opera-glass. But it was so neat, so dainty, so flower scented and pure, Melicent was a little bewildered still. Glenburne, as described by BcatriX Brown, was a modern castle. And why did this handsome Harry persist in calling his sister Marian?"
 Marian herself was also puzzled, until it occurred to her mind, "all of sudden" that Miss Harper must have been sent to their assistance by old Mrs. Telff, who knew all sorts of nice girls in need, and who was also acquainted with the fact of their mothers illness.
 Mrs. Teliff is always thoughtful, :" she pondered ''but so dreadfully brusque and abrupt sometimes.
 Do you know how to take care of sick people, Miss Harper' she asked as she was shaking out the snowy muslin folds of the curtains in the "best room.
 Not particularly" confessed Mel icent. "Why?'
 "Oh, because mamma Is just re- covering from rheumatic fever said Marian, land it would be so nice II you could help us nurse her."
 "Then l will help you," said Mel icent with kiss.
 Mrs. Brown, the sweetest of pale invalids, received the visitor with something of that puzzled air which Melcent found so hard to under stand. And there was a cottage piano, a banjo, some new music and a wilderness of wild flowers, and the young people promised to show Meil-
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