The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-05-08
Rlisce1 1amen11s.
AN APRIL SHOWER.


AN APRIL SHOWER.
Philadelphia Times.
"When die" my pretty little friend Mrs.
Grattan is wont to say, while her mobile coun-
tenance assumes it's most tragic expression,
"Wellford will be found written upon my
heart. Never heard of Wexford What
fortunate woman you are! Then your hus-
band isn't real estate fiend. He hasn't left
q safe position at home to grow suddenly rich
in booming town"
1t was six months after Mr.. Grattan had
set out to seek his fortune that ] ran down
from my country home to spend few weeks
with Della. We had been school mates, she
one of the little girls, ] one of the large ones,
and had never quite lost the protective feel
ing with which her early helplessness had in
spired me. When arrived at her pretty little
home on Linden street was presented, with
mock formality, to "BIay Liza" a middled
aged colored woman Of the ante-bellum type,
who stood in the hall, ostensibly to take
charge of my satchel, but really to satisfy her
curiosity In regard to me. She was of sablest
hue, was MAY Liza" resembling in feature
Her dress, of coarse brown and white checked
domestic. was guiltless of drapery, and short
enough to display pair of clumsy country
made shoes laced with leather strings. The
waist, to which the skirt was simply "gether-
ed" was perfectly tight, giving to her figure
a same-sized- all-the-way-up effect, and was
fastened with horn buttons. She wore no COL
lar, but around her head flaming bandanna
handkerchief was carefully pinned.
"Mary Eliza" Della explained, "is one of
the old servants of the Grattan family and
has some all the way from Virginia to take
care of me during my husbands absence
She is one of class that is rapidly passing
away, and since you are writer of stories
you will do well to cultivate her. How
would you like to be put into story, Mary
Eliza ?''
Mary Eliza turned her face away with q
smoker, tucking her head and covering her
mouth with one corner of her muslin apron
II cert'n'y is glad" she said, when my cham
Der was reached, putting my satchel and
shawl upon chair, "dat you'se come to be
comp'ny for Miss Della"
Her speech was in the recitative style, not
unmusical, but as unvarying in tone as the
repetition of single key upon piano, and
as mournful as the note of -poor-will.
why" asked, sis she lonely ?'
"Miss Della one O. de up-in-de-garrett kind
one dav, and down-in-the-cellar de Mex"
Mary Eliza replied. "She git mighty down
in de mouf sometime bout Mars Ed'ard.-
Dun known why desc men can't content
deyse've TO stay home, no way" she continu-
ed meditatively; "but Mars Ed'ard de same
as he was when he was child'en. Turn ''em
in de yard to play, an he wouldn't never stop
twell he was up orn top de stable or some
place whar he didn't had no busne Ole Miss
an me was all de time feared he'd git hisse'f
killed"
A few days after this Della rushed into my
rOOr,1 in hor moot dra 10 cfulo
apiece of yellow paper in one hand. "What
do you think p she exclaimed, with the pose
Of Bernhardt. 81 have just gotten tele-
gram from Edward saying he will be at home
this evening at o'clock. Isn't it too dread
full for anythingp
"Too dreadful u repeated, the hand which
held my curling iron falling to my side, while
the mirror before which l stood reflected a
mildly-smazed countenance. "Did l ever
expect to hear you say anything like that !"
"Yes. too dreadful" she reiterated, dashing
away the mist that dimmed her blue eyes, and
averting the threatened shower. II had in
tended to get my new spring bonnet before he
came, and here it ia Saturday evening, and
will have to appear at church tomorrow in
that same old thing l had when he went
away"
"New spring bonnetr' calculated, with
pose he'll know whether your bonnet's new
or old?"
"He'll know whether Hook we'll or not" she
said petulantly. "That's the beauty of men.
They don't 60 into the details of ones ap-
pearance, but they are keenly alive to effects.
Now a woman would know it was the bon
net, but he'd think bad gotten better look
ing while he was gone.s They are lots easier
fooled than we are. But" with sigh, "Pve
no time to moralize. I must 60 down and
send Mary Eliza out to get something for his
supper"
"They are keenly alive to SUPPER" l
thought, with maidenly acerbity, following
more slowly to offer my service, while Della
telephoned the approaching arrival through
the dumb waiter. Saints in glory !" irrel-
evantly and irreverently responded Mary
Eliza from below.
"Yes," she repeated, "he's coming on the
o'clock train, and want you to 60 around
to Dickson's and get shad for his supper
Get nice one, Mary Eliza"
"How gwine tell ?" came in mournfulest
accents from Mary Eliza.
"Oh, ask the man." said Mrs. Grattan i'm
patiently.
"Taint while to asst him." in tone of
dreary dependency. "Dem mems all alike.
Ole Satin gwin get de las one on 'em. Dem
strawbe'ys whar you got for dinner to m Or
rer des as no count an trif1in' as anythi lg,
scusin' few whar he took n sot orn top de
box"
Della and set the tea table together, she
bringing out her daintiest napery and taking
down from behind their prison doors her
most delicate china and glassware. II wish
had had some flowers" she said, standing
of with hands lightly crossed behind her
and head on one side, surveying her work.
Then she flew about from place to place like
butterfly, lighting here and there and put
ting feminine touches to things.
"And now" she said, bounding up the
steps ahead Of me, "you must come with me
TO my room and tell me what dress look
best in. must get into something at once !;
it's almost seven now. There goes his whis-
tie" she exclaimed, sticking the last pin in
the black lace dress had, selected, and
snatching up light shawl. II am going to
run down to the corner and meet him when
he gets of the street care, and you tell Mary
Eliza, please, that she can bring up supper in
fifteen minutes"
Five, ten, fifteen twenty minutes went byand
still my friend did not return. 1t was now half
past seven, If the dining room clock could be
credited, and l arose and went towards the
front door to see if she were coming. As I
did 30 she sprang up the steps pale and
breathless. There's not trace OF him." she
exclaimed, land it's long past the hour. What
can it meanw
"Oh," said carelessly, for 1 saw that she
was alarmed, "a thousand things may have
occurred to detain him. He'll be here pres.