Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-08-26

1 V.
Il shall take 1t as a immense favor if
you will permit me to bring a most
charming gentleman with me to your
birthday party. No, you need not
look so quizzical, he is not veal, but
man OF mature years"
had long ago alluded to some of
Alice's callow admirers as ''veal," and
the appellation had SO struck her fancy
that she frequently used it.
"Pray what are you doing with a
mature cavalier" | asked her, had
the idea you had taken a solemn VOW
never to speak to any male being who
was too old to be an undergraduates"
Nonsense! Don't 1 Just dote on
your cousin Oscar, who il forty if he
is day?"
Eyes, 1 admit that you two do flirt
most abominably; he is old enough to
know better. Do you not fear that he
may challenge your new mature
| beau?'"
81 tell you he is not my beaul May
l bring him?"
1 gave the required assent and she
ratified on:
e"Now that 1 have your consent 1
will let you INTO q little secret. l tried
to coax mamma to secure an invitation
| for him, but to my surprise she would
not agree to do SO. Suddenly it flash
ed over me, for the first time, that
mamma is just little sweet on him
herself"
"Now Alice you know l dislike
gossip said warningly.
81 know you do, my dear, but this il
too funny to be mere gossip. You
| | rnlI fhat
mamma is the least bit jealous of you
now please don't stop me till you
hear the jokel Well. when l teased
her she at last said, in Just these
words, i am not willing to take him
to Helen's; she is q very attractive wo-
man, in spite of her age, and L shall
ever blame myself for having brought
them together. A man of his wealth
and culture might'-and here she bit
her lip and was silent. After that /
watched her, whenever he has been at
our house, and 1 am convinced that he
will soon be-what relation will he be
to me if he marries my step-mother?"
| He will, virtually, be your step
father, for you know you are your
mamma's ward until you are twenty
one. Where and when did you meet
this rara avisP"
"Oh he was an old friend OF my
fathers I believe, though he has been
in Europe for twenty years, ever since
his wife died-I told you he is a wild
over, didn't 1? A rich widower, with
out encumbrances. Oh, by the way,
you'll be sure to like him for he has
been living in Egypt for years and
years, he has seen all those eXcava-
tions. mummies and things that you
are so daft on you know, and all you've
got to do to entertain him is to say
mummy, or pyramid, and he is wound
up warranted to run for an hour. l
told him l had a wise friend who ador
ed Egypt, and you should have seen
him prick up his earsl Who is she|
he asked; and when l told him you
were the well-known writer he express
ed SO much interest that mamma sud
denly remembered that she had left
her purse lying on her bureau, SO 1 was
sent off to search for what I'm sure was
in her pocket"
Since Alice left me have recalled to
mind some peculiaritles ia Mrs. Ly-
ford's manner the last time saw her;
she was absent-minded and nervous,
and had good deal to say about some
recent marriage among our middle
aged friends. She was inclined to ap-
prove of them, but l gave free utter
ance to my sentiments, saying:
"For my part / must say that q
woman past fnrty runs a great risk
when she marries; If she Is widow,
who had one good husband, L should
think she would fear that fortune
might not be kind to her the second
time; If she is an old maid, then ninety
| - 49, oh Taa N
egrsgious fool.
"You don't approve of matrimonyp"
"Indeed / do-for young people,
their tastes and fancies one to the
others. But for old folks, neVer!
Fancy mo, self-rellsnt spinster rather
.sot' in her ways, tied for life to an
equally cranky old bachelor, or a
widower who would be for ever trying
to make me like the dear departed, my
predecessor
"Then nothing would persuade you
to marry?"
Nothing l answered fervently. 81
devoutly hope / shall never be afflicted
with softening of the brain, for III that
case l might be daft enough 70 think
would be better off if married.
Had l suspected that she was think
ing OF herself l might have spoken diff
ferently; 1T that time l fsncied that
she was doing as many Of my married
friends profess to do, pitylng me be-
cause of my state of celIbacy-
Pity, lndeedl They should rather
congratulate me that am able to take
care OF myself.
| MIDNIGHT.
And nv golden birthday Is thing
of the pastI What a prophetic name
1 did give to my little festivity
Each of my invited guests brought
me sold-colored gift, most of them
we're the precious metal itself; even
dear mamma put her wits to work and
presented me with bracelet made OF
tiny gold half-dollsrs, issued from the
San Francisco mint som5 years ago.
But my most precious and certaIh
most unexpected gift was this old seai
ring which temporarily adorns the
third finger of my left hand, and to 1t
hangs strange tale.
Mrs. Lyford evidently did not know
of Alice's mischievous plan until the
girl SUD 5enly entered and presented
her guest, tall, well-built, hne-look-
ing man about my own age. whom 1
did not recognize until ! gazed search
ingly at him on hearing his name.
"Mr. Tremlett, the distinguished
Egyptologist, Miss Coplthorne," Alice
said, and then glanced triumphantly at
her step-mothsr.