The Opelousas courier., 1892-01-02

CHAM umbrella, thrifty patched with
material of a darker emerald.
"Ill settle the question at once, she
murmured to herself, whether or not
they are ashamed of their old Aunt Me.
ehetable, from Deer Horns, up in Maine!"
And then, wishing Reuben and Betsy q
pleasant good bye, which neither of them
saw fit to notice by word or look, she went
straight to the stage Office.
Lawyer Darkley rushed cat of his ofict
as she stepped briskly by in her a4deaking
new boots which, as the errand-boy re-
marked, soto voce, ttwas every bit as
| good as a band of music and smilingly
accosted her:
"Miss-ahem!-Miss Bevis, are you
leaving town without any more definite
instructions as to-"
aHushi" said Mehetable, abruptly.
aNot a word! Yes. | will write in a
| dav or two. Remember, Mr.. Darkley,
everything is confidential between u.s."
The lawyer nodded, and retired once
more into his little den, and Miss Bevis
hurried on to catch the afternoon stage.
Mr.. and Mrs. Waller Cherryfeld were
having a little evening reception that
bleak November night. Miss Mehetable
Bevis had not been Ignorant of this fact;
in truth, Mrs. Walter had mentioned it
incidentally in her last letter to Deer
Horns; and she marched up the steps
looking curiously at the brilliantly lighted
windows.
"And now we shall decide this mat
ter she said to herself, ssas to whether
my city cousins are glad to see me-"
Yes, Mrs. Cherryield was at home.
TIE waiter looked obviously at the
strange guest, SO unlike the fancy figures
muffled in soft white garments that made
them seem like floating clouds, that came
and went from satin-lined carriages close
to the eurbstone. He would call her,
he said, if the lady would step into a
side room and wait. 1t was Mrs. Cherry
fed birth-nightsand-
"No," said Mehetable, al will go in
to her. Stand aside, my good man, if
you pleased"
Mrs. Cherryfeld's face flushed up with
unmlstakable pleasure at this unexpected
apparition, as she hurried to meet the
visitor from Deer-Horns.
"Aunt Mehetty," she cried. sob, this
is a surprise, lndeedl am so glad to
see you. Here's Walter, and here are
my girls! And now you must let me 10
troduce you to my friends. This is Mr..
Narrenton, the artist; you know | told
you about him last summer-and Miss
Briginage. who wrote the volume of
poems you liked SO much-and this is
Miss stallenkamp and Miss De Vauren-
but what a thoughlcss creature l am!
Let me take you up to my room to re-
move these heavy wraps!"
"No," cried CHEEKY Walter C~heeryfeld.
sup to your rosm, indeedl What for,
Alice2 Aunt Mehetable shall take off
her things here, and then We woa't lose
a bit Of the fun. It's like a Whit of the
fresh mountain breezs to see Aunt Mehet-
tvs face again-and I'll lead OF the Vir-
ginia reel with her myself
While the girls clustered around her,
eager to introduce their friends, anxious
to make her wholly and entirely at home,
so cordial ard sunny, that Miss Meheta-
BILE scarcely knew whether to laugh or
cry.
tReuben said your invitation was a
mere matter Of FORM" said she in a
choked voice. sThat you didn't want
to see me! But I guess Reuben amt
such a good judge Of character as he
thinks himself"
And then the umbrella, poke bonnet
and clogs having been removed by the
trim little naid-servant with the blue
ribbons in her hair, Aunt Mehetty was
whirled down the center by Walter Cher
ryfeld in genuine country style.
Aunt Meheta5le stayed a month with
the Cherryields. Sac drove in Central
Park, looked with awc-struck eyes at the
smoke-crowned serpents of the elevated
road gliding above her head, and wan
dered through the aisIes Of the Metropol-
itan Museum. She went to see the
obelisk, was taken over Brooklyn Bridge
and when she went home to Deer
Horns and tried to think of them all, she
felt as if her brains had been chopped up
into very fine hash.
aBut if I'd be the Presidents lady
herself, = Miss Beyis always added, ttthe
Cherryield's couldn't have made agreater
fuss over mel"
She had not been at the village hote
more than two days before her brother
Reuben drove over in his funny little
one-horse blackboard.
aMornin'," said Reuben, succintly
stHeard Ye had a nice time at Alice's."
aI-never enjoyed myself so much in all
my life Miss Mehetable answered, with
spirit, 'snor never was treated betterl"
aHunphi" said Reuben. oval,
Betsy don't seem to get along with the
hired help we've employed; and 80, as
We concluded you'd be glad to get home
again, I've fetched the blackboard for
you.a
much obliged, I said Mics Mehetable;
.sbut this is home.1
Reuben stared around the room.
why said he, with lobster eyes of
amazenent, s'this ere must cost you a
dollar a day, at the very leastl''
aAbout that said Miss Mehetable,
screnely. s.But | calculate, Brother
Reuben, that I can afford it. / didn't
tell you, did 4, about those Leadville
bonds I took just to accommodate Lean
der Jarvis's WIDOW, before she went
West. held my tongue about 'em, for
UaS afraid I had dnnn j faaliaH fbi4r
but they've quasfupled ID value, and
Lawyer DarkleY has just sold 'em out
and invested thirty thoasand dollars for