The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-20

N~P HAS PCoO&Oo S41OUC411G
and to give drink to the ferns which
leaned oveS it. congratulated Marian
on the luxuriance of the green fronds,
knowing that the sisters were fond Of
them, as they had been gathering them
for years on their travels, and each fern
had its pleasant "reminiscences.
"Now," said Marian, "there is an in
stance of how serious Maud is. It would
break her heart to know that she had
half the associations attached to the
wrong ferns, but it only makes me laugh
when she hangs the California story on
a fern know we brought from the Vir-
ginia mountains, or.when she tells how
she dug that n in an old churchyard
in Morristown, N. j., near Washington's
headquarters, when Aunt Lefty herself
identified it as n she sent us from Hi
nois, from the banks of the Sangamon.
"Didn't Lincoln wade or fish or some
thing in the Sangamon? Yet l believe
Maud is happier than 1 am; at least 1 am
sure there is something lacking in me
now that she is married. After one has
owned a sister so long it is hard to have
some man with no claim at all come and
carry her off. Whatever she has had I
have always had, until now she has a
husband and / have none-not that l
want one, but she might have waited.
"Since we were little girls we had
planned that if ever there was a wedding
in the house it should be a double one,
but when I reminded her she laughed at
the idea, said waiting for me was hope
less; that such al indecisive person as /
wouldn't know my fate when I saw him.
Then I couldn't help saying that if my
fate expected me to recognize him he
would certainly have to be handsomer
than her Henry. Of course there was a
quarrel, and after that I dared not sus-
pect even in my own mind that Henry
was not an Apollo, and if l was exhausted
in preparing for the wedding I was
afraid to heave a sigh.
81 just fastened a smile on my face
and kept it there till all was over.
When / took it off after they were gone
papa said l looked like a ghost in ny
own house. He offered to take me
somewhere, but I know pleasure resorts
are places of martyrdom to him. His
idea of recreation is to go fishing with a
lot of men and dress like an aborigine.
So 1 told him if he could persuade Miss
Brown to be my chaperon she and l
would cut a swath. Of course she
couldn't leave her sister and the chill
dren, but I whirled her off before she had
time to resign herself to stay at home.
when we left we were absolutely
lifeless-she with overwork, I with en-
nui. We went south to the gulf. We
were quite too listless to think. If some
n would plan out a day, ever an hour,
for us, we were happy. One of us would
say to the other:
"'What are you going to dor
"1 haven't decided. What will you
dor
"I haven't made up my mind
"tI believe I'll walk on the pier and
wait for aIvidea.'
"'Oh, then, SO will T.
"There were men about too. One
perhaps forty years old-took a fancy to
me. They teased me about him, and l
hadn't even ambition to retaliate-just
let them tease. At first I had a mild in
tention of transferring him to Miss
Brown (they would have made a nice
match), but it proved too much trouble.
He would do anything for me and moth
ing for her, and we needed some man to
devise amusement and do the talking
for us. He tried to make us promise to-
return some time, although we hadn't
spoken of going. He persisted in trying
to make US promise, and we were too
inert to oppose him. So one day when
he was out in a boat we stepped on board
a steamboat and went up to North Car
DINA.
Beautiful countryi Oh, the flowers
on the North Carolina hills! / began to
appreciate the scenery, and Miss Brown
became SO sprightly she alarmed me. /
told her if she couldn't help growing
younger SO fast I should have to send
home for an older chaperon. Then we
drifted about to other places-Sparkling
Springs last and longest. We staid at
q private hotel-fine old southern house
in perfect Observation-Disclosures and
cape jasmine and pickaninnies. While
l think of it let me warn you if you ever
go south be careful. You will think
every man you meet is in love with you
they are all so devoted.
"There was one man at our hotel.
When I say a mar I mean one who takes
your breath away. There were plenty
Of apologies for men and several women
worth looking at. There was o young
widow with a pensive air and a roper
tory of touching illusions to her dear
husband, which were very fetching.
She had more men about her than any
woman in the house; in fact, she could
command all of them except the one L
spoke of.
"When I arrived he was dancing a
good patured attendance on a young ma
tron u~nhappily married and exceedingly
pretty, infantile type, theatrical tend
ency to pose. She had wrapped her
self about him like a vine and gave him
daily bulletins of her troubles. Just
think of it! How can a woman? And
what did that man do but come and re-
peat gil her condolences to mel