New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-14
HUMOR.

~.
We'll good-by You will fall a victim. I
have not the slightest doubt, to Emmeline's
charms" ,,,
Not IL she's wise. But here is your train
Good-by and if you break your heart the great
remedy for such complaints Is cnsse n OF scene
/ shall understand what las happened
The speakers shook hands. Le found place Ia
the train, and she made hcr way asai 10 ,e pony
carriage in which she had driven hln 10 thc station
his farewell words not having been perhaps exactly
what they would have been II spoken In tie hear
/ inc of a less limited audience.
80. What an IDIOT he is she raid to herself, and
then she laughed The epithct would mob have
wounded the feelings Of the most sehstNe q
mortas had he read Alright the laugh tnat followed
it. Poor George" was with sigh hef neNt COM
ment and grave look clouded her bright lace.
George was the husband for whom hef mourn s
ing had now reached the lavender ana whte sCige.
Poor George, he had never IL ked her cOlsih but
there was no harm in Dan, absolutely none Inc
pony took its time through the hedge-shadei lanes
hedges garanded with wild roses ana money!
suckle. ,.
Three days afterward the post brought ette.
among others that was read over more IMAM once
by the recipient. 1t ran after TN, wise 49,.
" Dear Lydia Words spoken in Jest, as you ana
the Greeks say, come true. am eng engage rcb ~
now to call her-made me the happeSt OF men ny
accepting me this morning. ] feel cahnot leu
post without telling you my news: d; Wae md
| nSerrment Of an object 10 me now so precious, l
indeed come to the conclusion that my fate is bettf
than l deserve. Yours always ailec'l2 1,1,n,
p S.-Emmeline sends her hest love, and counts
upon .yOLl presence at the weadlhg. 49, I'm ,o,,
Lydias red and white grew very VIVID as she reai
| this communication the first time. On the second
perusal, white predominated; on the r1lrd, hex
color suddenly returned, and she laughed
"He is silly creature, she told herself - wiz
give him good time in revenge. lie deserves IT,
| How could / lie so foolish as to DE taken ID
Emmene Absurd Poor old Emmeine, with
her dusty cloak and bag of keys. h,o aud lab,
| IA, fA.yn IN n =
ing very much pleased with hersef all tne "hiei
wrote as follows:
took me little by surprise, but am very very
glad three underlines to each very OF what you
tell me- OF course our fool sh little Iotes ueant
a aSontt those they sy' ike best think Emmere is
most admirably calculated TO make You happy.
and send my sncere,t good wishes Tor pvS So1 10
i''"n'ei"'' S'"' LYDIA BRACKENBURY.
"P S..-Plcase give the inclosei note to Mrs:
Winterton. cannot forbear writing Just me
10 her 10 say how much your engagement, Of which
] have heard from you, plesses me. She VIII he 30
glad about it herself know H. r..,;o.s
J Captain Forbes at breakfast wheh Lyulas
letter was brought to him. The Winterton family
was ranged around the table and without re1dins
his own document he handed at once 10 Mrs.
Winterton the note enclosed and addressed to her
in his cousins handwriting. Then he READ wnat
she had written TO him, and his usually nvSE coIPs
turned to a positive gray. This was awful lie
had given TO Mrs. Wintcrton letter 10 say how
much pleased Lydia was TO have heard from him
of bis engagement TO her daughter What a ir,gh'iI
full predicament 10 he in lie looked TO the neal
of the table where Mrs Ninterton, most grnl.
stiff and propriety-lOvina specimen OF the British
mother, sat beside the teapot lie ookea acfosI
Emmeline in her prime, unattractIve, old-maidisi;
latter youth How should h. ever get out OF t,lls
OF course the letter was all nonsense IheI,i
| hadn't been a word of truth in It, HOW couIt
there have been? Really, Lydia might have
known lie had certainly taken a long time to
compose the efusion and to make 1t seem as rcal
even if she had believed such monstrous I'M
possibility, that she would have gone ana written
off on the spur of the moment to the ola woman
And she didn't seem TO care one straw She
believed such outrageOusly Impossible thlns,
without the least hesitation or distress 1t was
nothing to her: evidently nothing at all nood
heavens, what a position what in the world was
he to do? lie srarcely dared look again towaIl
Mrs. Winterton as sh. read the most untortuha'e
would be- lie would have to apologize: lie would
have to explain that it was only Joke only
Me Re ha pfp5s esn in ed
menis before in his life. but this outved them all
As soon as the women had left the ROOM the door
Of which he had held open for them with The mfst
hang dog air that human being ever wore, captain
Forbes sought refuge in the shrnbbcry, and rlcked
his brains to determine upon the Best course OF
conduct 10 he pursued under the pr sent terrific
condition of affairs. He had hest. he speedily con.
Guided go and have it out with the old woman and
get il over. There nothing really 10 De
gained by waiting Ii indeed past praying
Tor Therpupon he retraced his steps and met
Mrs Winterton, as luck would have 1t, Immediately
In the hall AZ,
MAY speak to you for moment, Mrs. Win
terton p he asked in the most nervous Of nervous
Mrs. winterton acceded to the request. She
was always stiff and formal, and whether there
was much stiffness and fornality added TO what
was usual. the unhappy man was TOO much en-
barrassad rightly 10 determine.
e am sure am exceedingly sorry that 1t should
have happened, he hcgan as soon as lie iounI
himself in the drawing Room Had | had the
faintcSt idea that my cousin would take IL IN tia,
way and that this would have occurred, don't
know what wouldn't sooner have done than write
that letter. Mr. WiniertOn made no reply. Her
pale. cold blue eyes were hNed upon captain
Fories's agitated countenance. She gives no help.
he thought. and certainly don't DIES rye it; AS
say You see" he went hcstating and stammer-
ing on. my, cousin. MIs. lracSenbnry, dld not
understand that il was joke, or Of course she
wouldn't have written Ia you treating the matter
seriously No one can more regret than do thai
took Miss Wintertons name in such way. You
must think il quite unpari0nahe. .
Il don't quite understand you. Captain Forbes
Mrs Wintelton replied. in her rigid. frozen voice.
!" do not quite understand to what You are
am abiding to my cousins letter 10 you en-
closed in - me. | gave il 10 you. not for an
instant supposng that she hal taken seriously what
said about my engagement TO your daughter
Captain Forbes answered. with the it's no-l>e-bcli-
ing-aboui- the-bush feeling now uppermost in his
Mrs. Winterton regarded him with most
whitening expression.
Am to understand from you, Captain Forbes
she inquired, - that you have been amusing YOUR
self, writing TO Mrs Braclenbury TO inform her as
a joke that you were about to become the husband
of my daughter?'
Il know il was abomnable of me-" Captain
Forbes said. e" see perfectly that it was wholly
uniustitiahc, and | regret my NEST atrociously
idiotic letter more than words can say
"S0ur>, certainly, seems an lll-tImci pleasantly,
Mrs Winterton aniwered, her blue eyes colder and
her icy manner icier than ever. and shouli have
known nothing of the nature of your humor had
YOU not kindly explained il 10 me-. There no
word referring to your joke in Mrs Brackenbury's
letter"