The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-02
A PRACTICAL JOKE.
It Taught Miss Isabel Islay q
Needed Lesson.

The yellow uarcissus was in bloou
IN the neat little yard that fronted tn,
village post Office, the maple trees has
dropped their red stars long ago, apc
here and there one found pink cluste11
of honeysweet trailing arbutus in the
woods.
| Isabel Islay had q bunch m the from;
! OF her jacket as she Sauntered up tc
| see If there were any letters for her
A little group of men and women had
! gathered there for the same purpose
The women eyed Isabel and wondered
how it was that her dresses always
| fitted her so stylishly; the men looked
admiringly 1T her big blue eyes and
rosy complexion
Two or three other mill girls joined
Isabel; they laughed and TALKED gayly
as the specialized old postmaster sorted
the mail
At last the implanted pine partition
slid back, the spectacles appeared In
the aperture. and the postmaster cried
brisixly:
"Naow, then, who wants their mail?"
Isabel stepped forward.
Anything for me, Mr.. Rider9' she
asked.
''Islay, Miss I, Isabel Islay, Miss Isa-
bel Islay?" read out the ED man
Three for you Who nextr'
Isabel got all the letters," giggled
the mill girls, as Isabel received her
treasures. she might divide with us
Here comes Miss Seaman Now for
some fun"
A palffd, pin hed. old young lady hero
advanced with smirk on her coun-
tenanoe, wearing a faded shawl whose
folds scarcely covered the fat basket
she carried.
Anything for me- Mr.. Postmaster>'
she demanded, with al assumed indif.
ference.
NO, num-" csrelessly answered tho
postmaster.
Are you ssre7"
Eyes, mum"
A blank expression erept over her
face
20, but it really doesn't signify. I
thought I'd just inquire. as l CHANGED
70 be passing"
Then she withdrew amid the very
audible laugh Of the mill girls
There amt mail comes In bvt
Miss Gepny Sesman's here a-watchin'
for il" said the postmaster, oracuIaxly.
And she never gets letter-not so
much as postal card l should think
She d get tired of coming"
Miss Genevieve Seaman" said the
ike girls boarded. 20, that all hap
pened years agol She had beau or
something and he went away-nobody
just knew where. Reckon she didn't
know herself. And it sort of upset her
brain and she ain't fairly been herself
since She's very good dressmaker
and she trims a bonnet quite scrump-
tiously, and so she earns decent liv-
ing. But she's been expecting letter
these twenty odd years and it's never
Girls" said Isabel 1slsy. as they sat
At the round table that evening, laugh
ing and talking. lets write letter to
that poor old thing from her lover in
tho east"
WAS he really her lover. Isabel?"
asked Lucy FELTON,.
well. FROM the man she imagined to
be her lover. Let's make it fervent as
fire and sweet as sugar. Lets lay it
on thick"
In short let's play joke on Miss
Go ~ aoiI
was ret1mming an old straw hat with
lilac ribbons and a bunch of violets
just that" said Isabel.
But you don't know even the fell
lows name, Isabel"
Il can find that out Mrs Webb
knows, and l can easily coax it out Of
her. 1t will be such fun"
1t was morning-a blue skyed, breezy
day, with the air full Of growing scents
and blue bird whistles-au6 soon after
the cumbrous old four-horse stage had
crashed through the village the usual
crowd began to assem- BILE in the little
post Office. Isabel Islay was there. and
Lucy FELTON, and black-eyed Mary
Crane, and presently Miss Genevieve
Seaman, tripping in with the peculiar
gate which the irreverent village chill
iren compared to a cat walking upon |
walnut shells.
Two for Miss Islay." said the old 7
man. scrutinizing each letter with pro- /
voking slowncss. ''One for Squire
Lurubbable Jenkins; one for Wilder |
Hopper, and one for Miss Genevieve- |
Seaman"
Isabel flashed merry glance al her |
companions as the poor little dress |
maker tiptoed mp TO the counter, her /
color changing from saffron TO scarlet.
her faded blue eyes full of intent !
.apture.
is it true? A letter for meme! 1
And I've waited for it all these yearsl !
Al-these-years"
She hid it under her shawl. cast de- 1
SAINT look around at the neighbors'
aces, and hurried away like a startled
'lld animal to its cover. She could
lot open that letter with other eyes
lPon her She felt that she must
feasnre 1t TO herself. like one who has
discovered precious Jewel.
On her way home from the mill tina,
'venlnE Isabel Islay stopped .: IN.
lite house where the tiu sign: Mi
,nery and DreSsmakinc svuog
in the wind. The window
'.,nas were fastened back. the nsrlo-
vas opened and busted. Miss Gen.-
'ieEe was mo,nS to and fro in hsr