Middletown transcript., 1893-11-11

=.E@sz7! approaching. She
- rose and held out
her hand cordially.
..Well, Dick. = she said, in her pleas
an, mo- berly Voice. lyon may come
and sit beside me, provided you are in
a properly repentant frame of mind,
and are ready to tell me why you didn't
t in an appearance at my 5 O'clock
tea, Tuesday"
Yes, Aunt Eunice," answered Mr..
Richard Stedman, taking the proffered
hand and seat, 1--we come on purpose
to be scolded.' y
sYou are doomed to disappointment.
then,n she said. "When did your
good-natured old aunty ever treat you
to scolding? I merely asked for an
explation.
The young man hesitated, striking
He he toe f f his his highly polished beet VII
his walking-stlck, and twisting his
handsome ustache with his dis
engaged hand during a few seconds of
Meditation. Then said:
.Well, Aunt Eunice, / think Ill
continue my boyish custom of making
clean breast of it when you were my
confessor, You were always bound to
find me out any way. The reason / did
moi C, me was this,-I don't get on well
with the girls nowadays. THEY'RE all
50 unfoundedly clever, and so sharp on
all Tie new books and things, and a
man who hasn't head for that kind of
business can't keep up his end of the
game. I'm no literary fellow, you
know, and | don't like that kind of
girl knew you'd have the Spauld-
ings and the CIarks, and that Miss
Whitney who seems to think in Greek,
ALI of the college girls,-and I knew
they'd trip me up on something or other;
so instead of putting on my dress suit.
and making back ground for these
brilliant young women's pyrotecnics, |
stayed in our back Office, and made a
scheme for booming old Sears lots;
and I'm going to do it, reckon. just
you wait and watch the develope
ments."
Mrs. Bradford smiled indulgently,
but she could not help saying, "Ab.
Dick dear. what pity you did not go
TO college tool"
s.Maybe so," he answered, little
gloomily; "but | didn't feel that way
at eighteen, and fancied father needed
my help then more than ! needed
greek. =
Yes, know all about it," said his
aunt; land there was a good deal to
hinder. Forgive me if my words had
tone Of reproach. Business men are
heedtd-of course, they are-just as
much as professional men, and if you
are not classical scholar, it doesn't al
all follow that you 90 through life be-
moaning the fact. Let us go back to
the girls. The ones of whom you have
spoken rely have too much sense to
be pedan:ic and disagreeable; and then
there were plenty girls at my tea who
haven't had such elaborate education.
Stedman shook his head forlornly.
s.I've had several Waterloos lately" he
said, '.and / can't seems to rally my
forces. Now, i went to the Moulton
recepi ion last spring-felt as If l must,
because the girls have always been SO
nice to me; and good gracious, If they
didn'f spring some sort of book game
on mel | vent round for half an hour
with the title of book pinned on my
back book I'D never heard of, by some
author of whose existence was only
duly aware-that old crank that lived
by Il pond somewhere near Boston, in a
hut he built for himself, = and worked
the cost Of his living Gasn to a few
mills a day-I'ye hunted, up his history
since. Well let the girls chaff me
nearly to death about the infamous old
wretch, and then pleaded an engage
ment and went down town and Wro. e
letters to men who aren't occupied
weighing the salt in their porridge."
Mrs. Bradford was row brushing
away tears which appeared to result
from laughter, but which she declared
were purely sympathetic.
Her nephew went on: tThat isn't
the worst of 1t, either, Aunt Eunice.
You know how friendly Sue Taylor and
/ have always been. 1t only seems
year or two since was drawing her to
school on my sled, and she had half
cooky in her pocket for me. Well, I've
been in the habit Of falling back on
her for some commonplace enjoyment
at pic-nics and parties, and now my last
prop has fallen. overlook her night
before last hurryiug along the street,
and haiisd her with Where are you