Middletown transcript., 1893-01-28
DOROTHYS ENGAGEMENT.
A LITTLE ROMANCE OF COUNTRY
JOURNALISM.
By FLAyERs SCOTT MINES

BY FLAFERS SCOTT MINES
Copyright, 1898, by f. s. Mines.
Frank Hastings came down to hi
Office one Wednesday morning an
found upon his desk thirteen copies q
the Brightville Gazette. Being a ma
of no superstitions, he did not attac
any premonilion of ill-luck to th
number, but on opening the first on
he found paragraph circled with
blue pencil-mark, and his brain cloud
ed as he read:
1t is understood that Mr.. Franl
Hastings, the popular young lawyer, j
soon to wed Miss Dorothy Lawrence.
He read the paragraph over again
and then glanced at the remaining
dozen papers, each addressed in diff
ferent hand.
"Confound it," he mlttered, biting
his under lip, while tint of rose spread
from ear to ear, "I'd like to know who
did that. Probably the asiniDe editor
who wants to run the planetary system
and the people on this particular planet
as well. Confound itl''
1t was serious matter to Mr.. Hast.
ings. He had gone to Brightville to
study up his suits for the coming win.
ter, and in the meantime had made
love to Miss Lawrence. The positions
were reversed shortly-that is, the law
business occupied the meantime; finall,
there was no law business.
Then he returned to town and took
up law again with the echo of a no"
ringing in his ears, a decided no, thai
had been repeated after an interval OF
:wenty-four hours, and was evidently
sincere. For six weeks after lie had
deserted the green country he devoted
himself to law-dry, mus,y law that
wouldn't let him forget his ideal by
force of contrast. 1t was at the begin
ming of the seventh week that lie fund
the papers ON his desk.
"To thunder with all country edi-
tors,'' lie growled, after moments
thought, and then he suddenly decided
to go TO Brightville with dim idea of
thrashing the editor and then reporting
to Miss Lawrence that he had done so.
This decision received confirmation as
he opened the first letter and found it
to be congratulations from mutual
friend. Separating his business letters
from those addressed in familiar char
acters, he threw the latter into his
pocket, thinking to read them after he
reached Brightville if he needed any
additional stimulus to the undoing of
the scribe and editor of that false jour-
nal.
The Brigtville Gazette was the lead
ing paper Of Dunbar county-in fact
the only one. 1t appeared every Satur-
day morning, and according to a reli-
able newspaper directory enjoyed cir
culation of $50 copies. which estimate
the editor aud publisher declared to be
false, though he never got the exact
figures. Its-eolumns contained sum-
mary of everything that happened seven
days previous to its issue, and in dull
times the editor resorted to fiction.
Mrs. Poindexter was credited with a
dinner she never gave and though the
villagers were delighted With the ac-
count of Barmecide feast, Mrs. Poin-
dexter was exceedingly wroth, being in
mourning for decea sed (and wealthy
relative. When full description of a
card party at Mrs. Winthrop's was
printed in the Brightville Gazette So
ciety was horrified and the worthy lady
herself decidedly angry, for she never
had card (squeezer) inside her house.
The editor and proprietor "a certain
Matthew Harkins-was highly pleased
ut the result of his fictions, for they
sold more papers and furnished food to
the polite inquisitors Of society; and
therefore, continuing in his evil ways,
he brought out the disturbing para
graph on Mr.. Hastings. The young
mans attention had been noticed by
the acute editor, and he reasoned that
If the matter was not settled it ought
to be-the result being that Frank
Hastings arrived at BEighiville at IL
O'Clock on Wednesday evening and put
up at the one hotel in town.
The latter awoke little refreshed and
full of wild ambition to see Mr.. Haw-
kins. II was an overpowering desire,
but he curbed it in order to eat little
breakfast. As he sat at the table the
hotel proprietor entered with that half
sliding step 80 suggestive of the feline
race and peculiar to hotel man.
'.Good day, Mr.. Hastings" was his
greeting. 1--WE are soon 10 lose one of
our Brightville bellies, see." Bright
Vile bellesl-luckily the potato was
too hot to admit of an immediate and
vehement disclaimer.
81 hope you are going to make your
residence, for portion of the year at
least, in Brightville, continued Boni-
face, as he moved about. I'VE would
miss you very much"
1t Is hard to say that the outcome
would have been had not Hastings good
angel lin disguised stood outside and
called loudly for the proprietor, which
summons he obeyed and left the young
man alone.
sIs thie the beginninRp" mused that