Middletown transcript., 1893-12-30

ID M M% which she ed
@ sANI Josephine Dor
Y%NI%~M. ed under th de
Y 80 /MIIZ lusien that She
sssuas @&s~ was thorou hly
--s' is4S 'asi''a''''' worldly mil led
She could turn off very neat epig hms
at dinners and indulge in rather ch rm.
ing scepticisms at dances. 1t q
style that became her face, at ond pa.
trician and piquante. There wer en-.
Vious souls who said she had de- her
ately selected it when she had en .ered
society, just as she would chod be a
gown for the opera or the horse 81 wv.
''I'm afraid, /" she reasoned wit her.
self as she walked home throua the
gathering twilight; "I'm afraid Pm
BOT wholly consistent. There are
moments when. almost imaginf that
it is matter of lealimportnce W ether
mamma sends John Prescott a CARD for
her things or not. John Prescotqis, as
mamma puts if, with her ini1btable
grace, the impecunious son of 9ne Of
those impecunious men yourI poor
father always had way of gathering
about him. Well, / seem to have in
herited the paternal way as far as John
Prescott, at least, is concerned. It
never seems to worry my poor father.
And it really doesn't worry me. l
wonder what mamma would have said
1T it had been her awful fate to see me
hanging around Franklin Square. Or
even what John Prescott would have
said.''
Rejecting upon the impulses which
had led her to that interesting locality,
she turred in at her own door and went
to her own room. Once within its
friendly shelter the half humorous ex-
preston with which she was accus-
toned to survey mankind dropped,
from her face. Her mouth drooped, her
eyes looked rather sad and far away.
She sat thinking long time. Finally
when she resumed the smiling, super.
ior air, it seemed little pathetic.
sit would be rather amusing" she
said, '.if l, of all people.in the world,
should commit the awful indiscretion
of falling in love. It would be just
retribution, suppose. Well, it doesn't
matter. Fortunately, I know myself
pretty well. I'd sell my birthright any
day for mess Of well-served pottage.
Even if l should astonish myself and
my friends at the end Of my twenty
fourth year by loving-any one-I'd
give up that for-well. Mr.. Lorraine's
yacht aad his name."
She walked restlessIy to the window
and looked out into the purple gloom.
pierced with shafts Of light from the
street lamps. She laughed nervously.
"I'll do it,' she muttercd. "I'll do
it. Being we'll brought up person, l
can't go forth and gamble, But I'll
get My excitement here!'' She laughed
again. .'Both of them will give me
thugs for Christmas. Both Of them
are on the verge of proposal. The man
who gives me that which satisfies my
taste better shall win this prize, my
handl And if it should be one of
them, my heartl All, this is, exciting.
My tastes are expensive, which would
seem to give Mr.. Lorraine the better
chance. They are also rather fastidi-
Gus, / fatter myself, SO that perhaps
the impecunious son of my fathers
impecunious friend may not be with
ont an opportunity. Portals three
caskets were nothing to this! Here l
register It'll The ole of those two who
pleases me better in his Christmas
present shall marry me, and SO it suit
him."
Then she rang the bell and ordered
lights with an air of extraYagont glee
that puzzled the maid, used as she
was to Miss Josephine's Is vagaries.
On Christmas morning Josephine
arose with an excitement that she had
not felt since her precociou3 iconoclas-
tic intellect had demolished Santa
Claus. There were packages galore.
She neryously unfastened one with the
well-known writing of the multi-mil-
lionaire, Mr.. Lorraine, upon it. It
was absolutely perfect, she admitted
small, wonderful copy Of bit OF
ancient sculpture that the artists and
antiquaries of two worlds raved over.
1t had been copied for her. The note
that accompanied it was in perfect
taste. For some unknown reason
Josephine gazed terror-stricken at the
thing, though her family exclaimed
volubly about its charms.
Til re seemed to be only thin en-
velope from John.P Prescott. Her hear'
was heavy and her fingers trembling al
she tore it open. 1t told her that h'
had gone to the little New England
village where he had been born to spent
the day with his mother. "For thu
first time. !" it read, II was sorry to g
home. The day that all Of us. ever
The most aippant. bold as the most JOY
ful Of tbe year / wished tp spend unde
the same SKY, at least, with you.