Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-01-06
SELECTED STORIES.
MIN PROPOSES.

I had one solitary sovereign left, and IL
would be quite three weeks before l could
expect the next remittance from my ia
ther, who was so good as 10 exc out my
own narrow income. A nice position l
was I'm for making an offer OF marriagel
Never mind. Let the world collapse, En-
tly Simmons must be minei i began To
write my proposal 10 Miss Simmons, but
could not please myself, and several sheets
Of note paper were spoiled before had
written the first page. AT length i got
aus far, but the pen was broad one,
there was no blotting paper and no fire,
and the ink took long time TO dry. Ihad
no time co spare il i wished TO save the
post, and while was waiting IL struck me
that might as well write note to my ia
ther, begging him to anticipate my quar-
terly allowance. So put the half written
letter TO Miss Simmons on one side for the
time and commenced the other. This i
thought was going 10 dash off in mo-
ment, but did not get on with the facili-
ty l had expected. Words require TO be
well chosen In making such applications,
especially TO such a man as my father, so
it was some time before the first page Of
this letter was ready for the drying proc
ess. Then l took up the other again, but
fcult, and / soon spoiled it and had to
commence 1t afresh. Then got nervous
and spoiled the other also, and in fact had
consumed large quantity Of paper and
several glasses Of brandy and water before
had completed the two letters at all to
my satisfaction. At length they were fin
ished, and / hurried off and posted them
exactly in time, Just two or three seconds
before the stroke OF the clock
BY next days post got replies to both
my letters at once, the address of one be-
ing in my mothers writing, the other In
an elegant ladylike hand, which was no
doubt the autograph of Miss Simmons.
How my heart beat as / opened the letteri
But fancy my CONSERVATION when i saw
that my own letter was returned, accom-
panied by the following short note;
"Miss Simmons returns the inclosed let
ter with the contempt IL merits and regrets
that she should ever have made the sc
quaintance of person at once 30 mercen-
ary and so stupid"
Here was settler to my hopesl What
could it meanf $50 mercenary" mer-
censry9 i, who had positively regretted
that Miss Simmons had any money at alli
Good gracious Was il possible that had
put the letters into the wrong envelopesi
Such things had been heard Of. i broke
open the Enclosure. No, it was all right.
1t was my letter to herself, commencing
with "Adorable Miss Simmons" In a
state of utter bewilderment l opened my
mothers letter. 1t inclosed $40 note
and ran as follows;
MY DEAR ALFRED-What could be the mean
ing of that dreadful incoherent letter you
wrote TO your father2 We could make out from
the commencement OF IL that you are I'm want
OF money, but never read anything SO strange
and incomprehensible as the latter part oh,
my dear Alfred, how could you call your faith
er a charmer7 He is naturally most deeply
mortified at such term being applied 10 him.
He says you must have been tipsy when you
wrote II, but ! know that my dearest Alfred
could never be guilty of that dreadful vice.
Your father protested that he would not send
you farthing, but left you fl0 note on his
desk, and ! inclose 1t to you, fully believing
that he intended me to do 30. Take care of
yourself, my dearest Alfred, and never call
your father q cIarmer again. Your loving
mother. JENNA PpPINGToN.
What could my mother meant had
never called my father a charmer or any
thing of the kind. He was little, short,
quiet, high dried, matter of fact, SNUFF
taking country attorney, an excellent IA
ther in his undemonstrative way, but the
last one In the world one would think of
calling a charmer. Quite unable to un-
derstand the affair, l took up my rejected
offer and mechanically read it through.
Yes, it was all right. Irecollected every
word as / went on. What was there In this
to make Miss Simmons think me merce-
nary or stupidi Nothing. Stay, though
what was thisf There was some mistake.
This was not what intended to write to
the young lady. recollect every word of
that letter at the present moment. shall
never forget it. 1t ran thus:
ADORABLE MISS SIMMoNs-I can no longer
delay the request which have to make to you.
Again and again you must have seen IL trem-
bling on my lips, when either some awkward
has prevented its being spoken. Oh, Miss Sim
monsl Oh, Emilyl Do not refuse mel Oh,
mistress of my soul, give me by return Of post,
II possible, five and twenty pounds, for have
had some heavy expenses Of late, and, in
word, as know that you like people TO come
at once to the point, am regularly hard up.
ALFRED PIPPINoroN.
Now / saw through It'll In the haste and
confusion OF writing the letters, and espe-
cially through having changed from one
to the other while waiting for the ink to
dry, had made the amazing blunder of
commencing one letter to the lady and
continuing it to my father, and Of begin
ming another TO that respected parent and
finishing it with what was intended for
the eye of Miss Simmons. Was ever any
thing so absurd rushed at once to the
lady's house, but was denied admittance.
wrote to her n letter Of explanation, but
IL was returned unopened. / never saw
her again. Soon after this her father took
her away, and before very long I heard
that she was Miss Simmons no longer but