Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-02-07
A NARROW ESCAPE.

trellised veranda, novel, and a
hammock slung at the most COM
Portable of angles. With these
conditions it was scarcely strange
that Halcyon Hartford swayed de-
lightfully between dreamland and
the real world that June afternoon,
with the heecy gold of her hair all
guiltless of pin or comb, and the
"bell sleeves" falling enchantingly
away from her round, white arms,
while one trim, slippered foot hung
from the edge of the hammock.
"Halcyon! Halcyon! Where
are you?"
1t was one of those exasperating
voices, which once having been
sweet, had now certain vibrant jar
to its tones, painfully akin to shrill-
ness.
Halcyon frowned a little, and
raised herself on one elbow.
"Oh, Aunt Hal, don't scream so!
l was just in such a halfway
dream of delight"
"Well, you should have answered
then"
Aunt Hal came out of the wide
shady hall with an ELUSIVE swing
of her draperies, and seated herself
in bamboo chair close to the head
of the hammock.
She was comically like her niece
as like as a woman of eight-and.
thirty could be like a maid of eight.
cen.
There was the same yellow lux.
uriance of hair, but harsher, dryer
and more suggestive of dye; the
same pink and white complexion
artifcally heightened by liquid pear
and carmine saucer; similar features
cruelty sharpened by the memorable
hand of Time, and teeth just one
degree too white and regular to b
real.
The white dress she wore wa,
painfully trying to her middle-agec
charms, and she was compelled t.
use gold eye glasses as she held VI
a letter to the view of the younge
Halcyon.
"What has happened?" drowsil.
demanded the latter, lifting a pal
of blue eyes, fringed with darl
lashes.
"The strangest thing"
Another offer of marriage?
hazarded Halcyon, settling on tn
unlikeliest thing which could, il
her opinion, possibly happen.
"How did you guessP" with lit
tie, exultant cackle. Exactly. Tn
dear, foolish lad-and he so mucl
younger than l! Why, he couldn'
have been one-and-twenty when h
went to Bombay, and I was at leas
thirty then"
"Thirty-fve, Aunt Hal, sal
Halcyon, the merciless.
"Was it so much as that? We'll
he seemed desperately in love then
though, of course | never took an
notice of the child. But / suppos
in that country Of blackamoors on
can't help thinking about all tn
tolerably decent women one ha
known at home, and he has writtel
me two or three letters"
"Has hep
Halcyon sat straight up in tn
hammock now. Her blue eye
shone intently. The heat ha
brought flush to her cheek, whicl
all Aunt Halls carmine saucer
could not rival.
"But ! never told you," gigled tn
elder beauty, because l remembers
that there was a sort of boy-and-gil
affair between you and Charlie
Blossom when you were in boardin
school, and thought maybe yo
would be nettled. And here's tn
proposal at last with his photo
graph inclosed."
What brave, good face it was
slightly older and sterner lined tina
that she had looked upon when h
sailed away three years ago, and ye
so strong and manly!
She laughed HISTORICALLY.
"Shall you accept himp" she sale
Aunt Hal nibbled coquettishl
at the edge of the envelope; tn
new false teeth cleaned in smile
"I-think-I-shall."
"And you fourteen years olde
than he is!'