The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-11-13
Our inn,iln 5iorp.
A Passing Acquaintance.
By ". d. BRANCH.

we IRE JUST " nice party now,
saia one young lady, locking up from
nobody else will Gomez
Except to fill vacancies as we drop
of, y said a gentleman, as he laid aside.
his letters. You will see two vacant
chairs at the table tomorrow"
Very well,p was the reply. OF
you must go, we will spread ourselves
aud keep tho table full. IL we can't
have Mrs. Bruce and you, we don't
want anyone"
travellers left on the early stage, and,
ut the last moment, another guest de-
clded TO accompany them.
Tho party remaining went out,
some to ramble In the pine woods, ONE
to the concert in the casino. Return
Ing toward dinner time, they found
that q telegram had been received
from Miss Milicent Paul, bespeaking u
room. There was a shout of delight
on reading the telegram. Millicent
Paul was known TO some of the party,
and two of them had been her school,
mates at a fashionable seminary three
years before.
- Milicent will be the roseleaf on
u cup of happiness" said one Sand.
how fortunate that there is room for
her at our table"
The dinner bell rang, and the merry
II group betook themselves to the dining
room. Two chairs were turned down
at the table.
"Who has come ?" the guests in
quired of M another.
AS they took their seats, u man and
his wife entered, in n hesitating man
ner, and were given the chairs. Swift
chances were directed at them, and
side looks exchanged. They were
evidently plain, Woodworking people,
entirely unaccustomed to travelling,
and to heel lie. III an instant the
original party became a clique. They
hardly concealed their dislike of these
newcomers, who had brought among
their sense of what was stylish, con-
vcntional and agreeable. The two
strangers ate heartily, helped them
selves to what they wanted, finished
their meal, and left the table, before
the rest of the company had reached
their nuts and raisins.
did you ever?" | call it an out
rage, forcing such people on u.s."
1.-THE ploughman had better stay at
away my appetite" 81 hope they are
not going to stay over night"
The offending couple spent the after
noo walking about to see the views,
and then sat out in the piazza till sup
per time. After supper, the criticism
recommended.
"They're going to stay. Their
trunk has gone up to No. a." "What
will Milicent Paul say? She will bave
to sit next to them. She'll freeze
them with one glance when she sees
that hand reaching in front of her for
the butter"
"Oh, come nov =! said the brother
Of the last speaker; "you knew they
needed the butter, and you should
have passed it, seeing the waiter was
not on hand"
Hush! Pm too provoked for any
thing. We were such q nice party till
those folks pushed in. And whom
Milicent is coming, too 1t just spoils
the table,"
Next day, while the newcomers
were out, Milicent Paul arrived amid
tho welcoming EXPLANATIONS of her
friends. She was a tall, slender girl,
with an animated countenance, fash
ionably dressed, carrying gold eye
glasses, and holding her head aloft in
a way peculiarly her own. She had
plenty to say, said it well, and was at
once the centre OF everything.
At dinner time she took the vacant
seat, and was just receiving her plate
~ III. jill A.. Nv OhS lUlCBSC0
couple came in. The guests were all
%curfously watchful, but Miss Paul
seemed to notice nothing. She was
giving q vivid description of her
journey. Suddenly she paused an in
tant.
ST beg your pardon !' she said,
pleasantly, as her embarrassed neigh
Dor attempted, rather awkwardly, to
reach the salt, and, placing it con
veniently near, she resumed her de-
scription.
MAY I trouble you for the pepper?n
she asked him q little later; mot
black, I prefer white. Thank YOU"
And she spoke in exactly the same
tone as when she asked handsome
young Mr.. Warning, across the table,
If he knew when the mail went out.
He admired her none the less for it.
"She has O. broader outlook than
the rest of u.s." he thought to himself.
"A trip to the Notch was planned for
and return at night. There were
enough to fill two mountain wagons.
No, not quite enough. Those who
counted found there would be room for
two more.
"Don't mention it, or Mr.. Wilbur
and his wife may offer to 60" said one
lady, with q touch of irritation in her
voice.
"Oh we can't have them" said one
OF the girls who had been Miss Paul's
schOolmate, "can we Milicent p"
"Why not ?" asked Miss Paul.
"Ohl why, because-you know
no doubt they are excellent people,
but how they would look along with
nsw
"why be narrow? Why voluntarily
live in q groove? L have found the
most interesting people in the most un-
expected places. Don't turn your back
upon your fellow-creatures."
Mr.. Warning stepped into the hall
where the Wiiburs stood diffidently
examining the last years register.
Would you like to take the trip
to the Notch, tomorrow, with the rest
of the party ?" he asked, cordially.
1--WE would like it very much" said
the man.
Very much indeedw echoed his
wife.
The expense is three dollars for
each seat
"That's all right" said the man.
And now which of us will have to
sit next them 2" murmured the girls
ia the parlor.
But when the teams were ready the
next morning, it was Mics Paul who
gracefully and unconcernedly climbed
over the wheel and sat by the WilbuFs.