The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-21

An right. dear old Propriety. No harm
done. only bit Of joke. What DO you
think Aunt Agatha viii say when she
hears about it?'
surely you won't tell mamma" ex-
claimed Maud; shell be terribly angry II
you do"
"Oh. I'll tell her. certainly" answered
Minnie. If only for the sake Of watching
/ her face during my recital II will be bet
! ter than a play"
And Minnie did tell her. And Aunt Aga
I tina : face-as a genuine study Of emotions
was decidedly better than a play. No
/ acting could have quite reproduced that
! horror struck expression.
/ Margaret" she said scathingly. 4 do
not know which 10 condemn the more,
your outrageous conduct with that imper-
I tinent stranger. or your fiippant manner
/ Of relating IL. 1t is hard for me 10 believe
/ that you can be my own sisters child"
/ a few mornings later the two girls were
/ sitting in the little upstairs room. where
! they painted and messed, and practiced
untidiness TO their hearts cOnent.
| a maid entered.
a message from misses. please. Miss
/ Maud. VIII you go down 10 her in the
| drawing roOm?"
Maud sprang up and smoothed her hair
/ with her hands. Then she ran down stairs
/ 10 obey her mothers order, with a very
nervous. frightened expression upon her
| face.
II was nearly an hour before she came
back. Minnie looked up a her questioning
/ ~. II was clear that something uneX-
| pectedly good had happened.
"Oh, Minnie. I have something so Won
| derful 10 tell you. Mr.. Bidding-Charles-
has had an extraordinary piece of fortune.
/ He has-has-come intO-two thousand
year! And mamma has allowed US to be
engaged. She was so kind Minnie, and said
such-such beautiful things about my hap
| piness being her one consideration. IL
think have misjudged mamma, Minnie"
Just for a second queer quizzical twin
kle flashed IN Minpies eyes. The idea of
Aunt Agatha saying beautiful things was
rather novel However, that was soon for
gotten in her genuine delight at Maud S
| happiness. With all her harum-scarum
ways, Minnie was a warm-hearted, unset
| fish little creature. She Rugged and kissed
! her cousin a dozen times. She used every
| term Of congratulation-Of endearment.
| Had II been her own engagement she
could not have displayed more heartfelt
and, unaffected JOY over IT. Maud found her
| sympathy very delicious. Girls In Mauds
| condition are particularly susceptible to
| sympathy. 1t adds on 70 per cent. 10 their
| bliss.
At luncheon Aunt Agatha was more than
agreeable. Her face was wreathed in
smiles throughout the meal Minnie in
| dulged in many vulgarisms unrebuked. 1t
/ was altogether an unprecedented luncheon
/ in that house. Aunt Agatha said some
/ more beautiful things and Minnie man
| aged to keep her countenance. 1t was an
! effort. But she die 1t.
In the afternoon the elder lady went
| out alone to pay calls. and, no doubt, 70
| discuss AIaud's engagement with her
| friends 1t was o'clock before she re-
| turned. She came into the drawing
room where the two girls were having
/ tea. They saw at once by her face that
| something had happened in the interim
| She had gone away in a sunlight OF smiles
| and good humor. She came back in u
storm of angry scowls. Even Maud had
never seen her mothers face more omin-
| Gus. The poor girl shuddered. What could
| it mean? Could 1t have anything to do
/ with her engagement?
| But it was not against Maud that her
/ mothers anger was directed.
| Margaret" she said, in an awful voice
| Margaret
! Yes, aunt" replied Minnie
| "I-I-hardly know how to addres you
! -you-you shameless girl. Do you know
what 1 have been told of you this after
| noon? That a few evenings ago you We're
seen after dark in a deserted street near
| here walking arm in arm with-with-a
man"
quite true aunt" answered Minnie.
in low voice. Her eyes were bent upon
the carpet She was altogether very
j shame-faced and confused.
And a strange man" continued Aunt
Agatha, her voice rising with increased
| anger.
Yes. aunt At least 1 had never seen
him till-till l picked up his pipe the
other day on the underground"
| picked up his pipe! Aunt Agatha's
voice had risen almost TO a scream Us
that the fellow? That counter jumper!
a nice companion for my niece to walk
arm in arm with in the public streets"
II did not t-t-take his arm" fall
tered Minnie. in a slightly ill-used tone.
until IL had promised TO marry him.
promised to marry him." Aunt Aga
tha's expression was now appalling.
Marry him! Some common cad, whose
very name we don't know, and"
Il do know his name, aunt" interposed
Minnie.
What is it, pray? Tom Jones or Jack
Robinson?" scoffed the elder lady, with
an unparalleled effort of sarcasm
Not quite either, aunt 1t is the Earl
of Northover-Charlie Biddings brother
So, you see, Charles owed his fortune
to the earl his brother. The earl owed
his generous impulse to Minnie. And Min
ME owed her opportunity to the pipe. II
you took the opinion of the three persons
adding in Aunt Agatha and Maud, you
would probably find them to concur in
Minnie's original verdict upon the said
pipe-viz., that it was a regular clinker.