Middletown transcript., 1895-01-26

Il SIsSA counter aP'' seriou sn gu
peril before long, which will mark
turning point in your life."
Rose shrugged her shoulders as sh
read all this and much more. It's i
rather blue outlook" she said to her
self. 81 hope nothing bad is going t.
happen on my Thanksgiving holiday
when have planned for good time.
She was not disposed to laugh at th'
prediction. She had, indeed seemed t.
have nine lives in the past. She hat
been three times stunned by tighten
ing, and had sprang from the window
of burning building in her night
dress without serious injury. When 4
child, she had eaten Paris green, fal
len through trap door tumbled head
foremost into deep well, and last, but
not least, she had been tossed over .
meadow fence on the horns of an an
CRY bull because she had dared tC
flAnnt her smart red frock in his face.
Having shaken hands with danger
many times, she was not so easily
alarmed as those who only met him al
long range, yet she felt bit sober
over the prospect.
"Do look like 4 heroine of trae-
edy" Rose demanded of the pleas
ant salesgirl, who measured off ribbon
at the same counter with her.
NO." Nora. respoEed. slowly,
she looked Rose over and compared
her with Olga Nethersole. whose PEI
formance she had wept under t
night before. "No there isn't hint q,
tragedy about you just now, but Wiz
knows but you might become the be-
roine of one, for all thatp"
Rose was not quite in her own ele-
ment standing behind the counter #
this great dry goods emporium nn
Sixth avenue, yet she was thankful to
have secured it for the autumn season.
Meantime she kept an eye to her main
purpose. Rose had literary and
journalistic tendency. Her ambition
was to become permanently associated
with one of the New York literary
papers. She wrote stories, but the
cash for these did not pan out promptly
Hence while prospecting for the chance
she coveted, she was glad to sell riE-
bons. The dazzling rainbow hues
cheered her spirits. The customers
and their idiosynerasies were grist for
her mill. Nothing escapes weilder
of the pen. The literary person is un-
derstood by the initiated alone.
Rose had an eye the direction of the
Sunday Mercury, thinking that with ii
lay her main chance. Her friend Ger
trude, who was typewriter in down
town Office. had told her to follow it
up, as she had understood that from
the beginning beginners had always
been welcomed to its columns, if their
work had the true ring. The accep-
tance Of Two stories by the editor had
given Rose courage. "Siick to it,"
Gertrude urged. Half the best writ
ers IN the country got start in the
Mercury"
The day before Th anksgiying Rose
felt great weight on her mind as she
attended to the Gust pmers. The COM
ing peril seemed t, cast its shawow
over her. 81 felt as if | were going to
my own funeral" she said to Nora,
to whom she had confided the con-
tents Of her horoscone.
Nonsense" was Morals rejoinder.
tThat star-gazer doesn't know ever. !.
thing"
s'But Pm afaird he knows about
this" Rose responded.
Just then a young man came push
ing his way through the crowd of wO-
men customers al the ribbon counter.
He was we'll dressed, good looking and
modest but for the twinkle in his eye.
The twinkle seemed to invoke corre-
spending one in kose's bright hazel
orbs as she asked demurely in answer
to his question about ribbons:
"What color did you wishp"
81 want red, white, blue. yellow and
pink, three inches wide ten yards of
each."
He reeled it off as child repeats a
rote lessons fearing he shall tip over
the words.
Rose smiled, she could not help it.
She though she saw blush along wi b
the twinkle, but was not sure, for her
eyes were dazzled by the rainbow hues
of the ribbons. She measured them
off. five times ten yards, and all the
other ribbon lstomers held up on
questions and brought their glances to
bear upon the young man, who stood
defenceless, and upon Rose trying to
keep down the smile that woulu play
about her lips. The glances decided
there was some secret understanding
between the two, and puzzled over it,
after the impertinent fashion of Clan
ces. They caught the flash of his dia-
mond ring and the blush on Roses
pretty face has fused them to
gether in the way that reflected no
credit on the Chances. As for Rose