The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-11-30

thiNN i>'hS-httS- N'S-NbAiSi litS HitIuitiA. Ou.
| felt forty years younger :
IF we were only able to keep open
house
And then there was a rustic in the hall
where two pairs of slippered feet had been
creeping down the stairs.
Il heard you?' cried Celeste, gayly
II heard you Oh, if you only would
We would be 80 well behaved
Celeste You down Oh my dear,
isn' this imprudent? That is right, Miss
Jimmy, the pillows. There, dear, lie right
down, said the two ladies together, bust
ling about one of the sofas
Il feel so nicely" said Celeste, Il
couldn have the face to stay upstairs any
more. It's been an imposition anyway.
And really think we must 90 home, un-
less you were in earnest just now and
would let us stay that way. You know
we couldn' t stay and be burden-if we
didn' t do just as we DO down in f Street.
And it would be the kindest, loveGest,
and most Christian act, giving homes to
two homeless girls, which the most they
could pay wouldn' half pay for
''Oh, sister, cried Miss Sedley, ''it
seems too good to be true-to keep these
dear things all the time You will say
yes p
'Sedley, if you will promise not to shed
a tear. We can't have Celeste excited
enc atom. Yes. You shall send for your
trunks, my dears. And if you like the
home it shall be yours while it is ours.
And Celeste, who could not be excited,
tottered up from the sofa and fell upon
their necks, with an arm round each. in
passion Of tears and kisses
ITO think of having a home !" she
cried. And such home And with
you !! Oh, jimmy doesn't it seem as if
we had gone 10 heaven And, oh, it is
really-really TOO hot for heroics r
1t was several days after Jimmy had
brought up and disposed their worldly be
longings, and feeling of peace and bliss,
a sense Of youth and cheer had settled
over the household, that Miss SedIey
brought to Celeste sofa a number of the
cards that had been left during her illness
They had been sitting in the moonlight,
while the ineffahe fragrance of the great
grandifora magnolia tree, a half mile away.
rolled in softly all about them, and the
candles had been but little while lighted.
" 'Senor and Madame Castillo, - read
Celeste ''Yes, I've been very good
friend of theirs And they know it. -
You !! said Miss Veronica. as if she
had heard the mouse boast in relation to
the lion
''Oh yes, You know. [ have written
Il good deal about both of them. In Eu-
rope the censorship Of the press gives i'm
portance to every item; and if anything
really is in the paper they feel there that
it means something. And so all [ have
said about them--they cut out every scrap
and sent it home-counted for more than
it was worth And when they were going
! away-yOu know they were promoted to
another mission, and he was made Grand
! Paniandrum or something-she sent for
me and told me all this and gave me that, ="
and she held out her hand with its ring of
aapphires and diamonds.
'EIt-it seems impossible, murmured
Miss Sedley, under her breath
But, my love, said Miss Veronica,
because they like fattery, it deesn' make
the businesS-the dealing in personality
any less reprehensible.
Sister :
We'll, dear, perhaps not, . said Celeste,
''when you show me that it is reprehensi-
BILE. People want it. at any rate; and
people will have what they want; and if |
don give it to them another will. .
You might say that of any disgraceful
business
But it ism disgracefnl. said Celeste,
coaxingly. You need great deal Of
enlightenment. describe the inside of
beautiful home: it shows them far in the
wilderness how to have beautiful home
| describe Il fine lady; women all over the
country can be fine ladies on that model
| tell the social happenings, and [ don't
know that they are not as much to the
purpose really as the political happenings,
I'm sure they're Il great deal pleasanter
Just look at this place before they had
tele@raphS and reporters and correspond
ents and interviewers-'
''Oh yes, how perfect, how lovely it
was p
''You dear little innocent angels Well,
we let Il food Of light in. And men can't
do now as they did then-without being
found out, you know. Oh, yes, and here
are the Russian embassy cards again. How
good it was to send their carriage for ns TO
take the air y
lit made me feel ike an adventures,
driving out in state with imperial arms on
the carriage door, said Miss Veronica.
II don know, said Miss Sedley. Il
reckon enjoyed it, Although | was a
little afraid of the men on the box.
''Well, you saw what splendid city
they are making of it"
AT our expense.
And there never was u sweeter sight
in that carriage, said Miss jimmy, than
your two dear aristocratic faces.
'.Oh, but the Princess herself is beauti-
ful, : said Celeste. IL wish you had seen
her leaving her box, with her velvet and
ermine cloak falling about her, and the
long thick braid of her fair hair down one
! side to her knee. \ daughter OF the
gods. diyinely tall and most divinely
fair Don't you remember, Jimmy dear?
1t was the night you made your hit in
GadcreHa AtiercoyqlS, and the house
came down, and you thought they were
appauding the beautiful Princess, and
that made them 90 wild with applauding
you again, and all the diplomats and the
little attaches stood up and shouted, and
the stage was half covered with flowers
for you-''
.'The stage exclaimed two startled
voices.
'tWhy, yes; the stage of the National,
Where she had her last engagement. And
she had an offer of an engagement from
New York manager the very next day
but one. and she refused it, the little
Doose. 50 that she might stay on at the