The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-28
STRANGE STORY OF
A DEANS DAUGHTER.

still WHAT
There are other reasons You know,
! why Girls 20 on the stage and she
laughed slyly.
Elsie turned away from her contempt
uously, and began 10 open some notes
that were lying on the table, and fling
them one by one into the waste paper
basket.
The same old thing, Elsie,I suppose"
Lottie said in tone of envy. II wonder
| people don't get'tired of sending them.
And as for the flowers, call it sinful
waste no, to wear them. l wish.I could
get quarter of the number"
Yes, the same old thing. Lottie, she
said, almost YEARLY: and then. as she
took up Il note and opened it, dream of
triumph came into her eyes and her
whole face was lit up with smile. She
threw the rest of the notes unopened in
to the basket and read this one again and
again. 1t was rs follows:
My dear Miss Milton: Well. of all
the. X came up to town last night,
and. hearing of the attraction of Lon
don, came to the Jollity. Like every one
else, | have fallen a victim. | hear that
you never wear the flowers that are sent
you. but perhaps you will make an ex-
ception i'll favor of an old friend May |
see you after the performance and tell
you the Mudcastle news | will take
your wearing the howes as Yes Yours
sincerely. T. -
That night Elsie Milton wore flowers
for the first time on the stage, and the
whole house burned with a desire To
know who was the lucky man that he'd
given them to her
Three months after all Nudcastle was
intoxicated with the excitement OF an
enormous baZar For weeks the cathe-
dral ladies had been working at impossi-
BILE articles of apparel and decoration.
Gum, cardboard and silk We're scarcely
procurable, so large had been the demand
on these indispensable commodities
Flags had been gathered from the four
quarters of the globe TO represent every
nation and proclaim the worldwide inn
portance of the undertaking. The mind
of the ecclesiastical female ran riot in the
wickedness of fancy dress designs. For
this was to be no ordinary sale of work.
but II gigantic fraud for the cathedral
restoration fund, and every woman had
To be sufficiently bewitching to snare the
gold of unweary and Susceptible man.
The Duchess of Marlborough had been
asked to..open it, She said she greatly re-
GREETED her inability TO attend but that
they had given up their house for Il time
to their son. the young Marquis of Beau
caster. who had just been married ..and
wished to spend part of his honeymoon
there. She was. however, sure that the
young Marchioness, though she only ar
rived the day before the tazar, would be
charmed to take her place.
The cathedral authorities were delight
ed. y marchioness is not as good as IA
duchess, it is true, but still il is the
next best thing, and so all Mudcastle was
on fete to make the most of its opportu
mites.
At last the supreme moment has come
The town hall is filed with black coats
and responsibility. The bishops wife
Flows in gorgeous purple and fine linen.
The canons are whispering in clerical un-
dertones. The canons' daughters are look
ing at themselves in mirrors putting the
final touches to e''stalls and chattering
like magpies
do you remember last bazaar" says
one of them. Poor Elsie Milton was
at our stall They always called her
poor now. as if she We're dead
There was stir at the door, and a muir
muir ran through the room. The people
fell back respectfully .and the bishops
wife sailed Down the channel made Cor her
to welcome the honored arrivals She
knew Lord Beaucaster, and made for
him. He felt inclined TO escape. but they
had shut the door behind him, so he was
obliged to stand his ground.
delighted to see you again, Mrs.
Charlton, - he said with Il slight bow.
May Introduce you to my wife,
The eyes Of all the room was turned to
see the new bride and future Duchess of
Marlborough. For moment they stared
in wonder at the lovely woman before
them. Then IA cry of amazement broke
from their lips For there. with face
more beautiful than ever and a figure
clothed with one of Worth : most magnifi-
cent creations, stood the despised outcast,
Elsie Milton.
The bishops wife was dumbfounded
Her remarks on the conduct of the deans
daughter had outvied every ones in Bit
terness, and NOW She looked as though
Lady Beaucaster had been listening TO
her all etime. She got very red and
mumbled something Elsie smiled at her
confusion Tor two or three seconds-no
woman can entirely forbear her re-
vcnge-and then said: I'm sure YOU
needn't introduce Us. Charlie. We are
old friends" And moving forward. she
kissed Mrs. Charlton : punderous check
with that grace and sweetness which had
brought the world To her feet.
This was signal for a universal rush
All her old friends crowded around her
with inquiries and congratulations.
they hoped to be kissed by a mar
chioness they were disappointed Elsie
intended that one kiss TO the head of the
female.ecclesiastica world TO embrace all
cathedral society. 1t was meant for the
reconciliation of the church and the stage.
That afternoon the dean was sitting
alone in his study, when the door opened
and well-known voice cried: May |
come in, father
He dropped the pen with which he had
been writing, and rose to his feet. Be
fore he could snenk Elsie had fnnn her.