The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-01-30
I told her that, IL shc were at all do.

i told her that, IL she we're at all de.
cent sort OF girl, the memory OF it
ought to keep her awake for many
nights. This did not appear TO inn
press her in the least. She only
laughed. very much doubt whether
Mary has a conscience.
Things went on pretty quietly, until
Ethel Rawlins took that journey to
Australia. She had married sister
living in New South Wales, who, being
rather out Of health, had asked Ethel
to come and stay for six months or so,
and help her with her household
duties. Ethel accepted the invitation.
don't deny that l felt bit sorry at
the prospect of losing her. She was
my most sensible companion, and the
girl whose rational conversation so
often soothed me when | had been
nearly irritated to madness by the
brainless vaporings OF my sister. OF
| course, it was not for me to interfere
with her movements. did, however,
take the opportunity OF having con-
versation-an almost fatherly CONVEX
sation-with her, on the day befole
she sailed.
told her plainly that she was the
most sensible and compapionublc girl
| had ever come across. said that
1t was on account of these qualities
that | entertained for her SO high
regard rs I did. / ventured TO ex.
press hope that she would always
continue in the same path, and would
not permit herself to be drawn aside
therefrom by any sentimental com.
panions whom she might chance to
meet. | pointed out to her, in this
connection, the perils OF n sea voyage.
| There was subtle sentimcntality
about the sea that was fearfully IN.
sidious. And then those Australian
sheep stations. She mightn't think
it, but they were downright hotbeds
OF sentiment. Australia was nearly as
bad as India in that way. II wanted
an unusually strong.mindci girl TO
visit either the one or the other, end
TO come hack homo without having
been let in. She. however. was un.
usually stroug.m Aud ] thought
| coutl trust hcr - be true to her
colors.
She was very humble. She took my
advice gratefully. / believe she would
have liked some moro OF At. At least.
she seemed as though she expected me
TO say more. But didn't Thought
that was enough. So / simply be.
slowed my blessing upon her, and We
ID. ia L.. W..
those tears shining in her eyes, rs |
pressed her hand? ! hoped / was mis-
takcu. A girl who could be BETRAYED
into n sentimental exhibition, upon SO
triiilng a cause, WAS scarcely fit To lie
trusted in the insiduous surroundings
of sea voyage and n sheep farm.
had not asked Ethel to write TO
me ; and | did not write to her. Prob.
ably | should have corresponded with
her, but did not wish to lay myself
open to misconstruction. When II fel.
low has II lot of sisters who overhaul
his letters before he comes down in
the morning, aud examine the hand
writings and postmarks, to see whom
they are from, he is bound TO be very
NAANAu II lllt NlAltlN Ult Atttll HlTlS
it doesn't 50 much matter. But when
there Is n Mary among them, with
gossiping tongue and flippant disre.
gard for yeraeity, too much caution
cannot be exercised. So 1 heard moth.
ing direct from Ethel. But as she
wrote pretty frequently 80 my eldest
sister Katie, was kept tolerably we'll
informed OF her movements ana occu.
pations.
1t was not long before the contents
of these letters 10 Katie began TO
awaken in me serious apprehension.
There was fellow named Bowlcy who
had gone out in the same ship with
Ethel, and whose destination hap
pcnel to he the farm adjacent 10
Ethei's brother-in-law's. He was Mr..
Bowley during the voyage. For the
first month on the sheep farm he was
Charley Bowley. After that he became
Charlie. / am bound to say that
Etheis mode of alluding TO him in her
letters caused me decided ANNOYANCE.
1t is such bad form for girls to call
comparatively strange men by their
Christian names. 1 should have eX.
pected 1t OF Mary, or indeed of most
other girls of my acquaintance. But
Ethel-who had always been the per-
sonitication OF torm-well, it was
falling of Tor her. OF that there could
be no doubt.
But it was not merely this that vexed
me. Apart from the question of form,
there was tone in Ethel's letters-a
dreadfully sickly, sentimental tone
which showed me clearly that her
sound sense and her practical charac-
ter had become seriously undermined.
1t occurred to me that something must
be done to stop it. An ordinary fel-
low in my position would have written
her lofty rebuke. ] am man of
deeper resource than that hit upon
a much more effective way of bringing
home her folly to her. 1t is a matter
of common knowle lge that sinners in