The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-06-18

inca "ent up 10 MIN anu put ueI lips
to his ear.
Its Esther, isn't it?" she said.
"AIind your own business" he an
swered, and turned sharply on his heel,
forgetful of his dress tail.
But Thea followed him up.
Sometimes chaperons kiss the girls
good-by," she whispered, and fed out
again among the others.
Aunt Emmelina put her veil down
carefully, she arranged her curls with
diligence, and set her bonnet straight.
There was smile in her eyes behind the
glasses. After oil there might he some
enjoyment in the position.
Esther had evinced careless disregard
for his ardent admiration lately, though
once she had received it almost gra-
ciously.
AS "Jack" he would have been pushed
aside to make room for the squatter, Of
whom he had suspicious, for the officers,
even for the bank clerk.
As "Aunt Emmelina' he might have
the felicity Of touching that white, beau
tiful hand of hers often; he might even
put his arm around her waist in a moth
erly kind of way. !;
So they set out. And surely in all the
annals of chaperondom there had never
been quite such charming, gentle, en-
pertaining old lady as Aunt Emmelfna.
"Come and sit here, my DEAR" she
said, as Esther was guided carefully
into the boat by the bank clerk. "Coane
and tell me about poor little brother"
Esther took the place rather unwill-
ingly. She had promised to sit on the
same seat as the squatter while the bank
clerk rowed.
There were three other boats, and
Jack had seen that the good rowing men
were equally distributed in them. In
his own, however, the bank clerk was a
very poor oarsman, and the squatter
great deal out of practice, so they were
left somewhat behind.
Just past Hunters hill great sailing
boat came bearing down upon them and
steamer was close behind, but no one
had noticed such details until it was al
most too late.
Then the bank clerk grew pale and
splashed frantically with his oars and
the girl with the steering lines lost her
head and forgot which side she should
pull.
The young Delany girl with beautiful
wisdom stood up in her place and
screamed. Esther gave little gasp and
chung to the friendly arm beside her.
But Aunt Emmelina thrust her rough
" aside and almost fell across the boat
to the middle seat. She swept the bank
clerk out of his place into feeble and
| astonished heap, seized the oars, and
| with a couple of powerful strokes
| swung the boat round out of danger.
Afterward the bank clerk had con-
fused remembrance of being called II
COMPOUNDED young IDIOT" and he re-
| sented it with an air of dignified sur
| prise toward the chaperon for the rest
of the day.
Aunt Emmelina resigned the oars to
the squatter when they were in clear
water again, and seemed much troubled
because she had burst her black kid
gloves. She smiled at the surprise Of
| the party at her act, and said simply
| she had been used to the management
Of boats since her earliest youth.
When the meal was over Aunt Emmc-
lima felt very much what is popularity
Known as "out of it."
Aunt Emmelina was dying for a
smoke. If she could have talked to
Esther she would have sacrificed the
desire, but as it was she merely anath-
ematized the squattcr and kept finger
ing the pipe and tobacco pouch she had
carefully put in her pocket until she
could resist no longer.
"Would you like to come out in a
boat with me, my child?" she said, at
last, gently, to Thea, who was feeling
somewhat exhausted after a prolonged
attack upon cream cakes.
| Everyone remarked how well the old
lady pulled, and Ella waved a relieved
farewell from the shore.
! Aunt Emmelina rowed at a rate that
would have fairly electrified the pic
nicl<ers could they have seen. Then she
gave the oars to Thea, subsidized into the
bottom of the boat, lighted her pipe
and had luxurious smoke that soothed
her injured feelings and rufaed nerves
into placidity again.
ut isn't many brothers would do
what I've done for you girls" she said,
as Thea pulled back again some hours
later.
Two or three of the girls, Esther
among them, had strolled some distance
away and were standing on bowlder,
idly throwing stones in the dancing
water and watching the circles.
A frightened scream broke the hot,
quiet air over the river. Two of the
girls we're running frantically about
and the third was struggling in the
water. They ali knew by the sailor hot
bobbing about that it was Esther.
The squatter gave an answering shout
and started running at grea: rate, TAX
ing off his coat as lie went But Aunt