Middletown transcript., 1896-10-24

/ launt.
+ 81 want to 60 home, auntie. hav
! a headache" she said, and Miss Gard
: iner, who liked dancing, sighed regret
fully, but followed her at once to put OF
| her cloak. Seeing that Celia looked 81
, cross she thought that it would be bes
to say nothing Of the Majors approach
ing proposal, but be deferred until th'
next day at lunch, and she would have
u put it off even then if the hour of tht
Majors appearance had not been ap
preaching, for the beauty was still in
her worst temper.
| "You will be in this afternoon, ]
suppose, dear?" she said, gently, and
Celia answered, pettishly:
''Of course 1 shall, Aunt Ruth.
What is there to go out for in dull
place like thisp''
s'Major Monteith is coming"
"Then there is something to go out
for-to avoid him." said Celia, as pet
tishly as before. 81 shall go to the
Ponsonbys. You will stay, of course,
since you think SO much of Major Mon
teith. I will tell Mrs. Ponsonby that
you have headache"
"But Major Monteith is coming,
especially to see you DEAR" said Ruth
and Celia changed color.
ITO proposep,'
II believe so.''
"Then I shall certainly 60 out, and
he will have to come again IL he wants
me. II he wanted to find me at home
he should have told me. not you."
Miss Gardeners face flied with
panied concern.
'Celia. you cannot mean to be so
rude and unkind to a man like the
Major"
81 do not see that he is. so much bet
ter than other men," said the beauty;
"and I certainly do mean to 60 and see
Mrs. Ponsonby;;" and although her
aunt demonstrated with tears in her
sweet gentle eyes, Miss Celia ma rcbed
into her room, donned her prettiest
cloak and hat, and left the house half
an hour before the Majors arrival.
The gentle dragon waited nervously
for his arrival, wondering how she
should best excuse her niece's sympa-
thetic tears that were very near the
surface when the soldier appeared look
ing his smartest, and with a large bou-
quet Of flowers in his hand.
She was naturally one of the most
truthful little women in the world, but
she could not help introducing a con-
siderable proportion of fiction into the
excuses she made for Celia's absence,
and she was pleased to see that the
Major accepted them with even more
than his customary philosophy.
ITO tell you the truth, I am rather
pleased" he said, and then he sat
down by the spinster's side, and talked
to her SO long and interesting that
neither of them noticed how quickly
the time passed.
Miss Montagu put off her return as
long as possible, but she only escaped
seeing her aunt's guest by ten minutes
or so. She came in little ashamed |
and afraid in her heart of what sh 9 |
had done.
"Welll did he Gomez" she asked |
quickly, without pausing to notice
anything new and strange in the ex-
preston of her aunt's face. and Miss
Ruth flushed like girl as she answer
ed.
"Ytsl he came. He has only just
left the house."
swell he is coming tomorrow, I
suppose" said The beauty, rather ner-
vously. Her aunt nodded.
swell, I won't frighten and bother
you any more, little auntie," said Celia,
as she glanced at herself in the mir
ror, 81 shall accept him tomorrow.
He is rich and handsome, and 1 do not
think that could do BETTER"
Aunt Ruth's face was a strange
mingling of happiness and concern.
~ am so sorry, dear, for you. And /
shall never forgive myself for helping
to make you think that Major Mon
teith cared for you; but 1 misunder-
stood him altogether yesterday, and
we have both been making a great mis-
take"
Celia stared at her incredulously.
"You mean to say that shall not
have the chance of accepting him?
Then why is the man always herep-
why did he come to-dayp" |,
sBecause he cares for me, dear, and
has asked me to marry him. He never
dreamed that we thought of any
thing else, and the atteation that he {
has paid you has been all for my sake.
do hope, dearest, that you have not
allowed yourself to grow fond of him.
She sighed, and would have felt mis- !
erable il itrhad been possible for her to
feel miserable on such day, as her
niece burst into tears of evaporation I
md rushed out of the room.
"After all, it may be good lesson
or herr said the gentle dragous Il
MHalnl Halnln ., led the man who