The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-09-09
Her Romantic Elopement.

- - 1-AU - ~ IL AAO 144O
The select boarding school of which
Miss Minerva Patterson was the head
was very ambitious establishment
indeed
To this seminary Mrs, Adolphus
White, wealthy widow, had, after
anxiously waiting for vacancy, al
last sent her daughter Helen.
1T is settled a. last, Charles" said
Mrs. White to a bachelor brother as
they sat at lunch together Helen is
with Miss Patterson, and I'm SO reliev-
ed. She will form her mind and man
aers and make her the sort of girl
should like to bring out
''You don't really mean to say thai
you have sent Helen away from home
sister?" said Charles "a mother
should never let her daughter live
apart from her if she can avoid it.
Send her to Miss Minerva all day ii
you choose, but have her at home at
night.
But such discipline as Miss Miner
va's! said Mrs. White. Miss Miner
vas pupils could not get into mischief" >"
"O!' said Charles. Well, if you're
sure of that | might as well be silent ,"
Meanwhile the first day of Helen's
attendance at Miss Minerva's school
drew to a close And at last Helen,
with the four young ladies who belong
their nightly resting place.
Then came about a metamorphosis
which astonished the newcomer.
One, the tallest and most stately
wedged her scissors into the door in
such manner as to form a temporary
bolt and stopped up the keyhole with a
bit of wadding.
She next produced long wax can
die from her pocket and having lit it
fiourished it aloft with cry of:
Who cares for Old Ramrod's regu-
lations now?"
And the third rushed to a corner OF
the room. turned up the carpet and
with an exclamation of, Here are two:
one for you and one for me-" held up
two letters.
The fourth girl, with little ecstatic
shrek, caught her prize and tore it
open.
And the young lady of the wax can
die thus addressed Miss Helen White:
Il don't suppose you'll go and tell
Did Patterson. We shall have to keep
your secrets after awhile. Biddy, the
shambermaid, is our postman. She'll
get all your love letters for you and
oring them up on the sly"
Il haven't any love letters. I have
40 lover" said Helen. blushing.
Your ma is strict, | suppose" said
al
before you've been here six months.
IT'S the incest school / ever went to.
Old Ramrod-that's Miss Patterson,
you know-can't see an inch beyond
her nose, and we f1irt splendidly, Miss
Collins and ALL Miss Collins is an
assistant when we promenade. We
know all the fellows"
Helen listened to the epistles, when
her companions did not hesitate to read
aloud.
She even helped one of the girls to
answer hers, and she retired by the
light of the long wax candle to read
herself to sleep over a piece of litera-
ture by some French author
So dawned new life upon Helen
White-a life her mother little dreamed
Of
She also fiirted; she also received
love letters from strangers; she also
subscribed to the library and read bad
French books by the score.
To one of her admirers, who signed
himself Carlos" she wrote as a girl
ought scarcely write to betrothed
lover.
Mrs. White was delighted with Hell
ems progress.
Miss Minerva gave her a volume,
The Guide to Young Ladies'" as a
prize for fine department, and nobody
had any suspicion that her head was
full of nonsense and her pockets full OF
love letters from an utter stranger, to
whom she had told all the particulars
of her life and the full extent of her
fortune and to whom she had given
vows of eternal constancy, not exactly
in black and white, for black ink was
voted vulgar at Miss Minerva's, but in
purple.
At last the climax arrived.
Carlos offered his hand and heart
and begged her to elope with him.
She read the letter aloud to Emma,
Rose, Grace and Maria and all in a fut-
ter begged their advice on the matter.
HE says he's prince" said Helen,
with a glow on her cheeks, "and you
know of course I'll be a princess if /
marry him, and of course he shall in
yite you to our castle Last night /
met him--I coaxed Biddy to watch and
let me in-and he was all wrapped up
in a cloak, but he was splendid. He
has foreign accent and a black mus
tache."
90" cried Maria. II love foreign
accent"
And I've promised to run away with
him tonight" said Helen. He says
ma will be sure to forgive US and he's
awfully rich. And, o, how feel,
yirls,,
And while Mrs. White. sitting with