Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-06-03

many were the tears Oh rage LndJ MISS
Priscilla shed over it. But neither
tears nor rage-nOr, for the matter of
that, entreaty or high disdain-could
induce the vEaCious Paulina to
abate her unsisterly conduct. The
! fact was, this sprightly young lady's
sense of humor was extremely keen,
and Priscilla's nose tickled it irresist-
IDLY.
Now, without the least meaning to
imply that the Misses Pastern were
fishers OF men, we must assert the
simple historical fact that they enter
tanned a natural and laudable desire
to secure, each for herself, an eligible
husband 1t was in this matter es-
pecially that Priscillas nose caused
her the deepest chagrin For never
did she find herself IN the company of
2 gentleman whose interest and ad-
miratiOn she particularly wished to
excite but her nasal veins Invariably
started to thrOb and burn; and doubt
less they did so all the more because
OF her painful anXiousness to obviate
this catastrophe. Viewed from a logi-
cal standpoint, and regard being taken
to the proper requisites of a good
wife, the little affair of d noses color
might reasonably be treated as imma-
terial But reason and cOurtship have
no inalienable affinity, and the eligible
partia has yet to be discovered who
will propose to a girl while her nose
is burning a fiery purple before his
eyes.
That this assertion is not made with
cut the book Miss Priscilla's expert
ences abundantly prove Save for the
one drawback of her discolored nose
and that discOloration only temporary.
E;ful, intermittent-this charming
girl had every quality of a face, form
and manner that is most attractive to
the opposite sex. Expressive eyes, a
sweet mouth, a Well-shaped head and
reck, silky chestnut hair, a divine
stays gave her no relief she soon dis
carded them), an irreproachable foot
and ankle. Her voice was soft and
musical. She had delightful, cooling
laugh. She was modest, but not too
modest; sympathetic. but not too
sympathetic; innocent, but not too
innocent. In fact, a mans girl to the
very tips of her filbert nails.
And was all this to go for nothing
just because of one trifing disorder?
Was this whole galaxy of grace and
beauty to be utterly outweighed in the
scales by the trifiing counterpoise of
a few Srcharged blood vessels? Alas
it seemed so. And it seemed as if
POOR Miss Priscilla must make up her
mind to the inevitable. For week or
two she did make up her mind to it..
She let it be known among her friends
that tabby cat and a gray parrot
would be the most acceptable presents
they could make her on her approach
ing birthday She left off going out.
She embroidered half a chair back in
parish work. Perhaps she would
actually have done SO. But now an
event happened which scattered her
resignation to the winds, which drew
her from her retirement, in a whiri-
wind of excitement and rivalry, deter
miLed to conquer or die in the fray
matrimonial. The event was this.
Paulina had become engaged to a baro-
net!
TO be outstripped by a rival in any
competition is irritating to anyone,
but most of all is it irritating to a
girl in the competition for eligibles
And if the successful l.val be a girls
own sister it senSibly aggrayates that
girls irritation. Not that Priscilla
was jealous. Tut! what a ridiculous
idea! Jealous of Paulina? Well, we'll!
But Paulina was growing conceited
and needed a lesson. 1t would do her
good to learn that some girls can-if
they Ike-marry as successfully as
some other girls. Baronets were well
enough. But there were bachelor
peers about, and one bachelor peer
had, before her retirement, shown
signs of being smitten with Priscilla
What if she really exerted herself now
and managed to secure him? He was
distinctly eligible; a baron, of old
creation, with a respectable estate.
He was youngish; fairly cookbook
ing; smart man of the world. To be
a baroness would be very nice. To put
Paulina's nose out of joint would be
nicer still.
The baron in Question-anybody' s
baron at the present minute, but whom
she determined to make PRISCILLA S
was Lord Morden. During the few
weeks that he had known Miss Pastern
he had been attracted by her beauty,
but only in a butterfly sort of way.
For Lord Morden was not marrying
man. He valued himself immensely
on his own looks and appearance.
He was also very critical and eXacting
in his ideas of female beauty, and only
cared to philander with those girls
whose charms were exceptional Be-
fore her retirement from society he
had never happened to see Miss Pris-
ella with her nose badly a-burn. But,
as i'll luck would have it, at the very
first ball that she attended after her
re-entry, and while she was actually
flirting with her (prospective) baron
| that troublesome nose fell a-throbbing
and a tingling, and blushed it's very
| deepest and most startling purple.
In this condition her face was any
thing but possessing. My lord was
great stickler for complexion. He
prided himself very particularly upon
/ hiS own And his aeSt b etc IA ste WAS