Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-03-10


on fire, but he's good-natured fellow
and I can just twist him around my I'm.
ger. And. remember. you are bound Il
give me handsome wedding dress
and have always promised me poor
mas pearls the day / was married.
Your affectionate niece,
'PERLINA."
Mrs. Gafferly signified her approval
by return of post, and Perlina's mind
was at rest. 1t did not trouble heI
much that in less than a week te,s-
gram summoned Kolt to the city. She
could use the fast-fading days of free
dom better without an engaged lover
at her side, and she certainly made the
most of them. She plunged into fiirta-
tion in way that frightened even Mrs
Kerosene Newbody, and was happier
than she had ever been since her
search for a husband commenced AS
for poor Mr.. Downhill, she quite snuD-
bed him, now that she had no views
concerning him. Meanwhile the absent
Kolt wrote love letters, and she an
swered them.
|
when you went out to ride with old
Downhill," he said in one of these.
II really thought for a while that you
liked him."
And to this she replied:
How could you fancy that / should
like superannuated old creature like
that? only took little notice of him
out of pity"
Poor Perlina! Life was certainly
very much checkered. One morning
Mrs. Newbody opened New York pa
per, and, having glanced down the col
umn of marriages and deaths, gave a
faint shrek and looked at Perlina in
terrified way. Perlina snatched the
paper and saw this record:
Suddenly, on the -th, Edmund
Kolt"
Edmund Kolt-there was no doubt
of it. Mrs. Newbody looked at Perlina,
expecting to see her faint. To her sur
prise, the young lady, though very Sc
rious, was quite calm.
Poor fellow" she said; "I'm very
sorry. Do be quiet, dear Mrs New
body! Don't let's have scene. No one
knows we were engaged, and you need
not tell 'em. l don't want my season
spoiled"
Then she arose and went to her room.
cried a little, bathed her face, used
some pearl powder on her nose and
went downstairs to charm Mr.. Down
hill by beaming upon him and asking
him how he could be so dreadful and
neglect her so.
In word, now that the old love was
gone, she took up with the new" and
in week Mr.. Downhill had proposed
and was accepted. And the astonished
Mrs. Gafferly received an account of
the situation which greatly surprised
her.
Old Mr.. Downhill was rather more
obstinate than even Mr.. Kolt had been.
He asserted his rights, and insisted
upon the open wearing Of the engage
ment ring.
There was no more Irritation for
Miss Milkin, and evey one knew what
had occurred. She wore a diamond
ring of value on her finger, and was
guarded by her old beau from morning
until night. He even wrote her several
notes between their parting at mid
night and meeting at nine in the morn
ing, and in one of them he referred to
her Irritation with young Kolt.
Miss Milkin was one of those un-
lucky victims to love of letter writing
who can never resist putting things
down in black and white. She wrote
this sentence in her reply: "You
naughty naughty goose! How could
care for stripping like that? Poor
fellow! he was very NICE but only a
boy, you know" And when she had
written it she thought how much jol-
lier it was to run about with him than
to sit in a corner with old Mr.. Down.
hill, who was always afraid of catch
ing cold, and who would not let her
dance because he could not. Still he
was rich, and she was engaged at last,
after ALL
One evening she walked the piazza
with her betrothed, leaning on his arm
in the most confiding manner The
evening train was in, and people were
waiting for the stages to bring the new
corners.
AS they ratified up to the door some
one was seen waving white handker-
chief. A young man with very red
cheeks-and then some one called not:
why, it's Kolt, alive and WE'LL" For
there had been much lamentation over
the poor fellow. AS he sprang out of
the crowded vehicle they rushed to-
ward him to shake hands and tell him
that he had been supposed dead.
Death in the papaw, you know, old
fellah," said one exquisite. "Weally
vewy cuyous how death could be in the
papaw when you wasn't dead, you
know"
at was poor grandfather. / was
named after him, you know. / never
thought what people would think. /"
Then he turned pale and hurried into
the house, fearing that the awful news
had killed his poor Perlina.
Miss Milkin was in the parlor. She
had fed on his approach and was real
ly quite faint, and Mr.. Downhill had
gone for glass of water. Every one
else was out of doors, and the young
fellow rushed toward her.
my dearest love!" he whispered;
my darling! you did not think was
dead?"
eve. 1;5tv rocno1 DnrI;oo