The Worthington advance., 1901-02-08

No. Is Green court, Foxsley street.
that's it, and I'll just put my initials
in the corner, to insure a. speedy per-
usal, NJ. NJ, with flourish to the tail
of the last M. suppose my sister will
be very plaintive and injured about
this decision of mine, but she has only
herself and her noisy lout of boy to
thank for it,
And Maj. Midgefeld himself went
out to drop his letter into the nearest
post box.
St. Valentines day came, bright and
sunshiny, with hard frozen snow crust
ing all the streets. and q silver fringe
of icicles on all the caves and tree
boughs, and old Mrs. Pry stared hard
at the letter which the morning mail
brought her.
"It's from Maj. Midgefield. know
it is," said she, fumbling in her dress
pocket for her spectacles. II know
them little curly-tailed Ms of his'n as
we'll as know my catechism. I'll bet
a cookey he wants to come back, and
a good thing for me, too, with my best
room standing empty for three weeks.
Eh! What? A gilt Cupid with no
clothes on to signify. and lot of green
leaves, and Il love you!' It amt pos
sible, unless the major has gone crazy!"
"A letter from Maj. Midgefield," said
Miss Adela Forester. who was tall,
black-browed beauty. with cherry lips
and good high spirit of her own.
"And he wants to know if will take
him."
"Nonsense!" said Mamma Forester,
who was buttering a Vienna roll with
the serenest calm. i:
'Read it for yourself, then. and see,"
said Miss Forester, with toss of her
head. "He calls me dear madam the
horrid old bachelor, and dictates as to
his room, his dinner and his shirt but
tons. My goodness" with lifting Of
the jetty brows, ''does he think the
girls are ready to drop, like overripe
plums, into his mouth?"
"Of course, you'll say no." said Mann
ma Forester.
"Of course" said Adela.
once," said the elder lady. "Though if
he were only few years younger, the
estate is
II wouldn't marry that horrid old
creature if he were the only man in
the world" cried Adela, with en-
phasis, as she remembered the young
passed midshipman now pacing the
deck of the Silvestra in the Caribbean
seas, to whom her young affections
were pledged.
So it happened that Mr.. Forester
and old Mrs. Pry both met in Maj.
Midgefield's room at the parsonage Of
St. Adolphine, on the afternoon of that
radiant 14th of February.
II am sorry, major" said the former,
"that my daughter declines to enter
tain your very complimentary pro-
posal."
: "What proposal?" said the major.
II never proposed to anyone in my life,
and it is not likely that I shall COM
mence now!"
"Do you deny your own handwrit-
ing?" flashed out Mr.. Forester, who
was of choleric disposition, and did
not relish his word being doubted.
II deny everything!" shouted the
major. ("Stop a minute, Forester;
here is the respectable female who has
just called to see me ON business. I'll
just see what she wants before we go
on with this discussion Now, then,
Mrs. Pry."
But Mrs. Pry was making amazonian
efforts to5get letter out Of her pocket,
and turned very red in the face at thus
being directly addressed. q
"''I'm sixty-odd, major, if you please y
said Mrs. Pry, ''and widow woman,
with a small pension, as never thought
of marrying again. And never sup
posed as you could demean your dig
nifty by making jokes at my expense!"'
III "Jokes, woman!" Numbered the
major. what on earth do you mean?
Il all the world gone mad?'' .# !.
II call valentines jokes!" said Mrs.
Pry. "And, please, sir, here it is, with
your own initials ION the outside!
Cupids and loves and wings, and not
much Of anything else, sir, saving your
presence!" with q contemptuous sni1f.
II never saw the thing before ii al
my life" said Mai. Midgeheld. eyinR