The Elbert County tribune., 1903-11-05
THE INADVERTENCE
OF MISS PERKINS.
BY WARREN CLARKE.


The girls laughed. and Miss Elwell
said:
Miss Perkins curiosity is getting
aroused. SO l won't keep you in sus-
pense. Mabel's engagement is broken.
.Whatr' cried both her listeners at
once. mabel Richey?"
"Um-umph,r said Miss Elwell. nod
ding her head In affirmation.
"oh. you're Joking said Miss Glenn
ans. ''she and Harry were just devoted
TO each other. Why. nothing could
ever come between them. Mabel told
M So"
But something did. just the same"
replied the bearer Of the news. "and
that something was Miss Marguerite
Daisy De Jones. of New York"
Miss Clemans exclaimed. "Well.
never," and Miss Perkins groaned.
TO think" finally said the elder
lady. that Harry Martin has no more
sense than that. What the young men
of this day and generation are coming
to I'm sure / can't tell. Here that
bold-faced creature with her blonde
hair"
IT'S blondined. know" put in Miss
Clemans.
"And her pink cheeks" continued
Miss Perkins. comes TO town with
nobody to introduce her but the hotel
keeper, and sets half the men in town
crazy, and they do say that some of
her worshipers are not single men
either" and Miss Perkins set down
the sprinkling can so hard that the
noise attracted the attention of people
in the street. at does beat all: Harry
Martin was such q nice fellow, tool"
said Miss Perkins; and then suddenly
she asked. when did 1t happen?'
"Oh. it's been going on for long
time, guess" said Miss Elwell. finger
ing some flowers on the counter. but
the break came night before last. Ma
bells brother Dick told my brother Tom
yesterday. and Toms been coaxing me
TO lend him my wheel, so he came
straight home last night and told me.
1t was raining too had for me TO get
out then. so l had to keep IL to myself
all night. 1 guess from what Dick
said they must have had an awful
time. 1t seems that Miss Marguerite
Daisy De Jones is going to give sup
per at tlfe hotel tonight TO lot OF
young fellows. and Mabel heard that
Harry was going. and of course that
made trouble. They just had it in the
parlor and she gave him back his ring
and he left in n great hun. Dick says
that Harry never intended going at
all. that he WASN'T even invited. but
when Mabel began TO suspect him he
got angry and said he'd go il he want
ed to. Isn't it awful?'
"Well. don't believe he was going
said Miss Perkins. "and somebody
ought to patch 1t up between them.'
Il don't think anybody will" replied
Miss Elwell; they're both as proud
as Lucifer and as stubborn as-I don't
know what. Tom says he bets Harry
goes away, and l suspect he will.
Well. feel sorry for them. but don't t
know what we're going to do about
it. Say. Miss Perkins. what is that
plant over In the corner? / never saw
anything like it before"
Miss Perkins told her the name of
the plant. and then commercial trav-
eler. who wanted to sell Miss Perkins
some glass that she didn't need for her
greenhouse came in. and while Miss
Perkins was explaining why she didn't
want and couldn't use n thousand
panes of glass. even If it was the
clearest ever cast, the young ladies'
slipped away.
All morning Miss Perkins. who usual
ly did not give much heed to the gossip
that went on in her little room. thought
of the lovers quarrel she had heard
discussed. Both of the young people
were general favorites in town, and
their marriage had been deemed an
eminently suitable one; it was shame.
thought Miss Perkins, that frivolous
stranger with yellow hair should have
the power of working SO much mis-
chief.
II do hope" said Miss Perkins to
herself. that those girls won't chatter
about it all over town. ! ought to
have warned them about talking too
much-not that it would have done
any good. but it might have eased my
conscience little"
As she spoke a carriage drove up to
the door, and Harry Martin sprang
to the pavement and came in.
Good morning. Miss Perkins," he
said in his brisk. whole-souled manner.
Some roses this morning? All, those
are beauties; how many have you?
Three dozen, only Well. want them
all. Here's my card. which you will
drop in the box. and send them to-"
And he wrote an address on a tag
lying on the counter.
This address. I've left mother in
the carriage and she's afraid OF the
horse, so I'll hurry out. Good morn
ing. Miss Perkins"
And Mr.. Martin was out and away
before Miss Perkins had hardly recoy-
cred her breath.