The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-08-24

"Oh, but she didn't embroider it her.
SELF" 1 said hastily, for l remembered
how panied you would feel at such a
departure from the truth; "the wait
ress did the work on it"
Aunt scowled more fiercely than be-
fore, and I handed her your box Of
chocolates.
aunt, smiling, all her frowns vanishing
as if by magic. "His chocolate is al
ways the best, but it is so expensive"
This time, dear papa, it concerned
you, so I told her the truth at once.
"The box is from Potin's, aunt" I
said. Mamma had it given to her on
New Years Day, but papa got the
chocolate at the little shop on our cor
ner."
Aunt looked as if she had a whole
thunderstorm inside of her, and the
frowns were in full force as she said
sourly:
81 hoped that your parents would
have the decency to come and see me
themselves. Your father wants to sell
me this house, and as he said he had
had it specially repaired for me, per-
haps I might be suited very wellv
"How c%uriousr" 1 remarked, saying
exactly what I thought. There
haven't been any workmen here for
three years, for 1 heard papa say sop
"Ah!-And do you also know why
your father wants to sell the house?'
I vas tempted to be silent. but, in
stead, I said frankly:
at is too noisy here to be endurable,
and, besides, there are stables close
BY"
I cannot describe, dear papa the I'M
fortunate effect Of these undeniable
truths. My aunt left the room hastily
and banged the door behind her.
I should have renowned then and
there the attempt to be truthful if
CASTOR de Tournettes had not just that
instant jumped from his horse and
come hastily into the room. I wished
to announce his arrival to my aunt,
but he stopped me, saying that he had
heard of my intended visit here and
had come to see me the instant he
knew I had reached the city.
He said that he wanted to speak to
me and not to my aunt. Thereupon
he began to say many very pleasant
things to me, and finally asked openly
if I liked him.
All! my dear papa, if it had been dis
agreeable to me before to tell the truth
I assure it was quite different this
time.
Indeed, you please me very much,
Monsieur CASTOR, and you always
have"
"Then you are not afraid to become
my ~fancee?"
"On the contrary, I shall be delighted
to do So" I said frankly, remembering
how you had said he was the most ELI
gible bachelor of the season.
"And you will love me?" he contin-
ued.
81 love you already"
But I will stop here, dear papa, for
it seems to me that / can see you
frowning this time, and I can hear
your voice growing:
Naughty girl! You have said Is
many impertinent and awkward things
as you have told the TRUTH
So let me hasten to ~reassure you,
dear papa. This is all a story that I
have made up to tell you.
Paul paid no more than half fare
and Miss Harriet is convinced that we
could non Of us get along without her,
and that we think she is the very salt
of the earth! The brandy passed the
customs officers beneath their eyes and
noses, and they never suspected a
thing.
My aunt is delighted with mammals
centrepiece, which she thinks is all her
own work, and she is perfectly salts
fed with the cheap chocolate in the
Potin box. She will certainly buy the
house. And as for poor CASTOR de
Tournettes, he is still ignorant of my
sentiments!
/ merely wished to show you, a trif1e
maliciously perhaps, but perfectly re-
s~pectfully, 1 assure you, that the truth
you talked so much about is not al
ways expedient to tell. Indeed, you
would not think it was modest or fit
ting for a lady to issue from her we'll
and travel about through the world
without being adorned and yelled to a
certain extent.
You had far better trust to woman's
tact, fnesse and taste to render her So
cable, amiable and even pretty and
bewitching without losing any Of her
natural grace! Cover her with a little
anodyne in the shape of a few innocent
lies and she may journey freely with
out fear of injury.
Thus, dear papa, do not scold me so
severely another time. I promise that
I will tell only nice, white, innocent
little lies, and you must admit now,
yourself, that they make life vastly
more agreeable and easy to live! In
fact, there is no getting along without
them! JULIETTE.
Heredity Mysteries.