The Democratic advocate., 1907-12-27

hau UCCu HCi uiCau sO lotsS was ho ihoAS
than dream. The currant -colored silk
dress, with the Spanish lace trimming,
would not be needed now; and she should
probably never see Mr.. Fabyan again.
Poor little Lefty! Uncle 'Kiah could
easily comprehend that it was a sore dis
appointment, but he never knew that
Lefty cried herself to sleep that night.
Miss Euphemia Eudora Lisbon and the
two Chicago beauties were gorgeously got
ten-up that New Years Day, as they stood
smiling under the big smilax- -wreathed
chandelier of the drawing room in Martaga
Square.
Full-blown roses they were, all three of
tbem-so full blown that any connoisseur
in the floral world would scarcely have
cared to gather them; but they wore rich
pink silk dresses. with gored trains that
coiled after them like highly -colored snakes,
and diamond necklaces.
Their hair was powdered, and so were
their face; they wore thirty two button kid
gloves and French boots, with heels in the
middle of the foot; and there was white
gloved colored waiter to open the door, and
another in attendance on the refreshment
table in the back room; and, altogether
things were arranged quite regardless of
expense.
But Mr.. Fabyan, as he entered this
bower of camellias, iaponicas, diamonds,
gaslight and painted faiences, seemed to miss
something. He looked over the heads of
the Chicago beauties, and beyond Miss
Lisbon's point-la lace founces.
"I beg your pardon said he, ''but l
don't see your cousin here"
"Oh-Letty?' said Euphemia Eudora.
"Yes, Lefty didn't come to the city this
year. Ny friends, the Misses Million,
promised to visit me, and really forgot
to ask Lsttyr'
And Miss Lisbon smiled her sweetest
smiles on Mr.. Fabyan, whom, in her
minds eye, she had already promoted to
the high station of prince consort to herself.
But Alured Fabyan went home and
studied up the guide books and railway
maps, buttoned on seal-skin coat, and
took the Shore Line into the wilderness of
Connecticut
II will see her'' he said to himself.
All day long he rode, with folded arms,
by the car window, the glittering landscape
gliding by him like dream of frozen pearl;
and when the stars began tn prick their
golden points through the twilight sky, he
stepped off at Fenwick Station solitary
little shed, with forest of signing cedars
around it, and frozen lake rejecting
the orange west, below, and asked the
agent where one Mr.. Hezekiah Lisbon
lived.
Tain fur p said Jonas Stout 'See
that there blue smoke a-twistin' up over
the edge of the hill Well, that there smoke
comes out O Kiah Lisbon chimney stack.
You can 60 around by the road, OR you
can save half mile by the short cut across
the medder."
Lefty was sitting all alone in the fire
light. She had put on the urrant-colo-
red silk dress to please Uncle 'Kiah, and
very lovely she looked in it; but the even
ing had closed in, and now she was alone
and very sad.
~ must 60 up stairs and take it off, "
said Lefty to herself. "Oh, wish never
had bought it =
And then knock came to the door,
and Lefty rose, listlessly enough, to open
it.
"It's old Mrs. Capern," said she to
herself; ''or perhaps Deacon Goodall, come
to borrow the weekly paper
But it was neither Deacon Goodall,
nor Mrs. Capern who stood there, darkly
without, against the brilliant western sky,
but tall figure in seal-skin coat.
"Miss Lisbon Lefty =
ooh, Mr.. Fabyan r. she cried out.
'You know 1 promised l would call on
you New Years Day. he said, taking
both her hands in his, "and here | am =
''But I didn't know, ''gasped Lefty.
"I couldn't suppose"
"You did not know how fondly l look
ed forward to that pleasure, said Mr..
Fabyan, ''and could not suppose that |
loved you dearly enough to come all the
way from New York to get one glance out
of these sweet eyes. My dear Lefty My
ewn darling This New Year will not be
a happy one to me unless it brings you as
it's initial gift r
And when old Uncle 'Kiah came in,
Lefty had to tell that she was engaged !
Miss Euphemia Eudora and the two
over-blown Chicago roses had tedious
day oft Their French -heeled feet ached
sadly; their tongues were almost paralyzed
with saying the same thing over again,
and when the clocks chimed midnight and
the eolored servants extinguished the lights,
they whispered one to another:
'sWhat bore it has been r
But to Lefty lisbon, in the snowbound
farm house, a new life of love and bright
ness had dawned with the New Year
with the happy, happy New Year