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Show Polly the lubra to keep him company, THE SUMMER TIME. so that young Bill's Christmas card joke did not work out so badly after It Is the Best Time for Choosing a all. Wife. "It's an very well to joke about sumHOW-TDECLINE A' PROPOSAL, mer flirtations and summer girls," remarked the prosperous looking busiThe Method Adopted by One Thought- ness man, laying down his newspaper ful Young Woman. with a smile, "but. all the same, th j There was once a young lady of ten- happiest marriages I know of wera der feelings but firm resolves who was planned in the good old summer time, inflexibly determined to live unmar- or, to be exact, during the summer varied, even at the risk of living an old cation and at n summer resort maid, but who wished bo much to "My advice to any young man look-lu- g spare the susceptibilities of her. potenfor a wife is this: 'Seek her at a tial admirers that she long made ft summer resort where there are her study how to refuse them without plenty of girls.' A man can get ta wounding them. To this end she read know a girl better in one week during all the novels she could lay her hands a summer vacation than during a on, and as much poetry as she could whole winter's acquaintance in New bear. She went constantly to the the- York. I mean, of course, the average ater, and in the Intervals of her social busy man, not the idler. duties she took eerpus books, like "How, for instance, is a business biographies and memoirs, out of the man, whose courtship is confined to libraries, and informed herself of the a girl's home of an evening at calling methods and manners of the heroines and takng bar to places of amusement, who declined offers from high motives. to find out the worst about going She was, upon the whole, a good deal there should be a worst? disappointed, especially with the nov- The fact is. he canxot and does not els. These manuals of the impassionsee her often enough with her family ed emotions seemed to render in si" or in company with her rimen friends most every case a blind allegiance to to form any correct estimate ot her the law of ending tjell, which in the character. Bow conception of the author was got "Until the pair axe engaged, the station, ting the hero and heroine marries wooer, U may be, has seldom or never proudly thinglng of what Polly ' would look and then dropping them. been asked to an informal meal or enlike when she opened the hat box and In the veay, very few cases where tered behind the drawing room scene found the pudding and the they suffered a girl to refuse a lover, of family life. One of my friends told Once the old squatter called him it was that she rnubi !eav n.in to me not long ago that up to the time be up .to send him on some errand, and some other girl who secretly loved (approached his prospective father-in-lahe happened to catch sight of the en- rim, and who would probably pine to ask blic for h daugrer, they velope again. Something tempted away, or partly away, if the did not had net exchanged h' if a doi--n words. him to have a closer look at it and have him. This the young lady "Father and daughter, it seems, then he went into the house musing. thought simply disgusting and idiotic. could get on Wll together. Consever "Where's Bill?" asked the old man. She was a young lady of strong ex sequently they tried to keep out ot Bill was the youngest of the boys presslons as well as ter.ffcr feelings each other's way a circumstance ot home from school, and wa notorious-band fixed resolves; and she found th? was ignorant until the "bushranger" of the family. poets not much, if any, more instruc- which my frieud after the weddltg. Now he wishes he The youngsters were all out In the tive than the novelists. They gave had. bush after the bees' nests, but they examples enough of girls who did not "Yes, I got my wife there. But I eoon came home. marry, but It was because their lovers am ahead' of my story. "Did you send that card to Tom- died, or did not ask them; when their "The morning alter I arrived I saw my?" Bill was asked by the governor lovers both survived and proposed the the prettiest creature cn the piazza, a as soon as he had put in an appeargirls refused them from pride or for blonde girl done up in the loveliest ance. Bill's face soon betrayed him, shame, or from want of presence of frock y&u know tht kind chill acd and the joke was out The old man mind; and regretted it after- airy, with lots ot laoe ruffles all over bitterly muttered something about the wick- wards. The personal histories were It and long, trailing ends of rlbocn in edness of playing tricks on a poor those ot women distinguished the back. She had golden balr, the largely black fellow, and let the thing go at in the arts, letters and sciences, whose real thing, a roseleaf complexion and that. Nothing was said to Tommy courtshixs were disand regular features. She was a picture the Aboriginal who continued to strut missed in a few marrlagas cold and lndiffemct n1 no bubh. Said I to mysoK. 'I'm about the homestead with the treasuras Incidents of small consephrases, la luck. ed envelope dangling on his breast in the several careers. Whre "Like a flash I had a vision of her But there had been a little commo- quence did not marry they seemed not to walk'c? up tne aisle of St. Thomas' they tion in the quiet mission station at have been courted; and where tley 1 Warrangamble. Tommy'? present to were loved it was in a vague tentative church ina wedding gown. Then most of tht notice j that beside her Polly had gono a fair way towards sort that never arrived at passion. out came of the who trooping girls denrure that mg person's turning In spite of all, however, the young hotel to make off in the direction of head. She remembered Tommy well did evolve, though from the ob- the lake looked quite commonplace and often had from lady beard enough, of life rather than her ac- end that there were several young servation of blackfellows how had he passing distinguished himself in the mounted quaintance with literature a formula of men hanging around In her vicinity. I ' police, of his name now being "on sympathetic rejection which entirely was envious. be"Befor the day was out I had an the books" of the famous Jlndaloon suited her. We will not reveal it so cause was and for nearly a week I if la Introduction that a it his of put of and member charming station, being same like Mlsta the possession of young girls general had known sera points about that Parliament "all Brown." She had learnt to read and ly, it would tempt them to its use La young woman's disposition soorer. "There is a general belief that a girl write, and pored over ILe - card she the case of every offer of marriage. found mixed up In the pudding in the But we may confide that the young has a small choice to size up a man' J hat box from the Jlndaloon. lady, having lived to witness the com- disposition before marriage, and I be"Christmas greetings from Tonus) parative failure of marriage among her lieve that is so., i am just as sure, !he Aboriginal esquire, Memba of friends, and always liking her friends though. tbt many a man marries Parliament," that was something in- husbands better than her friends quite In the lark as to the real dispodeed for the pretty lubra to clutch to themselves, though she blamed then sition of bis tride. Thera is no better place than a her brown bosom, and fondle and for her friends' unhapplness, mads treasure. Polly thought of him all such a study of their varying temper summer resort in which to size up a through the eight the fine tall fel- ments that she knew Just where mej's girl's character, provided a man does low with the flashing eyes and curly sensibilities would suffer 1st, and se not st first put on blinders. "There are nun whose fancy is hair, and the kindly, thoughtful look contrived a form of refusal that wouli in his face on the bright night when Justly flatter their vanity and console caught by the turn of an ankle, a melt-lethey parted at the ship's rails at the their affections, and at last leav pa.r f eyes, the roundness of s n them grateful for having been re- chin. They don't see, don't care to Jlndaloon, and he slipped the into her hand that was to find jected. see any thlri? efce; and so long as ihi-her in food on the dusty track down not looking for wr that sort of sre The ainlv difficulty she experience! to Warrangambls. Is not serious. blindnefs "was in the aplieation of her formula. Then there was this other used to fcr- a bit that way mysrtf. "I that the very first maa It that was stuck in the piece of whohappened to Wiin offered himself was one whom h cojr u my mind, though, What was the had Christmas pudding! I wss too indifferent ettii down, 'i long secretly loved, and she off At the meaning of that? It was a the same time I as It him. without, stantly accepted Warbetween lubra a for a ft'tsu month's vacation and I deJourney were, thinking. She never tegrettei took Jlndaloon that the and to swnrt cided It rangamble at s lake resort what she had done, and did not evea was what it meant, as sure as the 1 knew was Just which running over chagrined at the waste of time aebilebil lurked In the black moan-tain- s appear she had spent In acquiring the useless seemed te have the inside track In her to eat up the bad men. information stored up for a contrary favor. Cy thit time, however, I bad The old S:otch missionary was 'one Unless she should become got over crn. whether he favored short when he called the roll next eventually. for the reason hat I was a widow, hers must ever remain the me or a few after the and days morning, most signal Instance of misspent re- cot tearing blinder. Jlndaloon squatter was surprised by r. "What Omened? Nothing tn search that we could offer. W. IX an from visit early iu exceptionally bnt rood deal generat. Howells, in Harper's Magazine. Tommy the Aboriginal, still with his "! teartbtt the surprising fresh-e- s Christmas card hanging about his of the 6;merjus airy fairy gowns One irequent sight in the tobacost the . neck. wore w due ti the stern fact ftrl "You been It one fellow districts of Connecticut Is the uncov tfal h mother spent most of h- -r license, boss?" saldTommy te the ered framework for the tents where fay shot t? In her roots Ironing, 'the shadegrowing experiments were smoothing, pressing out, Inch by inch, squatter. I What on earth for? asked the old conducted last year. A field of tent to rnffl?. ftreamers and puffs. After one bacco in Connecticut this year is rare. man. wearing the Imnlnt wss done all over My been want to get spliced sharp," again. An alroboi ttovr and flatiroot said the black fellow, pointing to the seas and Aral bad been brought along for that pur Although the Caspian veranda, where stood the tired and Lave no outlj; and receive largs pose. timid from the Warran gam- rivers, especially the Volgt the Ural "The girl attempted te ble mission. fend scores of streams frorj the Cauhelp her toother and the person at The boss Jlndaloon, In his capacity casus, both have for many car beea rflrcovered and gav out tMs Intewt-inx as a J. P., soon put Tommy the Abor- aeitlng shallower. Evaporation Information added that the girl aciginal "on the books" enoe snore, with teeda the. jw. cepted ail ib's alUnUoa as a tnatUr vt c;;:.;stmas joke on the jindalooh. Pieces were scraped off here and there for the squatter's table, and the It was midsummer on the Jln- people about the station were left to daloon, and all bands on the old do what they liked with the rest. The station ware making ready for the bungling cook had forgotten to grease week's opting and sport to which the Inside of the tarpaulin and so they had been accustomed for years, brought about the disaster. In the with bees' nesting for Its main fea- end the tarpaulin was cut into little ture. squares with a pair of sheep shears these were divided out. Tommy and There were pleasant and gratehis share, and hid it away till the got ful to but many, surprises when he could get the girls evening, the most surprised man on the to prepare' it for the parto him help at that time was Tommy, 'he Aboriginal, as his name stood on cel post. It was all a laughing business for the station books. the girls, but a serious one for the He was no common black fellow or smitten Tommy. An old hat box was for he had once rough rouse-abouout from one of the lumber dug been in the mounted police, had been in this the precious piece and rooms, to race meetings away in the big was of pudding carefully packed, one towns, where they had grand stands, of 6ut a card under the girls writing and had saluted stipendiary magisto enanxious directions, Tommy's trates, so that he was something of a close with it: well in his way. To Polly the Little Yellow Lubra, But Tommy was lifted to a pinnawith Christmas greetings. cle of Bocial eminence that morning From Tommy the Aboriginal esquire, en the veranda at the Jlndaloon Memba of Parliament. homestead when the boss, going Tommy took occasion to slip a through the letters, threw one at' hJm. n into, the box as well, and It was a fine, grandiose looking misso the parcel went off by the next sive, nearly as big as those the owner to catch the coach for mailman of Jlndaloon was in the habit of getting from the bank occasionally about Tommy had slung the Christmas the mortgage on the stations-M- ists in its envelope around his neck, card Tommy de Aboriginal Es- and wore it about the A Jin-daloo- n t, O hoc-supp- osing half-crow- War-rlngambi- quire, Memba of Parliament, Jlndaloosu Tommy got the boys to read the interesting superscription over and over again for him before he set to work gingerly to open the envelope. On opening his envelope Tommy found to his surprise a strange card, covered with a picture the like of which he had not seen before. aThere was a little red bird perched on the bough of a tree, with snow around and about, and some lettering at the back which the boys promptly translated for him: "Wishing you a Christmas." Merry The old squatter and the ladies on the station were called into council, but thev could make nothing of the affair. After much cogitation and speculation one of the girls hit upon an idea. What about Polly, the little yellow lubra from the tribe, who had left her people a few years back to enter the mission station down at Warrangam-bie- ? Tommy's heart flew into a flutter; he remembered little Polly well, and had oftenr caught yoong 'possums for her when Ae was a girl about the creeks with her people. He remembered, too, '.be moonlight night down by the ship ails when she went away Christian and the sad to become look she en- e him when he handed her this favorite snake skin belt to adorn her s:im waist, and put a In h. r trembling hand to help her on her onely Journey. TEese and other things crowded back now to Tommy ihe Aboriginal's memory ant! his thoughts were soon full of Polly. Cupid had struck him square oa the kobbora with his stealthy boomerang, and all about the station began to notice the change in him. One day he conceived the Idea of but there seeding Polly a no of this way except by doing ,'was ' . the hand of some ordinary black felwould not trust to low, and To-ithis plan, s there were too many bush houses on the road. Then one of the 9 mpalhetlc station girls There suggested another scheme. was going to be a big Christmas for all hands on the station-w-hy not serd her a piece of that by parcel pot? That was "kobaun Tommy thought, and the idea was at once adapted. The JInrVVisn station pudding was to be a nol le affair this Christmas, sod was to beat all records for size . half-crow- n half-crow- my puff-din- g be-Jtree- that courlrylde. The larrt boiler on the station was requii'loned and cleaned out for the cooking1, and there being no regular pudding1 cloth on the place large eno"sh for the purpose a small tarfrom the woolshed was paulin In ue. Some days before Christmas the giant pudding was hoisted Into the boiler to give it the regulation lime, as calculated by the girls, to cook properly for Christmas dinner. Then, as the hour of that inspiring function approached, the great mas was taken out, conveyed rn a bullock dray to the side of the homestead, and the tarpaulin undone ;th due ceremony. tt was all a sad sight, as it turn e J out. Instead of standing up, in noble globular form, the whole thing fell away with the tarpaulin, displaying a great circumference area of dilapidated, scrappy, Inglorious plum pudding. brought into e. , half-crow- w y yt g half-crow- y I half-crow- n - 1 half-crow- n blin-U-r- tr, pr-Ueola- - run-awa- y h-- rel ne-ve- g course and never seerael t" feel ealied upon to lift a hand for her mother, who often looked nervous and 11L "Her selfishness didn't stop there, eith-- r. She wis never ready to fill a gap or ilo a good turn to one ot the other giris, anJ she did not hesitate to snub a fellow unmercifully if he forgot to carry out one of her wishes or it ho divided his attentions between her and any other girl. Oue put up with almost anything trow her because of her, beauty. "One evening, I remember, she refused me the secoud dance on the pro- gramme because I hadn't asked her tt dance the nrtt That day an old friend of my mother's had arrived, bringing along hex niece a girl I had never met and out ot politeness I felt mycse.f bound to ask her for the first dance. Whew! how the beauty resented it "Perhaps had I been wearing blinders I might have felt flattered at her action. As it was, I was distinctly bored. I began to think, too, that there was not much fun in dancing attendance on a girl who was eternally thinking about her clothes and her complexion and who always bad to mako a special toilet before she could climb into a boat or take a walk. "The newly arrived girl was noc a beauty. She was a brunette, with fine eyes, finer teeth and a well set up but not the sort of a girl in looks that men tumble over one another to get near. On her part ne seemed remarkably indifferent to men. "The next morning after the dance, she passed me briskly on the piazza with merely a pleasant nod and was off for the lake, a girl on either side of her. She wr I noticed, the ordinary shirt waist and tailor skirt and I saw her jump into a boat and take hold of the oars as if she meant businesa "Perhaps because I knew who sh was I took to studying that girl; and the longer I studied, the more I admired. What struck me most perhaps was the way she went ahead and herself and helped other women to enjoy themselves without the least help of a man. "She accepted attentions from men pleasantly enough, but never seemed to expect them. She dressed well, but certainly she did not wear a different gown every day." Hare the married man's tone became almost solemn. He leaned forward, tapped the other's arm and said Impressively: "My boy. beware of the summer girl who first. last and always is ambit lo.i to b a clothes show. None but a millionaire can afford to annex her without coming to grief." "Yes, yes," assented the bacheler. "But the brunette girl?" "Oh, yes, I mean to finish about her. I think trr finish came, though, the day n which tbout twenty of us, who were more " less Intimate, had planned to go off on an picnic and drive home by moonlight The brunette girl wa one of the most enthusiastic In getting up the affair. "The day came. The weather was Ideal. Then I heard one and another say that the brunette's aunt was' 111 and tb-- t she had decided not to attend the ng-us- e, en-Joy- all-da- y picnic. , "For s minute I was quite Indlg-- 6 ant, for that girl was going at my tp!cls Invitation. But do you suppose be looked the least bit put out? I r On looked the she ot contrary, gut Indignant when I suggested getting one of the servants to rtay with her aunt " '! cinty alone with a rtrans-rwtr- n tb i suffering?' be exclaimed. 'Why. I couldn't enjoy mvcclf s minute awav from her.' And sho turorrf her back and wuiked Off as if she 'bought I was a nvu :tr to tuggrst such a thiag. "'Well, 1 needn't co on. Yru know the rest. Six mnntb later we lse wen-marrie- "There are trrn, bate just as good I d. t. rtno?e. who a ! l ive. I, it acne, I am sure, hi has a J et'er: nJ I I owe all tny happims, m to taking a iiminr vac fiii and stulying the girl at a summer re- tort" New York wif.- - Sur, Sir John Edward Gray lll'l and bis talented wife possess a mansion on the famed Mount uf Olive;, where they reside for several months of each Jear. It commands a superb lew of the mountains c." Moab and the Dead See. Sarah Bernhardt is spending the summer, a usnai, at ber chateau oa the wild Island vf off the UHttany coast Ukiag h,vg tramps ever the r;;ff Belle-Isle-en-Me- r, A fare ban?? Is no robbery, but you can't make tome trolley n asa t e believe It |