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The Story Of An Elopement

The Story Of An Elopement image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
March
Year
1876
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

It commenced by Mrs. Sawyer's arrival at Mrs. Muffit'a early in the forehooh, evidently in a state of great excitement, and full of news. With an air of profound mystery, she drew Mrs. Mufflt froni the wash-tub to the sitting-room, and said to her : " What do you think has happened?" Now Mrs. Sawyer was well known in Myrtleville as " newsy," as one who lost no opportunities of oollecting the most reliable and startling items of information regarding the sayings and doings of the Myrtlevillians. Accordingly Mrs. Mufflt prepared her mind for tidings of moment : " What is it ?" asked she, dry ing her haiids on her apron and settling down in a chair for a " good talk." " You'll not teil I told you ?" ' ' Never. " "Because it wasn't intended for me to hoar. I just happened over to Mrs. Seymour's this morning, and Mrs. Kitely was in there, and the door stood open, and I couldn't but hear what was said, you know, and " "But what was it ?" cried Mrs. Mufflt, as Mrs. Sawyer paused for breath. "Fred Seymour and Belle Grainger have eloped." "Eloped!" " Mrs. Seymour was telling Mrs. Kitely as I went in. As soon as they saw me coming, they began to talk about the news in the morning's paper ; ut you ean't throw me off the track in that way." "Oh, my goodness!". cried Mrs. Mufflt, suddenly, as if some inspiration had seized her. " You've heard something too," cried the widow. "No, but I saw Belle Grainger this mom ing, quite early, passing by here, in the direction of the depot, and she had on her traveling dress, and her waterproof, and carried her satchel." " Going to meet him on tho 8 o'clock train. Oh, the sly, deceitful thing. Think of her poor father." " And her sick mother. It is awful. And everybody knows Fred Seymour is as good as engaged to Susy Beïknap." "There! I'll go right over to Belknap's," cried Mrs. Sawyer. "Somebody ought to break it gently to poor Susan. Poor girl. No wonder they went off slyly. " And away bustled Mrs. Sawyer to find Mrs. Belknap and Susan in the sitting room, sewing. It was a keen satisfaction to teil the news there, for Mrs. Belknap, being in delicate health, and possessing ampie means, kept a servant and lived in a style of refinement that Myrtleville generally eondemned as "putting on airs." To take her "down a peg,", as Mrs. Sawyer mentally resolved to do, was a vulgar triumph she enjo.yed greatly in nnticipation. But it was in anticipation only. Mrs. Belknap and her daughter received the news in a quiet way, as if the gossip possessed no special interest for them, asking no j questions, and manifesting no chagrín. The story had grown a little on its way through Mrs. Muffit's sitting room, ud Mrs. Sawyer had now a full deseriptipn of the runaway bride's tíosturne, and the train was speciöed upon whick the young coupia traveled. But af ter Mrs. Sawyer had gone to take her news elsewhere, Susy turned a palé face to her mother, asking pitifully: "Oh, mamma, can it be trae ?" "Iwill go over to Mrs. Seymour's, dear, if you wish it." " Not for the world. If it is trae, we must nev9r let any one kiiow how we feel it ;" and her lips quivered. " Fortunately, no one knows we are actnally engaged. If it is not true "It seems to come very direct," said Mrs. Belknap, as she drew her dauehter in a close, motherly embrace. ''Mrs. Sawyer is a terrible gossip and a büsybody, büt I neVer kne.w her to be güilty of absolute falsehood. " ' ' Mrs. Kitëly is very intímate with Mrs. Seymour. I have heard Fred say they were schoolmates. So it is quite natural for her to be telling Mrs. Kitely, and speak of something else when Mrs. Sawyer went in." "I can scarceiy believe it of Fred," said Mrs. Belknap. "Nor 1. And Belle, too, whojias been my friend so long, and her only intraest in Fred seemed to be in hi's love for me. Oh, mother! I can't believe it." In the meantime the story was spreading from house to house, gaining a little here, a little there, BS it was repeatecL Mrs. Gray had seen JbVed Seymour going in the direction of the depot at half-past seven, and it did not Beem to occtir to the gossips that as his business was in I New York, this was a sight of daily occurrence. Another one had always thought Miss Grainger's quiet, modest manners covered a deceitfutl heart. j Some pitied Susy, some congratulated j her npon her escape. The young couple ! were discovered to have every fault the imagina) ion of their accusers could summon up, and Mrs. Belknap and Mrs. Seyroour shared the odium and pity with Mrs. Granger,who certainly should have attended more strictly to the edueation of her daughter, and given her a more carefül moral training. Every mother in Myrtleville was pitiously thankful it was not her daughter who had so disgraced herself, and the daughters, as a general rule, secretly wished they had had Miss Grainger's chance, lor Fred Seyinour was decidedly a beau in Myrtlevüle, and his mother was kaown to have a property from her late husband that would make the young man independent, when, in the cotu'se of nature, it reverted to him. He was engaged on one of the daily evening papers of the great metropolis, and considered talented and upright, a man who in time would make a name and position of honor. His attention to Susy Belknap, though the fact of their engagement liad not yet been published, had been too marked to escape the notioe of eyes so prying as those poesessed by the good people of Myrüeville, and his inoonstancy was a matter of marvel, as Susy was a maiden whom any man might have been proud to win. When the é o'clock train came in, Mr. Grainger, a little, nervous man, all excitability, was amazed at the sympathizing faces that greeted him on the platform. A chili like death seized his heart. For years his wife had been an invalid, suffering from spine complaint. Had she died while he was away ? White as a sheet, he turned to a friend standing near, saying : " Why do you look at me ? What is the matter at home ?" "My poor friend, have you heard nothing?" "Achoking sensation came over the loving husband, but he struggled against it, saying : " Quick, teil me ! Is it Mary ?" "No. Mrs. Grainger ís as weu as usual, I believe ; but there is a very sad story to break to you regarding your daughter." Wvath took the place of terror. " My daughter !" cried the little man, furiously. " Who dares to carry stories about my daughter?" " Well- you - see," stammered his friend, "thewomen folks sayshe eJoped this morning witli Pred Seymour." " Fred Seymour ! Why, he's head over ears irt love with Susy Belknap. My Belle ! Why, she has been engaged for two years to Lieut. Weston of the navy, though we did not publish the fact for the benefit of all the tattlers in Myrtleville." "lam af raid, was the reply, that it was the fact of these engagements that drove them to secrecy and elopement." " I teil you the whole story is false !" roared the excited father. "I'llmake these makers eat their own words ! My Belle, indeed ! They must be erazy." But on his way home, Mr. Grainger met the report in so many places, heard it in sueh plausible versions, that he entered his wife's room with a very grave face, from which all angry excitement had vanished. " Where is Belle, Mary ?" he asked. " She went to New York this morning to do some shopping. She will stay at her Aunt Maria's to-night." _, " Did young Seymour go up on the same train 1" "I suppose so. He usually goes at eight, and that was the train that Belle took. " Mr. Grainger was on the point of telling his wife the whole story, but on second thought he restrained the impulse. Suro in his own fatherly confldence in his gentle, modest child, that there was some mistake admitting of ex-' planation, he said. nothing. After all, it was a subject of congratulation that none of the busy bodies of Myrtleville had iuvaded the sick room, and ho easily made some trivial excuse for going out again. He was determined to süt the gossip thoroughly before alarming the invalid, and his first visit was to the telegraph office at the railway station. " Is Belle at your house '{" flashed over the wires, and wascarried to a handsome house in the city. "Yes. Will be down on the next train," ivas the answer ; for poor Belle imagined there was death or frightful iïlness to causo her father's message when a visit to her aunt's was suoh a common occurrence. Satisfied on this point, Mr. Grainger quietly waited until the train came in, walked up Main street, with his daughter on his arm, loft her at home, and starled J out to defy all Myrtleville. From house to house he traveled with exemplary patience, and followed the snake like coils of the story, till he faeed Mrs. Sawyer, who earnestly assured him : " Mrs. Seymour and Mrs. Kitely were in the sitting-room as I came in the back way through the kitchen. They wero talking, aud just os I got to the door, Mrs. Seymoiir told Mrs. Kitely tbat lier son and Bello örainger liad elöped. They aaw cnè theri, and Mrs. Seymour said very carelessly : "Here aro the morning papers, Mrs. Kitely," just to change the coiiversation. "Ajid y on rudhed off to carry the news all over MyrtleviUe," said Mrs. Grainger. "Well, I thought it must bo true, from such an authority." "P'shaw! You misunderstood what was said." "I teil you I heard her as plain as I hear you now." " Telling Mrs. Kitely her sou and my daughter bad eloped f" " Ye3. I'd s-frear it on my oath 1 " said Mrp; 8a-vyer, as if tliere was several 'othei' ways of swearing, if she chose to takë choice. " Suppose yoii step over to Mrs. Kitely's with tne ?" . "Wel!, Iwill:" But to Mrs. Sawyer's discomfort, Mrs. Kitely denied the story entircly. Mrs. Seymour bad never given lier any such information, either in confldence or otherwise. Mrs. Sawyer tearfully persisted in her story; and flr.ally tho trio went to Mrs. Seymour's. The hero of the story was by this time at home, and eating his supper when the visitors entered. It was an awkward story to teil, but" it was told ; and Mrs. Seymour's face was a picture ef indignant surprise. "II" she cried - "I said my Fred had eloped with Belle Grainger ! Why, Mrs. Sawyer, you iuüst sufely be dreaniing !" "You said so. 1 heard yOu," sObbed the widow. "Saidwhatf" " You said distinctly, 'Belle Grainger ran away with my son, this morning.' " A.t this moment Mrs. Seymour burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, to the great constematton of her audience. She laughad till she was Obliged to wipe the tears from her eyeB ; when, catching sight of Mr. Grainger's disturbed face, she said, with sudden gravity : "Pardon me, Mr. Grainger, I see I have most innocently caused you a seriout annoyance. The trath of the story is this : Fred, as you know, has all the morning papers sent to him on the early train, and many of the neighbors come in to borrow theni. Mrs. Kitely always likes to see the Sun, and I save it for her ; but this morning your daughter stoppeil on her way to the depot for a paper to read as she rode to the city, and took the Sun. When Mrs. Kitely came for the papers, I said to her, 'Belle Grainger ran away with my Sun this mornir !'" "And all Myrtleville has been busy with the scandal Mrs. Sawyer manufactured out of your remark," cried Mr. Grainger; "but let us hope that the originator of the rumor will be as active in contradioting it as she was in circulating it." Pretty Susy was not lef t long in doubt, Eor Fred, having drawn frorn Mrs. Sawyer the confession that she thought it a iuty to teil the Belknaps the flrst thing, iiastened over to his betrothed wife, to jive vent to her indignation against all tattlers and misohief-makers. Very soon after Mr. and Mrs. Fredsriok Seymour's wedding cards put the Einal contradiction to the Myrtleville scandal. .

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus