THE COUNTRY COUSIN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 6 May 1911, Page 10

THE COUNTRY COUSIN.

— ♦ (By Caroline F. Preston.) "So you are to have a country cousin for a visitor, Seraphina?" "Yes; don't you pity me?" "Is she so very countrified?" "Oh, I presume so. She comes from the northern part of New Hampshire, and is the daughter of a farmer. I have never seen her, for this is her first visit to Boston 3 but I have no doubt she is a complete rustic." "Poor Seraphina! how I pity you. Will she be at your party?" "I am afraid so, unless she gets homesick, and goes back before. But I've no doubt she will enjoy her visit to the city too well, and my party is only a week hence." "Why were you obliged to invite her?" "Oh, we couldn't get rid of it. Pa insisted on it, though ma and I did all we could do to prevent it. Well, I get out here. Good-by, dear!" "Good-by, Se'raphina." Miss Seraphina Fowler signalled to the conductor, to stop the car, and got out, The conversation between the two girls had been listened to with great interest by a young girl in a travelling dress, sitting near. She may be excused for feeling somewhat interested, for she was the country cousin whose intended visit excited so much alarm. She would not have recognised either of the speakers but for the name Seraphina, and the circumstances that pointed so clearly to her own visit. "I will ride on," she said to herself. "I don't want Seraphina to know that L have heard her speak to me. I will ride on a mile or two farther, and take a car back. I will take care not to disappoint her expectations, but appear as countrified as she expects." Edith Grant was the daughter of a well-to-do farmer, and though she had always lived in the country, had enjoyed advantages of education not only in the solid, but in the ornamental branches quite equal to her cousin, while she had been a diligent student, and made much better use of them. An elderly French professor, who had settled in a country town for the sake of his health, had imparted to her an excellent knowledge of his language, while she excelled not only as a musical performer, but as "a singer. Of this, however j her city cousin knew nothing. Half an hour or more after Miss Seraphina arrived at home, the bell was rung by her country cousin. "Is Mrs Fowler or Seraphiny to hum?" asked Edith, with a broad Yankee accent. "I'll see," answered the astonished servant. "Who shall I say wishes to see her?" "Her cousin, Edith Grant, to be sure, just arriv from New Hampshire." With a suppressed smile, the servant showed Edith into the parlor. Presently Miss Seraphina sailed into the room, and held out her hand in languid curiosity. But she was almost paralysed when Edith made a rush foi her, enveloped Eer "in a boisterous embrace, exclaiming: "Why, Cousin Seraphiny, how dew you dew ? and how's your ma ? I'm pro* per glad to see you." "Just as I expected," said Seraphina to herself, with an inward groan. "She's fearfully rustic?' "I'm very well, thank you," she answered coldly; "and so is my mother. How did you come?" "I come by the hoss cars. I've got a check for my trunk. I guess I can get an expressman to bring it." "I presume so. 7' a stylish gown you've got on, Cousin Seraphiny! I wish I had one like it." "I may find one or two of my old dresses for you to 'wear," said Seraphina condescendingly. I suppose you make your own dresses in the country?" " We pet 'em cut by a dressmakerSophy Sykes. She goes out by the day —seventy-five cents a day she charges. It's high, but she makes 'em fashionable." • "No doubt," said Seraphina, with a sneer. "Would you like to go to your room?" "Yes, Seraphiny, if you please. I'm awfuly dusty. Perhaps I'd better go into the kitchen and if you've got such a thing as a washbasin, I'll slick up a little." "Heavens and earth! she's worse than I expected. How can I have her at my party?" thought Seraphina. "You will find a washbasin in your room," she said, with a curl of the lip. "That's handy," returned Edith. The servant was called, and ushered Edith into the chamber provided for her. Edith, left alone in her room, took down her hair and arranged it in an unbecoming style, so as to completely cover her ears, retained her travelling dress, and came downstairs when the bell rang for supper. She was received coldly by Mrs Fowler and Seraphina, who regarded her with evident disdain. Her uncle looked at her in astonishment. Even he was surprised at her evident want of taste and countrified ways. Yet he was kind. Ine next day Edith had a private interview with her uncle, and let him mto the secret, asking permission for the present to continue the masquerade. He laughed Heartily, for he enjoyed a practical joke. "It'll be a good lesson to Seraphina and your aunt," he said. "I'm really glad, though, to find that you,re not quite such a rustic as you looked." "Confess, uncle, you were a little ashamed of me," said Edith archly. "Well, I certainly thought that if you were a diamond, it was a rough one " said the uncle. . ' "If I could only keep her from my party," thought Seraphina, a few days later. "She will disgrace us all." "Edith," said Seraphina, more gracious than usual, "I'm going to have a | party Wednesday evening." I "Oh, won't that be nice! will you have ice cream and cake?" "I have been thiking," said Seraphma, rather awkwardly, "that you won't enjoy it much. You won't know anybody." "You'll introduce me, won't you Seraphiny?" y ' "You'll introduce me, won't you Seraphiny?'' y ' "I could, I suppose; but the fact is, Edith, you will feel out of place. Of course, you shall have all the ice cream and cake you want. I will send it up to your room early in the evening." ''But I want to see the fun, Seraphiny. I never was to a city party."

"That's the very reason why you wouldn't enjoy it, Edith." "Oh, yes, I shall! 1 know I shall. ] I wouldn't miss it for twenty-five ' cents." ' i To Seraphina's great disgust, Edith ' was obstinately bent on going to the j party. She called in her mother's as- ' sistance, but in vain. j "Well, if you are determined to at- j tend, I will give you one of my last : season's dresses to appear in. We are about the same height." ! "All right, Seraphiny. You're real kind." "Kind! I'l like to choke her!" said Seraphina to herself. "What in the world made pa invite such a rustic here at this time? To be sure, she's not bad looking, if she wouldn't wear her hair so frightfully. I shall die of mortification." • When the evening of the party came Edith refused all assistance, and made her own toilet. She purposely came down late. As she entered the room her uncle, with a smile, came forward . and led her in, presenting her with a bouquet. j When Seraphina caught sight of her j she started in amazement. The grub had become a butterfly. She had arranged her hair in the style of the day, had on a tasteful dress of her I own, instead of appearing in her cousin's finery, and showed an air of complete self-possession, as if she felt j quite at home. "Why, she actually looks respectable!" ejaculated Seraphina to her mother. "Who could have dressed her? | But her speech will betray her. Gracious! there is father, introducing her to Count de Graumont"—a titled Frenchman, the lion of the evening. "What will he think?" "Oh, pa!" remonstrated Seraphina, in great distress, "how could you introduce that country gawk to the count ? It will disgrace us in his eyes." j i "Suppose you draw near and listed rto their conversation," said her father quietly. j Seraphina did so, and was struck dumb with amazement to hear the supposed rustic conversing easily with j the count in his own language. "Why, she speaks French!" she ejaculated after a pause. "I believe she does," said Mr Fowler. There was another surprise. Later in the evening Edith was led to the piano by the count, and her brilliant execution excited enthusiasm. "Now, mademoiselle, you must sing," said the count, after rapturously applauding her. Edith bowed, and in a moment her pure, sweet voice filled the parlors as she sang an Italian song. "Who is that charming singer, Miss Seraphina?" asked a gentleman. ; "It is my cousin," answered Seraphina, in her bewilderment, hardly knowing whether \she was awake or asleep. "Not the cousin you said was so countrified, 'surely?" "Oh, that was a joke!" replied Seraphina, confused. "What does it all mean, Edith?" asked Seraphina when the company had departed. ' - ( Edith smiled. "When you were lamenting in the street car that you were to have a visit from a rustic? cousin," she explained, "I sat near you and heard all. I have merely assumed the character you selected for me." "And finely you've taken us all in," said her uncle. \ "All but you, uncle," said Edith, smiling. . ; "Well, I was taken in at first, I admit." Before Edith's visit was'over she became engaged to a rich young city merchant, and she is no longer the i country cousin. •