Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-07-07
From the Indies Companion for June.
THE UNLUCKY MISTAKE.
BY MRS. CAROLINE oRNE.
"lll say as they say."-COmedy of Errors

BY MRS. CAROLINE oRNE.
en- say as they say Comedy of Errors.
Mrs. Sinclair, though amiable and hand
some, remained single, till she was nearly
forty, when she received aud accepted an
offer Of marriage from Mr. Sinclair, bach
elor of about her own age. Soon after
wards, she Unexpectedly came into possess
sion Of large property, bequeathed by a
distant relative. This good fortune was
speedily followed by severe affection. Her
husband, in every respect an estimable man,
was taken suddenly i'll aud died. Having
no near relations of her own, and those dis
tant being already sufficiently affluent, she
came TO the determination to adopt one of
the neices of her late husband, should Ell
Their of them please her She had as yet
seen none of his relatives, all OF them resid-
ing in distant towns. She had however,
heard him express great regard for his
half brother, whose name was Harden,
which made her DESTROYS to obtain some in
formation relative to his family. As she
was revolving the subject in her mind, she
recollected that MIR. Sinclair had told her
that poor widow by the name of Mansfield,
who procured livelihood by sewing, was
a sister TO Mr. Hardens first wife, and on her
she resolved TO call IN the hope of obtaining
the information she desired She put on
her bonnet and shawl, and few minutes
walk brought her to the door of Mrs Mans
fields humble dwelling. The widow an
swered her knock and conducted her into
small neat apartment.
81 am afraid" said Mrs Mansfield in an
swer to Mrs Sinclalr's inquiries, "that can
give you no satisfactory information con-
corning them. My sister, who was Mr..
Harden's first wife, died in little more
than year after her marriage, leaving an
infant daughter few weeks old, and have
never visited them since. His second wife
has likewise daughter, but as to the mer-
It's ofeithcr am wholly in the dark"
At this moment little girl belonging to
family that occupied part of the same
house entered with a letter in her hand
81 have just been to the Post-office for
Mrs Norris said she, "and the Post-mas-
ter asked me to bring this letter to you.--
lie said the postage was paid
''"This must be from one Of the Hardens,"
said Mrs Mansfield, "by the post-mark Ac
ter neglecting me eighteen years, | don't
know why they should notice me now
81 hope it is from one of the young la
dies" said Mrs. Sinclair, "lor some people
say that you can Judge of womans char
acter by her letters"
eyes it is from Florence, my niece" re-
piled Mrs Mansfield, looking at the sigma
ture, and she was then going to lay the let
ter aside, but Mrs Sinclair requested her
to read it,
Her niece informed her that the perusal
of some letters which she wrote TO her moth
er about the time of her marriage, which
she had recently found while overlooking
some old papers, had awakened in her SO
strong desire to see her, that she had with
her fathers concurrence, written to her for
the purpose of inviting her to spend several
weeks with them.
"You must certainly accept the invita-
tion," said Mrs Sinclair, at will afford you
such an excellent opportunity to Judge of
the young ladies'"
81 am afraid shall be biased in favor of
Florence" she replied, Especially if she
should resemble her mother confess,
make the visit, though Florence does not
intimate that her mother-in-aw joins in the
Before Mrs Sinclair took leave, Mrs
Mansfield had decided to write, in answer to
her nlece's letter, that she might expect her
in two weeks, for having some sewing ON
hand, which she was obliged to finish. it |
would be impossible for her to 90 sooner.
Two days before the one Mrs Mansfield
had set for her journey, Mrs Sinclair again
called on her. IL have been thinking"
said she, ''that should like to accompany
you on your visit to the Hardens, if it will
be agreeable to you"
SIT certainly will be-" replied Mrs Mans
field, "but should they not be apprized Of
your intended visit 7"
at would have been proper. but if go
with you, it is now too late. and as they are
people of wealth and fashion, it can certain