The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-11
A SIMPLE STORY.

The only youthful inmate of large old
fashioned house in an ancient town in the
very centre OF Old England, was Maria
Walker. She lived with her grandmamma
and two maiden aunts, whom she would
have called very old indeed, though they by
no means were Of the same opinion. In
deed, the little girl most strenuously main,
tanned, on all suitable, and many very un-
suitable occasions, that they never could
have been so young as they seemed in their
pictures, which represented them as two
tall awkward girls, Just struggling into wo-
manhood; one with parrot on her hand,
the other with an ominous kitten in her
arms, and both with the blacklist OF hair,
the reddest Of checks, the whitest Of frocks,
and the pinkest Of sashes.
Most people would have expected to
find little Maria a very dull unhappy child,
il seemed such an uncongenial atmosphere
for the buoyant spirits of merry little girl !;
for the stiffness of death reined through
the house, whose echoes were seldom awak-
ened by any sound, save that OF Lillyis tail
patting against the drawing-room door,
when, finding il shut, she took that method
Of gaining admittance TO the freside circle,
where her beautiful white fur contrasted
very well with the rich folds Of grand
mammals black silks and satins. Lilly
was the descendant of the kitten in Aunt
Maria pictured embrace, and this was
Circumstance which sadly perplexed the
youthful mind of Maria, who could not
reconcile the idea Of so old a creature being
the grandchild Of 50 young a one; her
grandmamma and herself, she Justly OBJ
served, were the very reverse.
Maria, however, was very happy child,
though she burst not make a noise any
where except in her own play-room at
the top of the house. Of course she had
her troubles like all other little girls, even
those whose voices are never checked: and
she used TO get into sad scrapes sometimes
but then she used soon to get out Of them,
and she was neither perplexed by regrets for
the past nor fears for the future
The very first serious difficulty Maria
could recollect finding herself in, occurred
one day when grandmamma and both aupts
were gone out to dinner; ON event vf very
rare occurrence, and of momentOus interest
in the family. Both aunts had had some
scruples about the propriety Of leaving Ma
ria 30 very long alone, for company din
ners at Oldtown were celebrated at two
O'Clock but as neither Of them seemed for
a moment to contemplate the possibility of
staying at home TO take care of her, their
anxie;ies assumed the form of strict iniunc.
tons to Mrs. Martha, the housekeeper. on
no account to let her out of her sight.
Now, Mrs. Martha had not the slightest
intention OF being guilty Of a breach of
trust. But she had bought some green tea,
and baked very superior cake, and had
asked two ladies' maids to drink tea with
her; and it did not at all comport with her
ideas Of comfort, that Miss Maria should
be beside them all the afternoon, and have
it in her power to retail in the drawing
room next day, all the news which she
hoped to hear.
Anxious to avoid equally the irving pan
and the fire, as she said afterwards to Han
nah the housemaid, she determined to give
Miss Mara the materials whereof 10 make
a little feast, with her Tunbridge-ware din.
ner service, and conveyed the little girls
little table and little chair to spot on the
grass plot opposite the large window that
opened to the ground from her own room. |
There she placed them, with large basket |
oil toys, in the shade which the spreading |
wings Of monstrous eagle cut in box affor.
dsd, believing that the child would be con. |
SANITY within sight, and, if she strayed, that
he should miss her directly, and would
quick " follow. Why the ladies were 80
very anxious on this particular day that she |
should p watched, she did not know, as |
Miss Maria was accustomed to play bv
herself In the garden for hours every dsv:
"bu dare say its but natural" she soliio. |