Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-08-21
4 &saaA slaIn.
fsem AflhaF'a liume Mauaina,
@ l. ID M a I ID :
nv yinoISIA '. mwssesp
..MAnlnl MarIele


rah, her old nurse, secured tho loops
OF her white dress, "if we've got 10
have u cross, hateful screw .hoed old
maid In tho house, I'll torment her oil
! can, I'll stick pins In the back Of
the chalr-ill dip over her plato NJ
dlnner-tll put things In tho path, "a
make her stumble when she walks In
the gardon-l'll bo just M bad as |
know how" This threatening speech
was delivered with various emphatic
pantomlnes, which mado II doubly Of.
iectivo.
MarIory Ellis was hthorlcaa and
mothorle =, She lived with her dot
ing old grandfather, In tho brown.
gray cottage, that stands tho very
last on the road leading from Stanton
Co Greendale. She was, In the broad
eat sonso of tho term, u spoiled child.
doubt much whether she had ever
been refused anything during all tho
six years ahohad lived with hergrand.
father, and Marjory was now twelve.
Thero were no other children at the
cottage, no the little girl carried ID
with high hand, She was bright,
inqulsltlye, lmpetuous child, with u
great many good impulses and warm
feelings, but her heart was like gar.
don that required much wedding.
IL was with anything but feelings
ofsatlsihotion that Marjory had heard
her grandihther's announcement, two
days before, that ho had received u
lettor from Jessie Mann, an old friend
and schoolmatc of her mothers, sta
ting that she was travelling through
thoupper part ofthe State, and would,
II convenient and agreeable, mako
them short visit Her grandfather
had at once written the lady an ur-
gent invitation 10 como to the cot
tagc, and no should expect her tho
lattor part of tho week.
Now Marjory had conceived an in
tonso aversion to all old maids; as the
two or three with whom she had been
brought In personal contact stood, in
her view, as the type Of that most
shamefully maligned class of individ-
uals; SO the anticipation of Miss Mann 5
visit seemed TO arouse all the belliger-
ent proponsities of her nature, and
she determined 10 circumvent every
effort Of that lady's 10 command or
tyrnnizc over her. Marjory had al
ready settled in her own mind what
sort of a person she must be - tall,
thin and angular, with loud, sharp
voice, square, pale lips, and general
expression Of countenance which re-
minded one of n northeast wind i'm
March.
IL was Saturday afternoon when
Miss Mann arrived. Mariory heard
the stage stop, and Immediately hur-
ried out by the back door into the or
chard, her little red mouth set in an
expression of most indomitable OBJ
stinacy.
She did not return until supper
time. Deborah met her ut the door.
"Come right into the parlor, Mariel"
she said. "The lady's been enquiring
for you n half dozen times; how could
you run off SOP
because | wanted to- was the
satisfactory reply, and the saucy, will
ful child brushed passed Betty, and
in no very conciliatory mood enter
ed the parlor.
The lady was standing at the table,
examining some neat engravings
thereon, turned round hastily, and
there was a tremulous eagerness i'm
her voice as she asked "Are you
really Annie's little girl2 Como to
me, my child"
She was pale. and on the whole
plain, this ogress of Marjory's fancy,
with soft, black hair folded heavily
about her checks, with large serene,
gray eyes, and a mouth, that most
significant feature in n woman's face
not small, but full, tender, and one
that dropped naturally into smiles.-
And Mariory, with her wondering
blue eyes fastened on this lady, went
up to her.
"Ilow much. how very much she is
like her motherl" This was said half
to herself, half to Marjory's grand
father, who just then camc into the
parlor; and Miss Mann pushed away
the short, curly hair from Marjory's
brow, and gazed on her with long,
eager tenderness, that went at once
to the little girl heart, and she quite
forgot Miss Mann was an old maid.
"Yes, said Grandfather Ellis, tour
Marie is all Platt, every inch of her
she will be us much like Annie and
Charles, when she grows up, as one
human being can be like two others"
Miss Mann did not answer; she
bent down and kissed Marjory, and
with that kiss all the antipathy to her
mothers friend vanished at once, and
forever.
'.Did you love my mammal" she
asked wistfully, for her young, fair.
gentle mother was the sweetest, holi-
est memory that Marjory's heart
held.
II guess l did love her, my child
You see We lived only a quarter of n
mile apart, and were almost inseper-
able companions, when we went to
the district school. Then, after our
family moved to Ryegate, we used to
make each other long visits two or
three times every year, remember
seeing you once, too; it was long,
long time ago, and you lay in a wick
err cradle, in a new white dress. and q
pair rof the daintiest red morocco shoes
All, mel how proud your mother was
of you, and how you lifted up your
little white hands, and crowed at me!
oh, poor Anniel poor Anniel" Here
Miss Mann fairly broke down into a
sob, and Grandpa Ellis pulled out his
large silk handkerchief, and wiped
his nose very hard and fast. Marjory