Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-04-15
NUMBER 21..
place and he wanted me to try to stow Up


the compliments you hear passed upon
] her"
\ Aunt Rueta scrutinited closely Lils's
T ingenious face, but did not detect a symp-
tom Of the conscious confusion which she
supposed Minnie's remark would produce.
F She remained by the window that com
manded view of the trio as they rambled
about the projected site Of the ,grottO,
buried in deep thought
"There they are, hand and glove y
sohloquized aunt Rpets, for she had con
tracted a habit of talking to herself when
alone, perhaps because she was certain 10
secure an appreciative. listener. Uncle
Ned confded to TIE cook. "My 'spicfon
is, dat Miss Rooty's holdin confab wild dc
ole fellar hisself, when she goes mumblin
bout de house dat fashun. Makes mig
ga feel skeery in de dark, deed it does, to
hear folks quisitin de sperits SO. ''es''H'S
Aunt Rueta was no favorite with the
servants. Her austere hampers and curt
commands brought her into greater dis
favor than a harder task mistress, chatty
and cheerful would have experienced
But a forbidding cloud seemed ever hover
ing over aunt Ruetas horizon forever
intercepting the glad beams of happiness
and forming that heavy, uncomfortable
mistiness of disposition which resembles
a London fog. Gloomy, impenetrable,
never relieving itself in tlesoot- breaking
storm Of passion, or rifting before the
gales of pleasure; but ever fret fret, fret,
murmur, murmur, until the insalubrious
atmosphere Of home drives its unhappy
inmates to a SUMMER latitude. '' 'as9it
"There they go, hand and glove, aifec-
tionate as two boarding-school girls. Just
as I've seen him with poor Fannie, now
forgotten in her grave. Let me see, Fan
ME has been gone just six years, next
June. True that's longer'n most men
would wait, but | can't bear to see such q
chit as that take my darling's place. And
that peryerse child, too, she's as complete
ly infatuated as the rest does mt credit
one word l tell her about the cruelty Of
ep-mothers, especially young ones. i
believe the girls bewitched 'em all with
her soft voice and smooth ways For my
part never could abide your easy going,
mealy-mouthed set, always SO pretty and
pleasant before folks; there's sure TO be
something hidden behind the curtain-
There that Minnie's gone racing away
after butterflies, leaving them alone. III
bet anything he sent her of. And Miss
is holding her head down in that affected
style of hers as.if she was too modestt to
look him in the face. l wonder what he
can be saying to her, in his own house,
too, shameful But here comes another
actor upon the stage, -Walter-May-hue
Seems to me his visits are getting to be
pretty frequent here, of late. Wonder if
he's smitten with the yellow curis. But
he always frames such plausible excuses
for coming it's hard to guess what he's
after. Wish some one else was as prudent,
but whom widowers, or old bachelors fall
in love they're like locomotive, there's
no stopping them. One consolation that
chap win break up the garden scene, any
how" and aunt Rueta hastened away
from her post of observation to receive
the guest. ~ afna
Lily smoothed her curls with her hand,
shook out the folds of her muslin, and
peeped at her face in the pond as she
tripped towards the house in answer to
aunt Rueta's call Her fingers were very
cold when she gave her little hand, in weE
come to Walter ----4, she had dipped it in
the water that served as toilet gloss to dress
'those troublesome curls, for she knew
not the use Of ma,assar. Perhaps their
chilliness was Walters reason for retain
ing them so long in his own warm palm,
as he met her at the door. If SO he had
the pleasure Of perceiving returning
glow not only in the plump hand itself,
but overspreading check and brow. Per
chance the parson perceived it, too, for 10
saluted Walter with less cordially than he
was wont to receive his guests, and graYsiy
inquired.
"When he Intended to take that trip to
FloridaY"
This fall, believe" replied Walter
with nonohalance, and to prevent the
parson from pursuing his inquiries in that
direction, turned to Lily and asked. IF
she had quite recovered from the effects Of
her fright, at the picnic ~
Aunt Rueta was eager to learn whasbad
occasioned it, "For Lily" she said ,Lad
mover mentioned the first word Of ii to