The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1863-09-01
Through Mists.
BIZ JENNIE CAULFmLD.
CHAPTER III.
DRIFTING AWAY.

~ ~ III u l.
DRIFTING AWAY.
I HAD been in the school some fv
weeks. As my mother had said, jealous IN
dustry added speed to the time. The Frida
siesta, always sweet TO me- came soon, and i
3 truth, unexpectedly. had passed through tn
dreadful ordeal of being classed, and had a
Clara Brown expressed il, come off with fyin
oOlOFs. ] was advanced beyond any girl of ~
acc M the establishment. This gained m
friends and enemies alike. OF the latter, Clar
Brown vas the most highly esteemed do no
remember why the sOubriquet Of "Fidgety" hai
been conferred, but it was her colldon nam
through the institution, and some Of the youn,
teachers, at times, Jet down their dignity 81
much as to call her so playfuuy. She was
blithes0me, winning creature possessing one o
those sunny natures that viii draw out th,
latent love of the proudest, eOldest, most ada
magtine heart; rejecting the brightness enC
purity of her guileless soul into the dark, world
stained abode Of sin. until it became, as it were
Midas-touched and shed abroad something O
the light which fell upon it; and if It we're but
mOmentary flash, Il was pleasant to know there
vas a hidden spring to be touched. Not that
Tly friend was perfect, by any means. d0ubt
Is she would have been a ft associate for the
angels. OF that heaven was her native place al
all, or that she was in the least sanity, for
have known her to get mad, and, sometimes
to neglect 70 say her prayers because the dor
mitory was cold. She had her petty foibles and
weaknesses, and serious faults, but they were
worn with more grace than Christian manifested
in bearing hisl load. She showed little Of thai
"maliee and all uncharitablenessp toward her
felIow-creltures, evmeing good will to all. A
gay, viVaciOus creature; a being created fOI
happiness ] learned that of al the bellies who
prided themselves upon being members OF the
alumni, and those who belonged, or lived in
hope OF some day belonging to the graduating
class, she was Mr.. Asbury's fayOrite. AS he
had CONTRACTED the habit, she said, ''of COM
ing for me each Friday night, she felt It a duty
due TO myself and herself, to constitute herself
my friend and everlasting Standby He was
such delightful company, and such convenieht
gallant to one who was glad to be taken to the
iumdrum amusemeuts of MesEille, being a
compulsory absentee som home and its endear-
ing pleasures. She loved to describe her home
u me. when we stole off clandestinely 10 the
D0rmitOry az various nO0n-recesses;- The hour
lheH Marion Burton was kept az wits end in
the sef-app0inted office of detective; when Gu
rious boxes we're extracted from uasuspiciOus
looking trunks, and fruit-knives appeared, and
astonishing slices of cake were handed round
among ~ paFty, and glass jars labeled Jam, %
or, indeed, pickle, as the taste Of the donor
might be, And it was the sme for reyeling in
he forbidden "yelloE-baeks 2 keps the pie
tune her living words gave pc Of her home with
a mixture Of pleasure although it used to rouse
the old rebelhOus spirit VI ihin me to compare II
with what mine had been and its resemblance
Eas always a mOckery. True to her generous
and impulsiYe nature, she Invited me to return
with her in vacation, and i had given promise
which il would have been my Chief pleasure to
fulfill, had not an unforeseen obstacle prevented
We had grown strangely familiar. 3 know not
bY what sweet seductions this enchantIess, of
hearts lad Jared me out Of M habitual reserve,
but ] am sure, even then, she was unspeeEably
dear to me.
Soit happened that this particular Friday Of
any fifth week our eyes turned repeatedly to the
windows to discover the progress Of the snow.
Swiftly and n0iselessly it fell, making the lin
tied prospect from The schOOl-rOOm windows
rather dTeary one 1t lay piled on the gate
posts and the paper-box and the cedars. In
time, the black clouds we're exhausted, and the
old glad blue sky burst through, and our eager
ears caught the merry jingle Of sleigh-bells, and
Clara assured me We would have a sleigh-ride
/ was making some vain endeavOrs at the next
weeks composition, about the middle Of the
sfternOens the subject given was Uninteresting,
to say the least Usetul Animals, 1 believe
and / was making WTy faces to the infinite
amusement Of Clara, who had Just finished and
folded hers, and WAS writing on the back, in a
free, careless hand, rather coarse for a girl,
'Clara Brown, Fifth. Essay-Man Midway from
Nothing to the Deity" when the door opened,
and the usher called our names. Clara, in her
excitement, upset the contents of the ink-stand
upon her weeks labor, and lbrought mine to
rather an abrupt close, 50 that We lost our places
IN our separate classes This was no slight
punishment, aswe were making our best efforts
with view TO the prize, and our names stood
second ca The list. But, after the first little
sharp pain, yOuth-6ke, we procrastnated our
eonscious suffering for disappointed ambition, to
darker days, when there should be double, and,
perhaps, treble cause-WheR we might be as
blue as blne-and forgotall in-the enjoyment Of
meeting hr Asbury He met us 50 cordially,
and was SO KIND, and Miss Pardoe granted us
permission to ride with him with such an uncom-
9 mon readiness, and 50 Unhesitatngly that il was
worth tie loss Of the prizes to feel as happy as
we did, returning, heiter skelter, to the school
room to put our books in order. Marion Bur
ton filed Miss Pardoe's chair. Itried to caution
Clara about the racket she made b ? pulling her
sleeve, which caused her to drop th, books she
held. was struck with perfect horrUr and con
sternation, for we we're net particular favorites
with Marion.
Miss Brown, she said, in loud, angry tones
II have given yOu ten dement's"
81 am not partial to even numbers retorted
Clara; "can't you do something for me in the
way of odd-say eleven or thirteen, an it--it-
please you"
] was apprehensive that Marion, whom
knew to possess spiteful, calorie disposition,
would send for Miss PardOe and the fraca!
would be the means Of her withdrawal Of per
mission, but Marion contented herself with dart
ing angry glances at us, and reserving. her com
pensahon fora future date. Clara slowed away
her books, regardless still of any CommotiOr
she made.
Ny ydearest Fidgety,2 plead, in whisper
"fOr the love of fgOodies, do be careful if MaTioI
g does not send for Miss Pardoe-nOw she vii
bear us in mind, and there viii be a veto to tn,
prize number two.
crest, troubled hear, p she responded, in hel
light way; IS not my name Fdget2 Is it in M
nature to be still2 The sea itself is turbulent
and it is great body The aforesaid Marion
is suffering now internal fortunes, inflicted bl
the green-eyed, and We must notlook for anna
ble demonstrations under existing eircum
stances; il is a raging epidemic. The fever vii
leave her to morrow, and she will be doing o.
vel as can be expected"
"Edgety, deSr,p I entreated, "come, hast,
away, b0nHy maid.7 5000 flay