Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-02-03
From : All the \ ear Round
Too Hard upon my Aunt.

At five o'clock in the evening of the "Ist
of December 1919, Mr.. Twinch, of Grosve-
nor Street, rushed into his dining room with
a packet / his hand, sat down at little
Davenport writing table IN the window, and
scrubbed off the following letter:
My dear Madam am delighted to say
that have been able to keep my word, and
herewith send you what you require.
With best compliments, 1 am,
= Faithfully yours,
PAYNHAN TwNCH."
This note he folded round the packet plac-
ed both in stout envelope. which he address
cd = Miss l.. Pemberton, The Grove, Heayi-
tree, near Exeter" carried the packet to a
neighboring receiving Office, caused it to be
duly registered, and with tile receipt in his
pocket re ned home.
Miss Letitia Pcmbertou was my fathers
Youngest sister, maiden lady of middle age,
kind, amiable and accomplished, whom cy-
eryboGy liked for her good temper and whom
many of rs Younger ones regarded with deep
interest on account of what We were pleased
To term her romance For when Aunt
LetitIa was girl she Was very pretty, and
waS-a county beauty, and "a ryjgning host for
miles around she had scores of admirers,
but behaved very scorntully to all of them,
and she had acquired the reputation of being
thoroughly heartless, when she chose TO tum-
bile head o1 er ears in love with a Mr.. Butter
worth, fair haired, mild spooncy young man
who had come up from Oxford To read with
my father during the long vacation. Ot
course Mr. Butterworth responded, ana the
affair was progressing to the great satiSlac-
ton of the lovers, and the intense delight 81
my father, who thereby was relieved from
much OF Mr.. ButtevwortA's society, and all
his tuition. But when my grandfather, who
was what IS called " one of the old school !" a
remarkably pcppery veteran, discovered what
was going on he showed Mir Butterworth the
door, and with great difficulty restrained from
kicking him through IT, Aunt LcJiJia wcpt
ami Sulky by turns, but it was lao use. and
soon afterwards my father heard that Butter
worth had left oxford, and gone out as phi
yate secretary and companion to an old gen
tlemau who held some high official appoint
ment IL South America. Miss Letitia re-
doubled her lamentations, but that was the
last that was heard of Mr.. Dutterworth
Until years after, when NY grandfather had
been long since dead, my father long since
married, myself and my sister long since born,
and my Aunt Letitia long since resident with
" 1t the Grove, my father, in London on
some business, accidentally ran against a port
" gentlemen in the Strand, who, turning
round with hurt dignity revealed the features
81 the mid Mr.. Butterworth Of by gone wears.
lie told my father that his patron had died.
leaving him his fortune Ihat he had married
IN South AmerIce, out that h = Wife had died
within a tweIyemouth OF their union, and
that he had come hGue 10 settle in England.
He asked my father for all his news. and
wound up by saying, Aud-Miss Letitia-is
-she-Still-s" And my father said She
was-still-but that ButtervortH had better
see for himself This proposition seemed to
Mr.. Butterworth entirely. He should be in
Devonshire about the end of the wear, he had
business at Exeter. Finally. il was decided
7 that be should dine on New Years day Mt III .
Grove, and pass the night there.
When my father came home with the news.
Ny aunt Letitia was trcmulcuSlv Affected
We noticed next morning that kind of dust
trap of black lace, skewercd on TO a comb
which She was in a habit Of wearing at che
back Of her head. had been cot rid Of, ana
that she had mass of plaits i'm its place, We
not FED that the usual night shirt hemming
for the charity children had been put aside.
ana that large portion of the day was spen.
in deyouring the poetical works of the late
Lord Byron, IN a Galiguani Edition brought
from Paris by my father many wears before.
We noticed-s,s could not help noticing
how pretty She hooked with her bright com
plexion her white teeth, her neat little figure
and a the DAYS passed by she seemed To grow
i remember it perfectly. it VAS the 10th of
December, and We had boiled beef for din
ner-nv aunt was taken dreadfUlly iii: il
WAS at the dinner-table. when, without the
slightest warming, She suddenly gave a sharp
scream, placed her hand6erchiefto her mouth
and rushed from the room. Ny mother fol-
lowed, and 20 did my sister, but the latter
had my auut's bedroom door slammed in her
face. When my mother rejojmed US, She had
a little private conversation with my father.
and we were then told that aunt Lctitia was
very i'll, and would probably have to keep her
room for many days. All sorts of inyalid's
deicaeies. both soups, calls foot jelly, and
sage buildings, were sent up TO her, but She
did not appear amongst Us, and it seemed
very doubtful whether she would be able TO
do so by the time OF Mr.. Butterworths visit
| must now change the venue, as the law
yers call it, of my story. At midnight, on
the night when Mr.. Twinoa posted his letter,
the down night mail running between Pad
olh9*an and Plymouth was within ten miles
= IL.