Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-02-26
sYbil's Lovers.

The ruby shine of well-dlled CRATE
diffused an atmosphere of summer neat
and softness through Mrs. Nair's snug
sitting-room, where a glad little canary
Warbied in the sunshine over stand OF
flowers. in whose midst rose up huge
Easter 1ilv with a blossom like scroll
of white velvet, and a golden torch
burning within. While on the centre
table a crystal globe of ferns waved
softly. a s0uUe7li9' of summer woods,
coaxed to grow in incongruous defiance
of the record of the out-of-doors ther-
mometer; and Mrs. Stephen Nair her
self. a plump, dimpled young matron,
sonethino after the "dumpling" order
of womankind. completed the picture
of home-comfort very prett1ly as she
sat embroidering a pair of slippers IN
blue Cashmere morning wrapper ana
the tiniest of eoiffures of blue r1opon
and lace bolEiLLo9l7lee. Mrs. Nair Hkedto
wear caps-probably because her
brown hair was SO bright and thick,
and because there wasn't the
least necessity in life for it. If she had
been fortv-five and bald on the top of
her head she would, doubtless, have
gone by the Frule of oOntraries" and
left off caps. Women are women, and
you can not always account for their
SvbiI Rexley sat opposite, tall, love
" girl, not unlike the stately Easter
IflV in her style, with lustrous golden
hair and snoW-pure complexion, whose
blonde beauty was well relieved Dy her
crimson waIking-dress and as she sat
there she was unconsciouSly buSy1ng
herself by tying and untying her pocket
handkerchief in series OF GorQ1an
knots, while the tears slowly Welled
from her blue eyes, hanging like pearls
an instant on their long lasiiess l slLu
then pIashing down on Gne sat1n I1lIl1- u
ming of her sleeves. Poor SyD1A! she
was past caring whether the costly ma
teI-ial would Hspot'' or not.
"Oh. clara, y she said, piteousIy, II am
so very, very unhappy! for you know
never shall really love any one but
Harley Winter as woman ougnV TO
love the man she calls husband"
81 am sure" said Mrs. Na1r, uttIe
shortly, ''the question Is plaln enough.
If vou feel toward Harley Winter as
I-c,n saw YOU do, it would be downright
freacherv to throw him over in favor OF
this other man. I don't see how you
can hesitate between the two for an IN
stant-but you never had a mind OF
your own, poor little Sybn =,
UCgara. do-vou think am doing very
wrong p; fa1tered the fair tall blonde.
'fSybiI, - said Mrs. Nair, dropping heI
slipDer with the central rosebud but
half worked. 'Fyou never would be Such
an unmitigated goose as to marry MI
Bunker if you don't love him ~
Pretty Sybl flushed, and then grew
aClara, I'm not as firm as you, and
papa and mamma are so determined
about it; they like Mr.. Bunker, and
iGThen let them marry himV inter
runted Mrs. Nair. "Mr. Bunker in
deed! A fat, spectacled old tortoise
old enough to be your father Sy
/ I've no patience with you y
ssWeIl, I haven't! A woman ough
/ to have will and energy enough OF he
| own to resist forty old woOeEs with for
| tv pots full of money to back them
! What if Winter is poor? Isn't ne IN
! fair yyay to grow rich one of these days
What was Herodotus Bunker, I'd ik'
| to know, but twO-penny store-keepe
when he was Harley Winters age?
don't care if he is my husbands cousil
he's a pompus old donkey for al
that; and if you do marry him, Sybl
why, you'll deserve to be unhappy
That's all I've got to say!"
! Clara Nair spoke with emphasis
She was too differently constituted t
comprehend the shrinking weakness
her sisters nature. AS well might tn
straight young poplar understand tn
cling1ng fragi1ity of the ivy vine
"But Clara, they have promised"
"They! How could you let then
sybn 2'1 c
h0h, sybiII sybil!'' said Clara, des
pairingly, "And poor Harley Winte
the noblest fellow that ever drew tn
sybiI began to cry, piteously an
p''sssCc19ss' ssCIaras YOU are too bad. As i'll we1
not miserable enough already, you, to
load me with reprOacheS y
''SvbiI, you yourself confess that yo
do not love this mani
'fNIr. Bunker? No, certainly q
; ny "And YOU do love Harley? ?''
"As truly and earnestly as ever w
man loved man.
IsThen I'd run away to the Andes
= Ecuador before I'd sacrifice myself 4
the plots and plans of those who estee
wealth the highest of earthly posse
sions !"
Still SvbiI wept and shrunk. Po
childl To her Mrs. Nair's reYolntio-
arv doctrines appeared perfectly n
= practicable. Tt was her nature
: be led and guided nor dared she to t
: bel.
and down the room like and 1nfurlatt
little wild animal, ''it's outrageou
it's atrocious! I won't have it ~
Svbil emerged from behind the eclip
/. of her pocket-handkerchief and liste
! ed. Clara could do almost every thil
Il that brave, ready-witted, resolu
r sister of hers; it was not absolute
:, a impossible that she might find a W
e for her, Sybil Rexley, out ofthis SlOu
l. of Despond, deep and trackless thouI
st it seemed.
> "CIara I" she faltered; "oh, Clara
if you could help me -
"Hold your silly little tongue =
briskly yinterruptedClara, contradict
her brusque words by a kiss. g
home; I wouldn't trust you with I
plans any more than would trust ]
is canary-bird with the cats dinner ~
'tBut you'll tell me little of ="
"No won't! shall not tell you
m single wordl Go home, I sayi''
So Mrs. Nair resolutely dismissed
. tall, pretty, helpless sister.
r, ~ don't like these grown-up chi
rem soliloquized Mrs. Nair. 81 hope
r., goodness Harley viii remodel her wh
- he is married to her. Unless he like
90 milk-and-water diet better than l do
so probably will"
,75 Mr.. Herodotus Bunker, stout, e
,555 erly gentleman of respectable mi
n was sitting in his Office, toasting
~ | feet on the fender. that evening lust