Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-12-03
MIR. BRUCE.

Last summer (said Aunt Nary
while you were with your father il
| Canada, met for the first time Mis-,
| Margaret Tenant of Boston, whom
had for years a great dessss- to see and
| know My dear friend, Anne Lang
/ don, has had, from her girlhoOd, two
very intimate friends, and Miss Ten.
/ nant is one, and the other. Though
we each had known the other through
Anne, all had never come face to face
before.
was at the mountains4 and upon ou1
/ being introduced we became very good
/ friends Immediately; and, from at first
holding complimentary and interesting
/ conversations concerning our Anne in
| the hotel parlOr, we came to taking long
walks, and spending the most of our
| time together and now we are as fond
of each other as possible; when we
parted in September, I had promised
to visit her at her house in Boston, in
the winter; and, when she was ready
for it, I was, too.
To my great delight, I found Anne
there, and we three old maiden ladies
enjoyed ourselves quite as well as if we
world before us. Miss Margaret Ten
nant certainly ''keeps house" most de-
lightfully.
When one is an old naid,-though I
don't say it isn't gratifying in any sit
uation,-it is a fine thing to have lit
tie more money than one needs to
spend. 1t makes one SO agreeable to
her friends, and do heartily thank my
stars that have money sufficient, my
self, so that people in general don't
feel bored when they see me coming.
Margaret lives in the old Tenant
house, in pleasant street; and think
all the Tenants, for a dozen genera
ladies with exquisite taste and deep
purses, just like herself; for every
thing there is perfect of its kind, and
its kind the right kind. Then she is
such popular person; it is charming
to see the delight her friends have in
her. For one thing, all the young Ia
dies of her acquaintanee-nOt to mem
tion her nieces, who seem 60 bow down
and worship her-are her devoted
friends, and she gives them nice little
dinner and tea parties tagFes them 70
plays and concerts nlasss sa5zes them
90 the nT0uuTdIMs and bed 46z III GE
summer takes them to drive in her
handsome carriages and is the repOs-
itorY of all their joys and sorrows /;
and, have no doubt, knows them bet
ter than their fathers and mothers do.
and has nearly as much influence over
them. ELY, my dear, wish you were
one of the clan, for I'm afraid, between
your careless papa and your wicked
aunty, YNu haven't had the most ire
proachabfe bringing-up! Well, she is
coming to visit me in June, and We'll
see what she can do for you!
One night, while I was there; we
were Just home from charming din
ner party at the house of her sister,
Mrs. Bruce, and, as it was a very
stormy night, and not used to such
things, we had come away early. Not
being in the least tired, we sat our
: al
chairs before the fire, for a talk, and
were Iazily making plans for the NOR
row: Miss Tenant telling us she
should have the eight young ladies
with whom she was most intimate to
dine with US. must tell you about
that party some day, Ely; lit was the
incest affair in its way ever saw, and
the girls were all such dear ones.) I
spoke of the company we had just left,
and of nv admiration of the Bruce
family in general, and Mrs. Bruce in
particular, and of my enjoyment of
the evening.
eyes. - said Margaret, 81 think Kit
ty is quite as young as her two daugh-
ters, and at their age she was more
brilliant than either" She stopped
talking for moment, and then said !:
s'Girls, are you in hurry for bed ?''
(EIIyi you ought to be ashamed OF
yourself for laughing! Just as if An
ne LangdOn and were not as young
as you and Nelly Cameron. There's
no difference, sometimes, if we are for
ty, and you twentyD
We were not in hurry, and told her
so.
"Then," said Margaret, ST will tell
you a story. Anne knows it, or used
to but [ doubt if she has thought of
it these dozen years, and do not think
she will mind hearing it again. It IS
about Kitty and Mr.. Bruce and their
first meeting, also divers singular mis-
understanding which followed, finally
ending in their peaceful wedding in
this very room"
Anne laughed, and settled myself
cOntentedly in my chair, for had al
ready found out that Miss Tennant
possess the art of telling story capi-
tally.
"Kitty Bruce is three years older
than l." said Margaret-"thOughI dare
say you do not believe me-and con-
sequently, at the time I was fifteen, she
was eighteen; and whereas was in my
first year at boarding school, she was
about finishing. / was at Mrs. Walk
.intwO's where you and I met, Anne
and that, as you know, was a quiet
| place where we were taught history
| and arithmetic, and the other solids,
and from which she had graduated the
/ year before, and gone to Madame
Riches to acquire the extras and be
/ finished Her beauty was very strik
| ing, and she was quite as entertaining
/ and agreeable as she is now very wit
/ ty and original, with the kindest heart
in the world, and enjoying life to the
! utmost. In the Easter vacation of that
| year we were at home together, and
| one morning / was sitting with her in
her chamber, and she was confiding to
me some of the state secrets of her
| room at school, to my inexpressible de-
/ fOV-f rlu1 al NH 4 n
be intimate with Kitty and, Won
know, the older sisters are often
strangely blind to the virtues of the
younger.
Mamma came in in the midst of it.
with her usually cheerful face exceed.
ingly clouded so much so that both
of us Immediately asked what had
Happened said poor mamma
sitting down disconsolateIy on Kitty's
bed, and helping herself, by way of re.
lief, from paper of candy which lay
there. I'm sure I don't know what
I'm to do. Papa has just sent me 6
note from the office, saying he has in.
| Vited four gentlemen to dine and wish.
es to have everything as nice as posi-.
BILE. L can send John for the dinner
and, of course, I don't mind that mar
of it, for there is time enough and tC
/ spare, and Peggy never fails me; but
his morning a small Irish boy came
for Bridget, saying her sister Is sick
and she went away with him, AbOut
an hour ago, another little wretch camt
to say she was obliged to go to Salon
with the sister, and would be back tC
breakfast. Now, children mine, wha
shall do for some one to wait on tn,
tableP If the day was different, 1 woult
send one of you to Cambridge for Ann,
--an old servant of ours, married anC
4 living there,-'but that is impossible
and should not like to have a strang,