The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-09
ALEXANDRIA, La, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1870.
THE FALSE FRIEND;
DIR
THE OLD MAIDS SECRET.
[From the N. Y. Record ]

too dark to see to read or to work, moi
dark enough for candles-and two
friends sat by their winter freside,
each pccring into the Goals, from which
occasionally shot up flashes Of light
which illumed the eountenahces OF
both.
The room in which they sat was not
large, but luxnriously furnished eve
rything about it bore an air of wealth
and comfort, yet so orderly was the
general arrangement, SO costly the
trinkets, scattered in sort of inten-
tional confusion over the table, that
one could see at glance no tiny hands
had assisted at that confusion, no tiny
feet had tramplcd over those sofas and
ottomans. There were only two occu-
pants of that pretty room, and gener-
ally there was only one. On the pres
ent occasion the mistress of the house
had guest.
Silently for some time they sat by
their fire, and then the younger one, a
girl scarcely seventeen, in whose coun-
tenance was all the freshness, round
ness, energy, and animation of youth,
suddenly started up, and asked per-
mission to stir the fire. Tie bright
blaze, NOW no longer fitful, lighted TIP
a face which could not be Called young,
and yet could not possibly be called
old. She might be thirty; that eldest
of the two friends; she might even be
five-and-forty; but it was one of those
faces which Time hardly seems to
touch. Grief, and care, and deep feel
ing seemed to have passed over it, and
left traces, but the hand of Time had
touched it very tenderly. The fair
pale cheek was thin, but not hollow ;
sadness about the mouth and brow,
but no wrinkles; little hair to be seen
beneath the delicate drapery of lace,
save that which was simply parted and
drawn back from the smooth forehead,
but there was not a grey one amongst
it. She was one of those people of
whom one would instantly exclaim,
elbow pretty she must have been!''
Yet friends who remembered her in
youth said she had never been pref
tier:
The eyes of her Young companion
danced and sparkled in the freight,
whilst hers rested on the cheerful as
pect of all things round her with sort
of sad placidity; and this was Miss
Mortimer, a maiden lady of no certain
age, who chose to live alone; and chose
to see no company therefore, Miss
Mortimer was called by the world, &C.
centric. At length the long silence
was broken by the guest, who appear
ed tired of waiting for her hostess to
speak.
"H ow tile years pass!" she exclaim-
ed 1'and here comes Christmas round
again, though it seems scarcely six
months since I came to spend Christ
mas Eve with you last year! Do you
remember, dear Miss Mortimer, how l
persisted in coming; though you never
gave me even the slightest encourage
ment of an invitatlonf Do you re-
member how obstinatelt / insisted
that nobody who had friend on the
wide earth ever spent it alonei 1t
seems to me but yesterday"
"Time flies fast with the young and
happy" said MISS Mortimer; "but to
ME, think the year has its full COIN
plement of twelve months, fifty-two
weeks, three hundred and sixty five
days"
"Good gracious, dear friend. stop
there I" exclaimed her guest; Hdon't
go OH to the minutes. But, joking
apart, are not these long months, and
weeks, and days; dreary and dull tc
! you9"
''Never," replied Miss Mortimer. ~
do not know what it is to he dull.n
There was another long pause, dur
ring which the eyes Of the yonng CIR
were fixed on her friends face, as If she
had something to say, wished to say it
and yet feared.
"You have very tcll-tale face, Hell
en," resumed Miss Mortimer, smiling
ly. "ralk ON, dear child, if.it amuse
you; only wish could assist in you
entertainment"
III want nothing to amuse me-" sal,
Helen, ~ enjoy sitting with you. Be
sides, what right has a self-invite'
guest to expect to be amused' I Xix
looking at your face; and at the mo
ment you spoke / just thought to. my
self, wonder if might venture to tel
you what has been passing in my min
all the time we have been fuminatin
here in the twilight ~
81 think you might I" said Miss MOI
timer.
! "Without offending you Z" said He
en-.
"What! were your thoughts, then,
Incl Z" exclaimed Miss Mortimer, lool
ling up with rather startled expre