The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-15
GreGttdtia
MISS BROWN.
A CHARMING LOVE STORY.
From Chamber Journal,

Miss Priscilla Brown looked ut hCrsel
anXiOusly in her little bedroom glass, ant
wondered il her mourning would do. 81
should like to have been able To aiT0rd
myself new black dress" she thought
"and my bonnet is very shabby, in spite
o! the new ribbons. Poor Mrs Barker
II won't signify to her, but | shouldn't
like it to be thought that hadn't cared
to pay respect to her memory" Then
she began to smooth her dyed silk, Ia
pinch ont the haltrusty Grape, that il
might stand out more Crisply, and TO re.
arrange the new black bonnet. strings
which alone in their glossy stiffness
seemed to aitrOnt the rest Of the half.
worn dress. On the whole, she hoped 10
pass unremaTked in the company who
were To meet that day to hear the, funeral
service read over the deceased Mrs. Bar.
ker. And though the reflection did not
occur to her, she might have told hersei
that she would probably DO the only
genuine mourner there.
She was not related, even distautly, to
Mrs. Barker, But they had been neigh.
bOrs in the same street OF the same town
for more than ten years, and an acquaint.
anCeshiphad grown up between them, on
which Mrs Brown, now that 1t was over,
looked back as q friendship. Their inter.
course had indeed contained elements
not quito compatible with real friend.
ship, Mrs. Barker was captious, sar.
castle and domineering, Miss Brown was
nervous and timid; but along with her
fear Of the elder lady's temper had been
mingled great pity Tor her loneliness,
and even for the moroseness which made
her so intolerable TO those less gentle and
patient than Miss. Brown. And now the
latter forgot the tyranny and temper, and
thought sorrowfully OF the poor widows
bodily sufferlngs, and mental discomfort
and unhappiness; and penitently Of her
own occasional failures in patient sympa.
thy; and looking back on their ten years
neighbOrhood, she knew that she would
in future be much more sensible OF the
the loss OF Mrs. Bakers society than she
had ever been OF the pleasure oft.
Another friend gone too, then She
wished she had discovered sooner that
Mrs. Barker had been friend alter al, In
spite Of her oddities and tempcrs. But
Miss Brown had been hnCying that her
day for friendships was over. More than
twenty years ago, one Friendship" had
come to such sudden andthtal shipwreck,
that she seemed never since 10 have cared
about making another. She had known
many bitter partings, many sorrowiul
gOod.byes. That one had been the bitter
est OfGll, because she had been forced 10
keep It's bitterness to herself When one
morning, her cousin, Robert Dixon, had
como TO tell her that he was going TO he
married, she had smiled at the news, and
wished him joy, and had then said good
bye in her own heart to what seemed like
her own life. That was more than twenty
years ago. Butsomehow Priscilla Brown
had felt since that time that she was too
old to make new friendships and think of
new loves.
Yet she was not really very old or TN.
ovable. She looked perhaps more than
her real age, which was forty. four, partly
because Of tho style of her dress, which
Tor tCu years had been that OF on elderly
woman; partly because oil n certain for.
malty and stiffness of manner, proceed.
ing from natural shyness. She was tall,
and her figure was light and graceful.
Her faCG had scarcely been what could b0
called pretty; but the eyes were soft, the
expression serene and sweet, and her com.
pcxiOn had been eXqulsitely lair and
clear The youthful freshness and ivory
smOOthncss Of skin were gone, but the
delicate purity Of tint still remained; md
even those who had known Priscilla in
former days, and under the old pet child.
ish name Of Lilly" which suited 50 well
her fairness and slender grace, might have
thought that years had delt very gently
with her, and left her much Of the youth.
full attractiveness. But among her pres.
ent acquaintance, there were only two
who had known her in her youth. She
had come to settle in Winchester with m
invalid sister about fifteen years ago; md
after her sisters death had continued to
live there, because the quiet lodgings in
one or other Of It's dull back streets suited
her slender purse, and because she had
no inducement to go anywhere else. To
the few Winchester people who had got
to know the quiet, solitary, siiil old maid
she was simply Miss Brown, or "poor
Miss Brown"-a lorlorn unit In that help.
less mass Of reduced gentlewomen whose
one duty to the busy, brlstling world Is 10
keep, If possible, out Of It's way ,
The two people who could remember,
II they cared to do 80, what she had been
in days gone by were her cousins, Mr.,
Robert Dixon, and his sister, Mrs. Lori.
mer, and they, indeed, had not much time
10 give TO such "reminiscences. Mr.. Dix.
on was q prosperous banker, with hand.
some house q little way out of the town.
lie was II wldower nowi and his sister,
who was q widow, had lived with him,
and kept his house, and looked after his
children, ever since his wiIe's death. She
had ample means Of her own, and lGr
residence with her brother was simply d
piece Of obliging benevOence on her part.
II Is 10 be feared that, though Miss Brown
knew this, she had never been uble thOrO.
ughly TO appreciate this Sistetly behavi.
our; Tor sometimes, during the first years
Of Mr.. Dixon's widOwerhOOd, she had
wondered II he could hive quite forgot.
ten how lie had once liked her, and al.
lowed her to see that lie did SO. Mrs.
l,ormer, however, would only have
smiled had she guessed that her cousin
entertained any notion oil supplanting her;
and Priscilla herself was secretly ASHAMED
Of her own grudge against her, for Mrs
Lorimer was n tolerably good natuted
woman, with the good.nnLure which
even selfish people, i! prosperous and
happy, can afford TO show to those who
arG moi likely to interfere with their well
being! She was kind in her own way, TO
the POOR relation and Miss Brown, con.
sCions that aher secret bitterness Of
spirit was unChristian md lin.
worthy, struggled against 1t, and, ns sort
Of penance Tor her depravity, tried to see
only the intended kindness, and not the
occasional insolcnce Of the fashion of 1t.
Thus they had continued on sufficiently