Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-09
Miss Althes Always aid iriagmy bitter

| it, done good deaf for our family. T'ht
Ynxars alWsys look out Dr. wives thatc1z
turn of good days work Steven nigh
have been kind O. sentimental when b.
was young, say sixteen or thereahouts bu'
| he comes of timber that hardens a. i
grows old. If you could get him, Sylvie
you'd do better than all your sisters." !,
II hope you won't put any such notion
into her head till after house cleaning,
said mother, with one of her low, billowy
| laughs, which always exasperated Mis-
AltheA She never showed more than fOu
teeth In why smile
"No need to pEs EN- in; they're IN tha
grain with all your girls; but I'm a-wastin
Of precious time. only run over for
minute while them pillow-cases was on my
mind"
Don't be in haste; your CAT won't bt
lonely" said, with Q pretty sarcasm
worthy OF Miss Althea herselfi Twas
ashamed of it before her scantskirts were
out of the doorway.
"You havs too much patience with her
it ceases to be virtue" l said, answering
the rcproach in mothers eyes. You
dom. even resent the sights she puts up0r
your girls"
"That's because she has none Of hel
own; it's the pity of it that smooths my
feathers when they begin to bristle," sale
mother, gently. 1--WE were girls together
Althea and /, and you don't know what
manner Of woman I might have stiffened
into If had lived ON toast and tea all these
years, and lain awake on winter nights to
hear the wind blow round lonely house.
"Mother," said !, dashing sideways al
the subject which filed my thoughts, "dc
you think some women are preordained
from the beginning Of the world to be old
maidsY
ut may be 80 but I am sure that no
woman was ever single except by her own
choice; there comes to every woman at
least one chance of marriage, If she have
the presence Of mind to grasp it,
"Marriagel yes, but suppose she wants
lover Lam twenty-five, and no one ever
said, I love you"
"Some things go without saying" said
Steven Frazar, appearing suddenly at the
south door. II went off and left the eggs
after all, and so came back for them. /
have overheard no treason except Sylyie's
last speech. Does every man have one
chance Of marriage, too"
Yea, verify, Steven; one chance Of
somebody loving him for himself let him
be ever so awkward and disagrceable."
"That's good news" said Steven. ~.
"I've half mind to tell you a story"
said mother meditatiycly.
With all my heart; the eggs can wait"
You know what rough husk my
brother Shubael wears to all the world, but
you may never know the warm heart that
he hides under II. He was always like
F.,,n t.nx, hat bo x,onI m, o,,Tar fro,,,
the most intolcrable bashfulness. He was
in flame If girl looked at him; If she
spoke, his tongue Glove to the roof Of his
mouth. l never pitied anybody SO much
In my life. 1t seemed to me that he only
needed to begin to pay attention LAS the
phrase is) to some nice girl in particular to
find out. that there is very little in any
woman to make man afraid Of her.
II lay in wait for Shubael's opinions, till
/ discovered that he had faint liking for
a girl who was every whit as bashful as
himself. 1t was impossible for either to
go half way was foolish enough to take
the girl into my plot, which dazed what
wits she had whenever Shubael went near
her. and and all the more because she
really preferred him to any one else.
worked his courage up to the stick
ing point Of asking her to let him go home
with her one dark night from quilting
and was describing my success to your
father, as we were taking the longest way
home, when Shubael passed us alone,
walking very fast. h
II knew my plan had fallen through
when caught sight of his whimsical face
had invented the mildest of formulas for
him to use, and he declared that he
marched up to her like martyr to the
stake, and repeated It without the least
mistake. And what do you think she
saidP "a n
"'No, / thank you I've got rubbers'
"Then 6hubael fed, and never drew
breath till he was safe at home. tt
HE laughed till the tears ran down his
face, at himself and her, but from that day
to this, he has let all women severely alone.
If she had had her wits about her that one
night, he might have made her happy all
her life, instead of both growing more
rugged and stiff-necked till they die. They
had their chance and lost It,"
"Did she never have anOther?" asked
Steven, with manly curiosity.
I" Not to my knowledge. She has lived
alone, with only cat for company, with
so little business Of her own that she must
perforce mind other peoples, and they
don't like It," ga.IaF g
n "You must make one exception to your
rule, mother It is impossible that any
one should have ever held out the ghost OF
q chance to Miss Althcs. She was an old
maid in her cradle" asa
my dear 6ylvie, II was Althea Pratt,
and no other, whose unlucky rubbers made
your Uncle Shubael an old bachelor. Hcr
cheeks were as pink, and her tongue no
sharper than yours, In those old times
when we were girls together 80
3 Come Steven; take the eggs and 60
your way, and don't entice mo to telling
love.stories at this time in the morning"
Mother went into the pantry, and that
same little puff Of wind, or one like unto
1t, shut her In.
I / felt Stevens eyes like hot sunlight On
my face, but his voice was a. steady as pos.
slble. -
~ think I remember asking you cues.
ton half an hour ago, 6ylvie." ysa
"And have you forgotten my answeri"
It would have been an immense relief
Just then to have twbted the corner Of my
apron, but / meant to be- composed and
ladylikc, If had persisted in the attempt
so kept my hands clasped on the table,
and held hard.
You cannot have meant that we have