The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-08-05
she turned lmpalslvely and gave her old friend

she tuGDtu iIpoish'"'J
nus snu wooing did not prosper that
- 60 he rode back TO BardstOwn, he |
to0l' some satisfaction out OF the hide OF
t tooN horse. 'Confound that old wo.
tne - thought he, land her stupid nephew!
i n" iove how lovely the little girl looked |
"a take her if she wasn't worth penny, but |
old Kings money wouldn't come amiss.1
As Annette went up to her pretty old room |
after dinner. she sighed, heigh no! feeling |
that one OF her little illusions was gone. She |
had been asleep long time, with her slippers
tucked up under the skirt Of her white dress, |
and one cheek and part of her neck was warm
and rosy, when Aunt Patty came and stood
by the bedside, her old lace fairly gAtenng
with Joy.
II hated to wake you," she said, ''for you
looked as pretty as pctur, lyin9 there with
them white posles peeping out of your cnrls;
but Hubert has come, and teas most ready.
You'll hear him whistiing and singing round
the house when be hain't dove into book.
This time he's brought lot of German works.
l cant make head nor tai OF them They look
kind of outlandsh to me; and all foreign
tongues does for that matter. If you don't
feel vel enough to come down, my dear, you
shall Lave your tea up here"
ooh, no." returned Annette; iii be down
directly"
Hubert was a tall fellow. She thought so
| as she glanced up to his broad shoulders, and
| higher still to his pleasant blue eyes. There
wasn't handsome feature in his face, but it
was ccmely and agreeable, and radiating with
good with ample marks OF sense show
| ing themselves about the broad white fore
head, where the light hair was carelessly
scattered.
"You see he's gone to tinkering, the first
thing said Aunt Patty. "My old Connecti-
cut clock took to losing, and he noticed it the
minute he come into the house. Ii have any
little odd jobs OF mending l keep them till
Hubert comes home. He always was han
dy boy. When l used to be put to it for
help tied an apron on Hubert, and he could
| do chores as smart as any girl. If he ever
| gets married, Miss Annette, his wife will owe
me good deal Tor teaching him how to favor
| women folks"
Hubert laughed and colored little, and so
| dld Annette. Hubert went to the kitchen
| sink and washed his hands, and wiped them
on the jack towel, in readiness for tea. He
seemed in his true place there in Aunt Pat
| tvs little house, and it came into Annette's
head to wonder how he would appear in the
| fine parlors in Dover street.
| These beans had cooked a purpose for
| you, HUBERT" said Aunt Patty, who was Civ
en- to make excuses ;'but they don't look to me
| as if they was done to turn; and the bread
| is poorer then we've had for long time.
i
| when it's happened before"
"Yes, l see things are not as good as com.
mon," returned Hubert, pulling Gown his
face; "ahd you don't seem TO have more than
enough here to feed one or two regiments"
| You needn't mind a word he says, An
nette. He's only poking fun at me-"
When Hubert came out of his loom in the
evening he brought a bundle OF papers.
Heres your Bazdr, auntie," said he; "you
III ilyA 70 f,l,,
now and then"
Law, don't care nothing about the fash
ions, Hubert, such an old creature as be;
but do like the pictures. That Bazar is
like sugaIed pill. They put the picture in
TO make you swaller the fashions. it beats all
how it goes. There's Miss Gibbs; an old
tlmey Methodist, that thinks it's sin to wear
| artlHclals in her bonnet. / went into her
| house the other day and ketched her reading
| the Bdzdr."
| Hubert was showing his German books to
Annette. She had studied the language lit
| tie in school and understood enough to be in
terested in the passages which Hubert read
out TO her with remarkably fine accent.
Their heads were not far apart as they looked
over the same pige.
"Miss Annette" said Aunt Patty, speaking
up rather abruptly. when did that Mr.. Muir,
dock, that friend of yours, say he was going
back to Boston,"
II don't know-that isl think he said to-
night" stammered Annette, while tide of
color overspread her face,
Hubert noticed the blush and closed the
German book, and in few moments An
nette took her little night-lamp and went to
her room.
Annette was up very early the next morn
ing, and as she sat by her pleasant window,
enjoying the freshness, she head aunt Patty
| bemOaniDg the fact that 10 Stubbins had
hurt his hand. And afterwards she saw HUI
bet striding down the path to the barnyard,
with pail in his hand, to milk old brindle
Wien she reached the breakfast table there
he was, all spick and span, in a clean white
| duck coat.
| ut is nice to have man round" isn't it ?"
asked aunt Patty. srm afraid Miss An
nette has had but dull time here alone with
| for her enjoyment"
his toast. If Miss Annette did not mind
looks, she might ride Dolly. He would an
swer for her having an excellent gait for a
lady; aud he himself could procure a nag
from Farmer Ray, and they would take long
jaunts through the woods and over the hills
Annette considered this idea bit of inspira-
ton, and every cool, bright day they were off
securing the country. Annette always came
home with famous appetite and deeper
shade of rose-tint in her cheeks.
Aunt Patty had told Huber tabout Mr. Muir
dock, and afterward he walked out of the
room, making dead failure of his attempt
at whistling. Annette, for her part, had long
ceased to speculate as to how Hubert would
| appear in the Dover street parlor.
One morning Hubert entered the sitting
room to inform Annette that her nag was
! ready for her daily canter Much to his sur
prise he found her curled up in one corner of
the lounge, reading letter, with her eyes full
of big tears "Just Think" said she, looking
very miserable, "father writes to say that /
must come directly home, and accompany him
on journey. Mr.. Murdoch will be down on
business next week, and he offers to escort
me back to Boston Friday morning. But
won't go with Mr.. Murdoch; that is settled
thing. L can take care Of myself perfectly
/ WELL"
| Hubert turned his back and began fussing
with the things on the table. At last he
managed to say, 81 should have supposed that
Mr.. Murdoch was the man of all others you
would have chosen for an escort"
''No, indeed" replied Annette, with energy.
"you have made great mistake"
There was moments embarrassed pause,
and then Hubert spoke again: 81 had ar
ranged to 60 to my business the fore part of
the week, but l could stay over day or two
If you would accept of my company as far as
| Boston,"
Il would accept of it thankfully" returned
Annette.
| just exactly what was said after that nobody
could ever tell; but when a few minutes later
aunt Patty burst into the room to say that
Zeke hays horse was eating the tiger lilies.
| Hubert had his arm around Annette's waist.
and her face was quite hidden from view.
Land sakes" cried the old lady, as she
took in the situation, "What will that Mr..
Murdoch say?"
"Mr. Murdoch has got nothing to do with
it" responded Miss Annette rather proudly
Then in her own wheedling fashion, with her
arm around aunt Patty's neck, she added, in
whisper, IL hope you won't scold Hubert for
asking me to be his WIFE"
"Scold him? Bless your dear soul! If he'd
gone and married somebody that didn't love
me, it would have broken nv heart: but
now, IN my old age, the Lord has given me
two children instead Of o,o