Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-11-30
Miscellany.
GRACE ALLEN.

WE'LL, sUes pTclt} DifuIf, - 100
young for William 50 it il not 20 bad az
it might have been, said Aunt Maria,
grayeIy. 10 her maid " But, mercy me !!
what daft-like thing TO leave bit lassie
like that TO our Will TO take care Of Tha,
there was an Aunt Maria at home TO hold
things together, and keep his house from
falling about his ears, while viii was
rambling about heather parts, never en-.
tered poor Jack Aliens head but then
poor Jack--the Lord forgive me for speak.
ing an i'll word Of the dead never had
any head, so far a. know /; and certainly
TO make my nephew, VIII Magnns, guar.
dian TO lass OF sixteen, was about the
foolishest thing OF rare foolish life.
However, well do the best we can for her,
poor bit thing, and we cannot do more ;
Ell, JaneY"
mo ma'am," said Jane, demurely,
mentally calculating the extra trouble
which the young lady just arrived would
give, and wondering that her mistress had
borne 70 patiently with what mistress and
maid well knew would be an immense in
terruption To the method and regularity OF
their lives For both Aunt Maria and
Jane Crupper, her factotum, were spin
sters of certain age, and a. such not nat
pretty girl Of sixteen, who was sure, they
both thought 10 have less sense than folly,
and 10 be no good in the house, take her
how they would. But II old maids, both
women were substantially kind and gener-
GUS 10 poor little Grace was hidden vel
come, with magnanimous resolve to
make the best Of every thing, and not to
let mole-hills look too much like noun
tains.
Up stairs, whites crying whites ponder
ing, sat Grace Allen, poor jacks orphaned
child and William Magnus's ward. Grace
had never known her mother, which was
one among other reasons why the kind,
soft heart Of her father had ycarned over
her with such passionate tenderness. and
why, had she beeniany one but Grace, she
would have been spoilt ages ago. As 1t
was, maybe she was just a shade spOilt on
the outside, but then, the heart Of her was
a. pure AZ bit Of gold, and II she had
been INDUCED she had not learned to be
selfish. Jack had brought her up on the
principle Of love, and on the whole his
workmanship might be commended.
Then she was prctty-ycry pretty fair
faced, brown. haired girl, tall for her years,
with skin like rose-leaves and cream, ~
her old nurse used to say, and Il look Of
wholcsomencss, II not Of great strength,
about her girl Of warm and stcadfast
affections, not passions faithful, loyal,
truthful, loving; but a creature that cried
rather than stormed when things went Ill,
and sorrOws and disappointments, which
not even Jack nor Nursey could keep from
her, fell on her young head.
This was one OF them. She had been
wrctched enough six months ago, when
she had lost her dear Nursey, who had
been TO her like second mother; but
what was even that to this other terrible
grief the loss of her good, tender father,
her friend, her protector, her playmate,
her beloved No wonder that she cried,
poor darling. II between whites she pom.
dered; and the shape her thoughts took
chiefly was, ~ wonder what kind Of a
man my guardian is; and. 81 wonder
II l shall ever see Addy again, and II he
will keep his promise and write to me-
Addy was young man standing in the
registrars books as Adolphus Caylcy, the
son OF Color Sergeant Cayley Of the regi
ment where poor Jack had been Major
Moreover, he was Nurscy's nephew +; and
not gentleman. But he WIS "A fine,
handsome, gallant youth, learning now ia
be q civil engineer; lad with brains
and the knowledge Of how to use them,
and who, by the grace OF natural refine.
mcnt, quick perceptions, and some good
fortune In early associations, had gained
q quite passablelamount of good breeding,
90 that his manners, II not noticcably
aristocratic, were by no means plcbeian.
And Inc had been much with Grace; both
years ago when they were little people
playing with cowslip-balls and daisy
chains In the meadows, and later, when,
grown girl and youth, they had not found
the TIVE ends Of the village where they
lived 70 far apart that they could not meet
every day, nor the barriers of rank SO in
supcrable that they could not learn to be
friends dear friends; such friends as a
boy and girl, used to each other from
childhood, and whose affections have not
been diverted by interlopers, are by habit
and that mysterious thing we call nature.
Jack Allen had never interfered with the
acquaintance. Bohemian as he was BY in.
clination, and easy tempered to q fault, SO