The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-07-04

BILE, so quiet and self foreetful that
Miss Barbara's severity melted away
by degrees aud at last she began to
| love her abundant and try in various
wavs to make her cheerful and con-
tented in her new home. r
"Alice,r she said one day, as the
young girl sat opposite her before the
fire, eHow old are youF
mot quite lineteen,Y was the shy
And Miss Barbara looked at her in
surprise. "Not quite nineteen" and
yet so quiet and dignified, and wo-
manly. 1t was almost Incredible.
Miss a.bara looked at her again, and
with q new approbafioIl I'm her face.
She saw how pure and sweet the iair
face looked, with the shy brown eyes
half hidden by the white lids she
saw how smoothly and plainly the
brown hair was fastened back, how
neat and trim was the dark dress, how
Snowy were the cuffs and narrow col
lar, and her heart was filled with WON
der. A girl in the nineteenth with
ont q ruffie, puff, crimp, an ovel-
skirt, a sash or suspicion of a pam
nier about her! Truly, wonders
would never cease, and, as she gazed
on this g,ard dUis, her heart was filled
with pity for poor John who had
thrown himself away. s.f4.4
GShe's just the wife for him"
she thought eff he had only waited a
flittle-he would have liked her, am
sure.p And then she dismissed the
thought with a sigh, and turned to
Alice fer censolaiion.f4f9 Efr IS
AS the days went by Miss Barbara's
heart began to yearn for her nephew.
She loved Alice dearly, but even she
did not take the place of the absent
one. His handsome face haunted her
day and night, and often as she. heard
a sudden noise in the the hall, or at
the door, she would look UP eagerly,
expecting to see him as she used to
do. 81 am getting old she said sadly
to herself. "Perhaps L was a little
hard with him-ms eboy-IlL ask AL
ice.o
And so one night she called Alice TO
her. As she sat at her feetin the fire.
light, as John had done SO often, she
told her all about it-and how she
longed to see him again.
am getting, old, Alice she said.
81 may die soon, and want TO see my
boy. Perhaps / was wrong about his
wife. 1t would do no harm to see
them just once, Alice"
And Alice answered gently that
perhaps it would be better for them
all to do; but she avoided her kind
friends eyes, and there was a scarlet
flush on her face that was unusual.
The next day. Alice, under Miss
Barbar9s direction, wrote little note
to John, Barton "Telf him to, come
Esoon,n said she; and as Alice wrote
this. Miss Barbara sat and thought in-
tently foy a time, her face resting on
her hands. ssTell him. she said again,
"tell him he may bring his wife ii he
likes-I can at least see her to please
him." And so the note was written
and the message dispatched.
After this decisive step was taken
Miss Barbara was in a fiutter of ner-
vousness all the the time. She dom
ned her richest dress, her most costly
cap, and then sat expectant until she
heard Johns step on the stairs, and
John came in as OF old. OF course
there were a few minutes during
which tlev both talked at once, and
then when the first excitement was
over. Miss Barbara suddenly grew
grave. "Where's your wife ?" she said
in her old grim way, and John rose
and rang the bell. l.ass is4stas zoa ..,s
"She's down stairs. I told her to
stay until sent for her," And then
as the servant made his appearance,
'sShow my wife up.0
Miss Barbara waited quietly.
- 7 on will love her a little, for my
sake z" pleaded John, as light foot
fOotstep was heard at the door, and,
greatly to Miss Barbara'sa surprise,
Alice Worthington came in. gs 8 -
"My nephew, Mr.. Barton, Miss
Worthington," she said, and then
turning to Alice, 81 am engaged now,
and you may be excused"
To her surprise, John eoolly put his
arm around his new acquaintance and
led her across the room, ssAlice Wor-S
thingtOn Barton, Aunt Barby, he said !;
and then, with the old mischief in his
eyes, "Love her.a little for my sake,
please" f.-ss-i5 - ssht4d 9as
There are children's voices in the
house now, and Jane (who was in the
plot, is back in her old place. and
Miss Barbara pets them to death, al
most, while John, the rogue, often
teases his aunt laue hingly about the
fsdoll-baby" to whom she considered
him sacrificed. But II there is any
one person whom Miss Barbara loves
as dearly as ssher boy" it is the sweet.
faced, gentle girl whom that boy mar
ried. To her mind. all feminine gra-
ces and virtues are possessed and
shown forth by "John's Wife
& ~ r-s-g- Il
A BuRLINGToN Qowa) baby is i'm