The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-12-14
WAS SHE A FLIRT2

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nature, damp enough to relax the will O
the indomitable woman who is trampins
along the three miles of dusty road tina
intervene between her village home ant
the small market town where she can ge
butter ut a reasonable price.
Butter at reasonable price is grea
consideration with Mrs. Paulett; so arr
eggs, SO are meat and bread and hous,
rent. So, indeed, is everything. For sht
is a "a maiden all forlorn," trying to live
like gentlewoman on very limited in
come.
For ten years now she has pursued he
neat little ineffensive way in this village o
Binham, which is striving hard to debast
itself into villa surrounded town.
Her house is the end house of pictur
esque, unpretentious little crescent, which
can boast of good-sized well-kept garden
front, and which is shut off from the higf
road and the gaze of the passers-by by &
high red brick wall, that is we'll crowned
with ivy. The house is exactly like every
other house in the crescent in reality
But it looks very differedt from the others
Its windows are brighter, its brass door
knob has higher polish than those of the
other houses in the crescent.
She is rather more anxious than usual
to-day as to the results of her marketing al
Balsingham. A young niece has come
down, fastidious lady, who requires to be
dain,ily served, without at all considering
at what cost the service is rendered.
The young niece is at home now in the
pretty bowery room in the house in the
crescent that is parlor and dining room and
drawing-room and boudior, all in one.
This sluggishly soft air makes Miss Min
ME Ward sleepy, so she reclines while her
aunt goes in search of butter for the fair
young beings tea.
She is very pretty, very pleasant to look
at, albeit she is bored, and hot, and sleepy,
and slightly cross on this sluggish softly
warm day. Curled up like cat on the
sofa, in the shadiest corner of the room
she is lazy watching the shadows come and
go through the half-drawn drab Venetian
blinds. Glow can they have the patience
to go on doing hat'' she wonders
"How can anyone have the patience to 60
doing anything down here?' She gets up
as she half-mutters this wonder, and stands
at the window, balancing herself, her we'll
shaped hands planted firmly OH her we'll
shaped hips, in semi-detiant attitude that
would have called forth her grandmother S
reprobation. She is "tall and stately"
and she has nice eyes, and pretty yellowish
hair. Evidently she knows how to have
her clothes made, and how to put them on
in way that will make her at the least
remarkable. Her hair is tumbled now, for
she has been asleep for an hour; but when
its yellowish luxuriance is toned down a
little we can easily imagine that the jet
dagger may stab her tresses becomingly
enough. At present the weapon looks out
of place.
She has natural turn-up nose and an
acquired toss of the head, and these two
things have to do very hard work in Min
MES service. For she conceives that in
order to do them justice she must be be-
witchingly saucy in manner.
To be brief, Miss Ward is spending her
holidays with her aunt for convenince sake
and sorely against her own sweet will. She
is a governess, satisfied with her situation
because she does not see a means of better
ing it yet; but keenly on the lookout for
promotion. At times, when no one is look
ing. there is good deal of WEAKNESS in the
fresh fair young face, and a good deal of
discomfort and disgust with the world for
not recognizing her claims better, in the
young spirit. Even now, when she turns
away from the window with a sudden re-
'nembrance of her tousled hair, and the
onus that was on her of being neat by tea
time. she calculates impatently.
"Oh dear! week more of this, and
then back to that horrid teaching!"
She goes up yawning and weary to the
little white nest of room that her aunt
has given up to her, the aunt herself retir-
ing into room in the rear of the house,
barren and arid by comparison.
1t is time to put this maiden aunt before
you. She is almost at the threshold of her
own door when Minnie goes up to adorn
for the sacrifice, as she considers it, of a
Irregular set tea'' at six o'clock. Miss
Paulett has walked fast, and has come
home heavily laden, and the air is oppres-
sive. But in spite of the WEAKNESS of the
flesh, she brightens up in spirit as she
comes through the crescent garden, and
hopes heartily that Minnie will enjoy the
treats
She has been living ten years in this Sc
cluded village alone, and her young niece
of twenty calls her ian old maid" But
in spite of these things she is woman
with long lease of life before her, in all
human probability. For she is healthy,
and only just past her thirtieth birth day,
1t seems almost pity that this probably
long life should be lonely as the last ten
years vi IL ldNC DcCH.
She is not tall and lissom, like her twen-
ty-year old niece, but she is erect, grace
full, admirably proportioned. Her face is
clear complexioned, delicate featured
frightened by pair of nut-brown eyes
that are precisely the same color as the
luxuliant hair that is wrapped in clever
coil at the back of her head. Altogether,
she is Il pretty and prepossessing woman,
and why she should be lonely still is a
marvel to many people.
She looks round the room, and shade
of annoyance crosses her face swiftly. 1t
is one of her attributes to be daintily neat.
The small room, that is at the same time
dining hall and saloon, is always fresh and
fair and scrupulously well arranged when
she is alone; now the cushions are piled up
untidily, the sofa-rug is trailing on to the
floor. Books, newspapers magazines, and
hal-made white muslin tunic are Uttered
about on different chairs; and, worst of
all in her progress from the room Miss
Ward had upset a light wicker stand of
flowers, which has stood in safety Just in
side the door during the whole of summer.