The Van Buren press., 1872-08-06

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sulIng her beforehand, was very har,
thing for her to bear She was not pa
tient nor forgiving, and the result o
Johns confidence was very unpeas
ant scene; she who had never spuker
to him harshlv before, overwhelmed hin
with hard. bitter words, aud then. wher
he was gone, wept herself asleep oyeI
his " ingra,itude, as she called it
When at last lie was really married
her anger knew no bounds, and his frs
visit to her after that event, ended as ",
have seen.
The days passed. slowly after John
\ sHigat face and ringing roie'
I SSs banished, and Miss Barbara, half
fesretting her hsrshness, was Offer
tempted to send for him again, but hel
obstinacy, or "pride, rs she called it.
prevented her, and so she fretted and
worried until Jane was almost driven
distracted by her irritahIlity and unrea
sonableness. She was 50 cross, so hard
to suit, and SO lawfully savage" as John
would have said that Jane became en-
tir ly worn out. and one day VII IN her
duties had been more than usually hard.
she surprised her mistress bv pacing ny
her movable property and departing from
the house. Then Miss Barbara was
wretched For three DAYS she sat in sol
tary state. and then, sending for her law.
yer, directed him to insert an advertise
ment in the leading papers to the effect
that she wanted a "voung, neat and lady
like person" for a" companion.
=" No more old women for me, she
said savagely, in responseto the lawyers s
look Of surprise, after the behavior OF
Jane, who has been with me Tor thirty
years. and then authorizing him to ex-
anime the applicants she sent him away
and waited.
Two days after the lawyer returned ;
accompanied by q tall slender woman.
who had come to see il she Miss Barba-
ra) would engage her Miss Barbaras =
black eyes looked keenly at her for some
time. and after inquring sharply into her
antecedrnts references and the like. Miss
Barbara pronounced herself satisfied and
Alice Worthington (ss the lawyer called
herr was duly installed in the Office Of
=" companion, and most charming
companion she proved to be-
Miss Barbara was at first disposed to
he bit critical and captious, but the
Young girl was so anxious to please, so
sweet tempered and aniahle, so quiet and
self-lorretful. that Miss Barbara's sever
itv melted away hy degrees and Mt last
she began tp love hsr attendapt and try
in various little ways to make her cheer
inl and contented in her new home.
"Aiicc, she said one dav as the
voung girl sat opposite her before the
fire, "hov old are you2'
Not quite nineteen. was the shy an
swer
And Miss Barbara looked at her in
surprise Not quite nineteen, - and
iet 50 quiet and digniied, and womanly, |
I was almost incredible Miss Barbara
ooked at her again aud with new ap |
probation in her face. she saw how pure
md sweet the fair face looked. with the
Inv brown eyes half hidden by the white
ids she saw how smoothly and plsnlv
he brown hair was fastened hack, how
eat and trim WAS the dark dress. how
nowy were the cuffs and the narrow col
ir, and her heart was flledvi,h wonder
glrl IN the nineteenth century without
luff, crimp. an oyerskrt, sash. or
suspicion Of a panier about her Trulv.
'onters would never cease, and. as she
azed on the rara avis, her ewes filled with
ny for pocrJohn, who had thrown him
,lf away.
" She's just the wife for him, ;" she
fought, "if he had only waited a little :
-he would have liked her. am sure"
nd then she dismissed the thought with $
sigh, and turned to Alice for consola. q
On {
AS the days went by Miss Barbarss
art began to yesrn for her neuhcw .
10 loved Alice dearly, but even she did
1t take the place of the absent one His
ndsome face haunted her day and .
2ht, and often as she heard sudden
Use in the hall, or at the door. she =
'uld look up eagerly, half expecting to u
e him as she used to do. II am get u
Y old. she said sadly to herself u
Perhaps was little hard with him !"
I boy--l'll ask Alice Z
And so one night she called Alice to
I, and Ms sassat. at her feet in the fire. ~
mt, as JOHN Mnd done SO often, she W
Il her all about it---and how she long u
to see him again. &c
am getting old, Alice" she said ID
NAV die soon. and want to see my 'e
'. Perhaps was wrong about hi.
~ II would do no harm to see them I'll
t once, Alice. "
And Alice answered gently that per. So
's II would be better for them all to eN
so; but she avoided her kind friends u'
$. and there was a scarlet flush on her 'i 'i
G that was unusual VI
The next dav, Alice, under Miss Bar.
as direction, wrote little note 20 ,' ,'
IN Barton. "Tell him to come soon" '''
| She; and as Alice wrote this. Miss on
bara sat and thodght intentv for a w
Q. her face resting on her hands. ""
ell him. she said again. "trll him he w
bring his wife il he liks-I can a. "'
i see her To please him. And 50 ''l
note was written and the message VII
patched po
Jtcr this decisive step WAS taxed Miss Nv
bara was ia Il nl.ter Of nervousness
the time. Sac donned her richest p"'
is, her most costly cap. and then sat .o w.
,ctant until sne heard Johns step on 't'
stairs, and John came in him self as owe
Id or course there were few min Drt
during which they both talked at e'e'