The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-06-21
VOL. XVII--NO. 40.

Small, and lived in the cottage i'm
Lovers lane. You remember, per-
haps, that you once sent her some
summer sweetings. / owe my happi-
ness to those precious apples. Caroline
will remember the occasion, because
she offered to part with some of her
wardrobe to the poor widow"
"Oh! ohW cried Caroline, "he has
married the widow Small and all her
children How could he? She's old
enough to be his grandmother. Oh,
dear dear dear! L shall never want
to see another summer sweeting as
long as live. l wish you would order
Spades to cut down the tree, mamma.
No wonder an apple brought trouble
into the world, and shut folks out of
ParadiseI 1t keeps its reputation up
! finelyi To think that the heir OF
Greaterex should marry a hideOus old
widow
Guess her surprise when Berthold
! opened the carriage door, and there
descended little person, who threw
aside her veil, and disclosed dazzling
! skin of rose and lilly hues, eyes like
summer brooks, brown and liquid hair,
ripple of sunbeams-the semblance
of an angel in flesh and blood!
the-the-children ?n
gasped Caroline.
"Yes," laughed Berthold, "and
where are the wrinkles, and the gray
hairs, and the sunken eyes? Is she an
awful old fright, Carrie ?"
"Summer sweetings are not so sour
after all, mamma, said Caroline later.
II guess Spades may spare the tree"
The next week Berthold overlook
Maria Upton in his walk.
II saw Mrs. Greaterex i'm church,"
said she.
''Did you see any antiquity with a
false front piece"
"Now don't be disagreeable; how
could j know? By-the-way, L have
ONE news to tell you: am engaged"
"AuOw me to congratulate your
lover. / suppose you mean to enter
tain him with those precious letters of
mine?n
"YOur letters? Oh, / havn't the
ghost of one left; / curled my hair on
them long ago; it was only the empty
envelopes with which / teased you.
But tell ME about Mrs. GreatereX. /
hear it is like story"
"Yes; perhaps you have heard of
the PrudhOmme heiress? remember
when the affair was much talked of,
and thinking it sad enough. You see,
Pauline was the last of her family-she
and cousin who inherited in ease of
her death. The common report was
that her loneliness and sorrow worked
upon the mind till she was pronounced
insane, and carried to an asylum; and
the cousin, being guardian and next
heir, was left in irresponsible charge of
the fortune, which was very large"
ayes, / know it," she answered
glibly; "the PrudhOmmes lived in
great magnificence while they did
live"
"Well, Mrs. Greaterex was Pauline
PrudhOmme. 1t tappears that she was
no more crazy than you are; but hav-
ing refused to marry her cousin, and |
he, fearing that she might marry else |
where and will the fortune away from |
him forever, represented her as insane,
bribed two physicians to serve his |
turn, and dispatched her to the asylum. |
One day she made her escape, and |
came here under the name of Mrs. |
Small, widow, to support herself by |
her own exertiOns, thinking the title |
OF MIS-. WOuld prove more protection |
than that of Miss, and insure respecta-
bility. But she was discovered i'm her
seclusion. She took flight immediate
ly. She met the keepers getting out of
the train in which she took refuge. but |
they passed her unsuspecting. / fol-
lowed on the next day, and the rest |
you know. L don't suppose that you
ever heard of the cousin; but in case |
you should ever chance to meet him,
his name is Lucien Thornton"
"Lucien ThOrtOn W cried Miss Up
tor, turning deadly pale, and support
ing herself OH the arm of Mr.. Great
erex. II thank you. There can be
but one Lucien Thornton. You have
done me great service, MIR. Greaterex,
in marrying Miss PrudhOmme. L am
engaged to her wicked cousin, bnt you
have saved me the ignominy of becOm-
ing his wife. Will you please call a
and send me home ?"
And i'm was the summer sweetings
that brought in oil about.-Harper's
Weekly.