The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-08-22

MISS lWlI1ERSS CONSfikACf.
Years ago i had young person in my
service called Annabel Brown. The
Brown was not, of course. surprising in a
parlor-maid, but the Annabel was and
the more so when the cook made Hannibal
Of Ii. who need not remark was gen.
tleman and general For my part,
would not encourage such a name at all
in he n position, but called her plain s. An
me" with which she was quite content.
q She was an orphan but / had known
A. both her parents, and very honest, good
folks they were. with plenty OF common
sense too, so that il could not have been
they, but her godfather and gedmothers
IN her BAPTISM" as the service says. who
gave her such an outlandish name-for
Christian | can't call il. She was modest
girl, who. il she had fault in dress, was
given 70 extreme simplicity; indeed, some
=. ofmy visitors used TO say So YOU have
gotta Quakeress. 1 see,' which was, OF
course. ridiculous; for though one does
not want ones servants TO be chatter
boxes, one likes ones questions to be AN
swered BY something more than - Yes"
or"N0. to which, believe, the vocabu-
lazy Of the Friends Is limited. Moreover,
though am not great lady, nor any
thing like Il, II was not likely / should
permit my parlor-maif to 'sthou" and
|" thee me, and far less my guests.
However. what with the meekness of her
manners and the simplicity of her attire.
Annabel Brown might have sat for Mrs
Fry, supposing that good lady TO have
ever been eighteen and a beauty. Annie
had brown hair, very silken and plentiful;
and soft, rather alarmed expression of
lace, which, If it did not suggest modes
ty,was the most hypocritical mask that
ever woman wore. Her movements were
quick. but noiseless. and altogether she
reminded one of a mouse. Like mouse,
however, she was not as regards purloin-
u Ing even 30 much as rind of cheese. |
could have trusted her with untold gold
and when had new bonnet or other
piece of finery. felt as certain that An
mabel Brown would never try them on
even. 10 see how she looked in my cheval-
glass, "a though had kept them under
lock and key Finally and above all she
had no followers or, at all events, they
followed her at such distance that they
never came within view of my windows,
and have pretty long sight for such gen.
try.
need not say that A nnie was constant
church-goer. and as sure as Sunday came
round, always went " to hear the Word y
THAT was her phrase. though she was by
no means canter) twice a day, whether
it Was wet or fine. In the evenings she
never went ont, not even on weekdays.
which itself spoke volumes in her praise.
She had no friends in town, she said. in
explanation Of this phenomenon. She
was the only maid ever had who never
asked leave TO pass an evening with her
i''f5ends'' or "consins." Well, being
such pattern Of proprety, you may i'm
agine my astonishment on seeing her come
home from church one day accompanied
by young man, who left her at the front
door (my area gate is always locked on
Sunday with bow that would not have
disgrsced Lord Chesterfield
IA Though fine morning. II had turned
out wet. and ! noticed, with little dis
tress of mind, that the umbrella which he
was holding over her with much apparent
solicitude was handsome silk one; the
man himself, too, had an alarmingly gen.
teel appearance i made sure that Annie
would explain this unprecedented circum-
stance without any inquiry on my part !;
and when some hours passed by without
her doing so. the matter appeared TO me
AL the graver. ee
Accordingly, at night, when she was
assisting me in my room, preached the
subject myself.
"Annie," said |, /" was very much sur
prised to see you come home from church
this morning accompanied by a stranger.
n How did that hsppenr'fN -
~ "Well, ma am, " was very wet, re-
tWncI sue VIII simplicity tnat would
have quite disarmed me, even N had en-
tertained any Indignation against her
which did not; only felt angry with
Dx mani. land as | had no umbrella. th.
gentleman, who was at church himself
kindly offered to see me hosie.-
Annie" said I soIemn.y, 'do not i'm
agine that men-and especially gentlemen
only goto church as you do, to say their
prayers. once heard a great preacher,
Mr.. Spurgeon, divide church goers' into
anumber OF classes, some Of which were
OF very unsatisfactory sort. Among
others there was the umbrella Christian
as be termed 1.-THE man who goes into
church merely to save his hat or get out
Of the rain"
~But please. ma'am, this gentleman
had an umbrella" observed Annabel
Brown.
i thought II rather pert, and very un-
like herself, that she should argue with
me ON this matter, but still l was deter
mined not to lose my temper.
In this particular case that may have