The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-11-13
FROM: MAY TILL MAR
.TINMAS,,-

I have noticed that, in reviewing
their lives, people usually retain
distinct j, impressions Of al , those
.'tFil1L trivial circumstances xhiiohl:l cluster,
'baznaale.hk around crises. f know
chat this is especially the case with me
in the story I have to tell; but I cannot
account for it, unless. indeed, tho SEN
ses grow acuterF whom they catch a
whiff Of destiny. Be that as it may,
there was . Whit Of destiny in the west
Wind which Was blowing through our
little breakfast-reon upon tho. May
morning when my story dates, and the
spicy freshness Of that very wind, as
we'll .s the scene it crossed, are all most
clear IN my memory.
We were waiting for Miss Mason to
como to breakfast. I had taken my
p8acs at tho head Of the table, and Wa
trying to fix my mind on the form in
which should word the blessing I
asked on the morning meal; but my
attention would wander, first to the
pattern Of tho table cloth, the chasing
Of the coffee.urn, the glass Of crocus in
the centre Of the table, to the sunshine
altering through the syringa bushes
outside the window, and spattering tho
carpet with great gold blots, to the COL
or Of Jenny Brewster's brown hair, as
she and jack Claes stood (somewhat
closer, I thought, than there was any
need tory looking over her French ex-
eroise, and then away from, all these to
Miss Mason. Why did Miss Mason
keep rs waiting breakfast? She bad
never kept us waiting before. Whore
had she been the evening previous,
when she went out 80 quietly just at
dark and did not get home until ten
o'clock, and gave no account Of herself
either going or returning-where b ad
she been tbat'she must delay our usu-
ally punotual meal in order to get over
the fatigue. Of her expedition?
I had right to be curious, both be.
cause 1 am an old maid aud because
Miss Mason boarded with me, and was
in a manner under up protection. She,
together with Jenny Brewster and Jack
Claes, whom I have mentioned, com.
prised my family. Jack was my
nephew and adopted helr, and the
handsomest, cleverest fellow (ia my
opinion) that the sun ever shone on.
He returned home, the night before,
for short visit-his first visit since he
left us, SIX months earlier, to 90 into
business at Riverbend. It was just If:
ter his departure that I consented to
have Jenny Brewster to board with me-
l felt somewhat lonesome, and Jenny
was like one Of ourselves for her family
bad always lived in Thorpe until with
in a year past, when they moved down
in The Hollow, three miles away and
as it was not very convenient for then
to send Jenny in to school every morn
ing, they were glad to have me tax.
charge of her,: And I was glad to dt
so, even though Jenny was no great
fayorite Of mine. She was a pretty ant
nice girl enough, just past her seven
tesnth birthday, and as fresh.lookinl
n = flower but she was ono Of thos'
demure, milky:blooded, msneuvripl
little sn,n1es whom people in geoer.
call Afso zohild>ikes and artless," bu
whom ! find to b.. twice - deoeitfal a
girls Of quicker temper and less self
control. But perhaps / Was prejudiced
Jenny had managed to. secure more o
jacks attention than suited me. That
1 must confess, was where the sbo
pinched.
Miss Mason was a stranger in Thorpe
She came there. early in tho Winter t
teach music. Not only Was a strange
IN Thorpe, but she seemed to hav
/ neither. friends, home, ties nor antece
dents. She was endorsed, however, b
the. Ortoqs, Of Boston, a family vel
known and we'll connected in our vii
lage, and who, having crossed the ocea1
/ sn.th1e & same steamer With Miss Maso'
Fon returning from England, spoke il
hish terms of her M musical Il requirement
and ,lady,like, panpers, and by 90 do
ing. enabled lher 70 secure : large clas
Of pupils, q veil n tho position Of OF
tg.nia., il the Church, Of which i am j.,
member. It v.s under such eircum
stances that Z !, received ID, ~ ! into ~!
family, gissld!ie,g s 70 The solicitations .
those who Interested themselves in he
settlement among NJ, and were anxiou
to secure her an appropriate home. A
first I felt some misgivings; for mys
teries-and every one had to admi
that Miss Mason was a little mysteriou
have have, 9 disrelish 10 our clear, cr;ard
New England atmosphere; but / foup'
Izhet 80 well.bred and 50 dignifed tba
Il lastsl blushedoto remember how
bad beg ! once m suspected the propriety Of he
llone womanhood. Miss Mason was