The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-08-21

Cl)n i -[--zzzzzzz
was gone, wept herself to sleep over
I his i'ingratitude, " as she called it.
When at last he was really married
] her anger knew no bounds, and his
first visit after that event ended as we
have seen.
The days passed slowly after John,
with his bright face and ringing voice
was banished and Miss Barbara, hall
regretting her harshness, was often
tempted to send for him again; hut
her Obstinaey or ''pride," as she called
il, preserved her, and SO she fretted
and worried, until Jane was almost
driven distracted by irritability and
unreasonableness. she was so cross,
so hard to please, and so "awful saw
age,D as John would have said, that
| Jane became at last worn out, and
\ enc day, when her duties were unusu-
ally hard, she surprised her mistress
/ by packing up her moveable property
and departed from the house. Then
Miss Barbara was Wretehed. For
three days she sat in solitary state,
and then sending for her lawyer, di-
rected him to insert an advertisement
in the leading paper to the effect that
she wanted "young, neat and lady
like person for a companion"
No more old women for me-" she
said, savagely, in response to her law
| yer's look of surprise, latter the be.
havior Of Jane, who has been with
me for thirty-nine years 'and then
authorizing him to examine each api
piicant, she sent him away and wait
ed. e
1.-TWO days afterwards the lawyer re-
turned, accompanied by tall, slen-
der young woman, who had come to
see if she Miss Barbara) would en-
gage her.-cf Or o.-f 10 ---C1s r-T---r-
Z Miss Barbarz's black eyes looked
at her for q moment, and after in
quiring sharply into her antecedents,
references, and the like, Miss Alice
WOrthington las the lawyer called
herr was duly installed in the office of
"companion," and most delightful
companion she proved to be.
Miss Barbara was at first disposed
to be a bit critical and captious but
the young girl was so anxious to
please, so sweet-tempered and amiab-
lie, so quiet, so self-forgetful, that Miss
Barbara's severity melted away by
degrees, and at last she began to love
her attendant, and to try in various
contented in her new home.
"Aliee,n said she, one day, as the
young girl sat opposite her before the
fire, ''hcw old are you ?'
"Not quite nineteen" was the shy
answer.
And Miss Barbara looked at her in
surprise. mot quite Nineteen" and
yet so qniet and dignified and woman
1y. 1t was almost incredible. Miss
Barbara looked ather again, and, with
q new appreciation in her face, saw
how pure and sweet the fair face look.
cd, with the sky-blue eyes halfhidden
by the white lids she saw how
smoothly and plainly the brown hair
was fastened back, how neat and trim
the dark dress, how snowy were the
cuffs and the narrow collar, and her
heart was filled with wonder. A girl
in the nineteenth century without
ruffie, puff, crimp, and OverskIrt,
q sash, or suspicion of a panier about
her Truly, wonders would never
cease. AS she gazed-on this Tdrd avis
her heart was filled with pity for poor
John, who had thrown himself away.
'tShe's Just the wife for him. she
thought; "if he had only waited a lit
tie he would have liked her, am
sure" And then she dismissed the
thought with sigh, and turned to
Alice for consolation.
AS the days went by, Miss Barbara's
heart began to yearn for her nephew.
She loved Alice dearly, but even she
did not take the place of the absent
one. His handsome face haunted her
day and night, and often, as she heard
a sudden noise in the hall or at the
door, she would look up eagerly, half
expecting to see him, as she used to
do.
ar am getting old" she said to her
self. "Perhaps was little hard with
him-my boy. Pll ask Alice"
And SO one night she called Alice to
her, and as she sat at her feet in the
freight, as John had done so often,
she told her all about it, and how she
longed to-see him again.
II am getting old, Alice" she said,
'1 may die soon, and want to sea
my boy. Perhaps I was wrong about
his wife. It would DO me no harm to
see them once, Alice"
And Alice answered gently that per-
haps it would be better for them all to
do so; but she avoided her kind
friends eyes, and there was a scarlet
flush on her face that was unusual.
The next day Alice, under Miss Bar
bara's directions, wrote note to John
Barton.
"Tell him to come soon," she said
and as Alice wrote this, Miss Barbara
sat and thought intently for time,
her face resting on her hands. "Tell
him." she said again, "tell him he
may bring his vile if he hke-I can
at least see her to please him." And
so the note WAS written and the mes
senger dispatched.
After the decisive step was taken,
Miss Barbara was ina hutter of ner-
vousness all the time. She donned
her richest dress, her most costly cap,
and then sat expectant, until she
heard Johns step on the stairs, and
John himself came in as of old. OF
course there were a few minutes dur
ing which they both talked at once,
and then, when the first excitement
was over, Miss Barbara suddenly
grew grave.
"Where's your wife ?u she asked in
her old grim way.
John rose and rang the bell. "She's
down stairs. I told her to stay till /
sent for her" And then, as the SER
want made his appearance, "Show
my wife up."
Miss Barbara waited quietly.
"You will love her a:Iittle for my
sake ?'' pleaded John, as light foot
step was heard at the door and then
greatly to Miss Barbara's surprise,
Alice WOrthington came in.
"My nephew, Mr.. Barton, Miss
Worthington' she said then turning
to Alice III am engaged now, and
you may be excused"
To her surprise John coelly put his
arm around the waist of his new ae-
quaintanee and led her across the
room. "Alice Worthington Barton,
Aunt Barbara,n he said, and then,
with the old mischief in his eyes /:
"Love her a little for my sake,
please"
Thereare five children's voices in the
great house now, and Jane, who was
in the plot is now back in her old
place, and Miss Barbara pets them all
most to death, while John, the rogue,
leases his aunt laughingIy about the
"doll-babyD to whom she considered
him sacrificed, But if there is any
one person whom Miss Barbara loves
as dearly as cher boy" tits the sweet
faced, gentle girl whom the boy mar
ried. To her mind all feminine grac-
es and virtues are possessed by "JOhn's
WIFE"
A Little Plain English.
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