Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-04-17
DIR. wHITiNe's MISTAKE.

ing up psiiow upon tic upper balcony
Of a square stone house. snd . man stood
brushing the dust and specks from hi,
coat upon the balcony below The wo.
man was Bridget Geoakes, and the man
was Paul Whiting. 80 zHs
Now IL happened that jast beyond the
church. down q side street. was q little
low wing growing apon the body Of q
pointed wooden house and here lived Miss
Alma Disbrow. . worthy maiden with
frost-bitten curis. Who always wore . rus
Ting black silk gown. q heayy gold chain.
and an eye-glass.
Miss Disbrow's father bad been uufor-
tunate enough TO be pioneer in this part
Of the lake country. 60 long ago as when
the Governors wife rcde TO church in a
tip.cart drawn BY oxen. and when the
town Was lighted BY glow-worms instead
Of gas.
But his daughter. Miss Alma. was for
tunate enough to live so lately as when
the most desirable street of a fourishing
commercial city ran directly through the
heart Of her fathers swamp lands. And
still later. when. in token Of her being
unmarried and an only daughter. she
caa.e into possession. by her fathers will,
Of the principal part Of his rich inheri-
tance.
Upon that. turning her back toward all
aspiring adventures. and shutting her
eyes against her brothers longing boys
and girls. she gave the best located lots
Of the whole for church and rcctory
and then. throwing out this modest wing
from the house Of her youngest and least
dislikcd brother. she settled herself down
in it to sit and look all day at her beauti-
full gift. '....
BIT Miss Alma had eyes as sharp rs
brass pin; the better to see with. my dear.
SO besides the high stone church, she per-
ccived great many things. And upon
this particular morning she sat in her
Parker rocker. rastling and rocking, with
her eye-giass in one hand. and tho morn
ing paper in the other On the leather
cushion OF an old arm chair, BY the sun
nicst window. sa, her confidential. black
dog with a white face. named Benjamin.
This dog had a great deal more consider.
alton and many more privileges than her
brothers children; and it was into his
pointed ears Miss Disbrow. who had not
another weakness in the world (unless in
the matter Of front tooth or two), had
tbe habit Of dropping everything she
tApught. or knew. or guessed. And the
dog Benjamin. as a man Benjamin might
not have done. always listened without in-
terruption. and never repeated a thing
she said. ..tft
Benjamin" cried out Miss Disbrow,
so suddenly that the dog jumped upon his
feet, las sure as you are born, Mrs BABY
has only this moment come to help about
up after the church social. Well,
now. do say. if that is not real mean.
Just come! When there she is boarding.
with nothing under the stars to do. not
even to make her own bed; and poor. lit
tie Mrs. Grccling. with her six children
and all her housekeeping cares. has been
here hard arwork fully half an hour. I
stand such shirking. lazy ways.
declare can't"
Benjamin yawned and stretched him.
self. aud Miss Disbrow moved her chair
nearer the window. and looked out nj the
clouded sky. the brown-touched trees. and
the wet walk. and she saw presently the
figures upon the two piassas Of the square
stone house at the corner.
BY that time the ladies' we're through
with their work Of cleaning up the vesiry.
and had gone home in their high.heeled
boots; the scrub woman aud the
boys had done all their running out and
in. and stopping about with pals Of wa
ter, and the old. white-bearded sexton. in
his round. ecl-bowed glasses. that made
him look like . gray owl. had locked the
door and gone TO bis days work. saving
wood at q grand.house on the avenue
So Miss Distrox had plenty of time to
turn her observation and Eyeglasses to-
wards her neighbors' balconies. To tell
the plain truth. between you and | and
Benjamin, Miss Dishrow had for some
TIME felt that the Whiting family needed
more watching than they got from sun.
moon aud stars. aud the city watchmau.
and she had long been trying to act the
part OF the Good Samaritan with the oil
aud wine. when she should have discov-
cred the nature OF the family vound. SO,
whenever one Of the Writings came in
sight. she put down her paper aud put on
her glasses.
benjamin. !" said she. presently. drop
ping her glass and rocking I'LL her dpess
russled ike an oak tree in north wind
Benjamin. ycu cannot guess what has
happened now"
Benjamin did not seem iuclined to try,
TsAasask bsine 90 hopeless. and Miss Dis.
brow went on
That Bridget Geoakes. she Is care
less thing; I've long seen that. and won
dersd Mu. Whiting kept her 50; she has
leff . pillow on the balcony railing. Went
of and left il! Of course tho wind took
il. and there il lies. rsfiiing. embroidery
and all, right down in the gutter. liable
@ be stolen By, every passer-by. Now,
Beujasnin, would you. O wouldn't you.
60 over aud tell shen.s
Beajamin's face. about one eye, was
black. and The rest Of The face being en-
tirely white. teis, gave him . peculiarly
knowing expression whea be cooked up
that eye. - he had \ way Of doing. And
nov BE turned bis black eye upon Mia
Disbrow. with tie appearance Of waking
.at her. Perhaps. ipdeed. he did. Any.
aov. there uas evidently scuse invisible
freemasoafy hetueen them. FOR Mis- Dis.
trow ius,setiT rcspanded. just q shopgt
he haA spoken;