American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-05-17
Miscellany.
Z THE PARISH DOLL.
-ra1f Tu~ ~"
BY LOUISE BERJOS.

BY LOUISE BERJoS.
sSVP among the-westerh' hills, where thu
SHOWS are deep in wipter;a and where May
-ss fiewefs ferns and blackberries fill up tho
So restsof the year, there liveda little lady MOI
aitogether unknown. TO fame.
a. - lie. beanty was wonderful to behold
.sz Golden hair, pearly whiteness, rosy bloom
-ss and eyes of heavens own blue, adorned
- her face. Her figure..but we will throw
80 stlle veil Of Silence over that matches
form Her mind was. serene, and her tenn
pefexcellent; nothing ever provoked her
to sRger--Or to anything else. Yet she
WIS hot heart1ess; for, when hard pressed
and sore 6eset, cries of unearthly anguish
issued from the spot in which some pco
pies hearts are supposed to reside. That
lady's namewas Miranda, otherwise known
as ..The Parish Doll" ...-,- Il
Her No,m others were the Misses Guern-
sey, daughters of the pastor of the parish.
They had reached that pleasant season of
maturity not yet suggestive of the yellow
leaf; and, being great favorites in the par
ish, no ooeAnt q Nfeign sintruder would
have dreamed of calling them old
BaIldss, 4 s ? Miss IS rabslla suggested,
stAsYesk eDrreniy, wa are maiden ladies,
not old maids; for. maiden lady is a
woman who has chosen to remain single,
ana an old maid is a woman who has had
no OFFERS
sns what A Kind ~ Af R sesc M;t.
AnteAa always spoke truthfully as well
as correctly, it may be inferrsls that she
- and her sister had had -"offers,' which
any one1night easily believe by looking
y 1s%at furthermore be stated, that, from
ths pluraitys of , sfeHs.. made tethe Misses
Guernsey, two had stood out in bold re-
lief. and ha.i not been easy to decline 3
...-s.N iss Ayabella's otsr was shrouded in
mystery. x gentleman seems to have been
CONNECTED with it, and peculiar bright
nee had,shane, fora while, on, Miss Ara
beNayface$ Then the gentleman and the
peculiar brightness had both disappeared
and no one had ever seen them again.
Miss Observation-Disclosures been quite diff
fcrent. Everybody knew that Philip Dean
.sswas w love with her, He had leen so
ever since he had first met her. in blue
gown and white-sunbonnet, picking ber-
RIGS q the &i2lsides- He had made his of
fer in several ways befoSe putting It into
words 5AAd, wheff that hapless time had
come,4s. alss had, disappeared from her
Not in utter foreetfllness, however, He
had gone to a distant city to fight the
great battle of bread-and- butter; but, be-
permission q Nirfie once a yearM..as a
friend,' Each letter was an event to two
persons in the little parsonage. Miss Corr
nelia resdsitto herself then sine read it to
her sister, Skipping . few lines here and
there-sometfiH.ssa sgreatmaaIy lines And
the more.lines th~e} were to skip, the
- sweeter grew the sweetness in Cornelias
brown eyes =
On these occasions, Miss Arabella al
ways took a long walk; and while she
walksa+y herself she tnps .tsiked to her
self y wonder if size cares for b i'm in that
wax. sShsdenied it. But. if I was sure Of
it, would not Jet her do it. One is enough.
SametimesI fear we were very foolish
and JET *e were happy-quite. happy.
Perhaps it is best as it isl
--fhe fppiishucss TO which she referred
was pAs ;1tke solemn VOW made by the
two sisters-wIen Arabella was eighteen
and COfhtfia fiffeen-that they would new
-gHfH1n6tS shil always remain together nm
til death should part them.
I'VE Mis- Afhbelld did not explain this when
she talked to herself But the vow had
been Haae. md fsi.hfuIIy kept, and they
Fsvoied&y; - that, to all appearances every
thing was for-tbe best and for the greatest
happiness 81 the greatest number
q = kSr Hrthe1iisses Guernsey had not been
the Misses Guernsey, who in the wide
worfd woufd havc bccn the mothers of the
Parisir hellas Not the pastor, sevidently,
nor the pastors wife, nor any of the dcii-
cons. Miranda would have been more
than an orphan sire would never have
been put together And there she was,
Fswitfya beautiful hesd sewed To a beautiful
betlys m accomplished fact, and a blessing
tosh bebolders.s r. - 49,
FssMirandas life was full of variety. Part
Of her time was spent in long, narrow
box, ftlIe <bsdezof peaceful meditation.
Thencane periods OF glowing happiness,
whe6ss VA ker6pip plu,npi Iiafe arms,
and pressed TO youthful -b0soms; when
dewy little rosebuds showercd kisses upon
her, and all her charms were praised. For