Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-09-04
Mass rwIrrER's CONSPIRACY,

was a gentleman and general. For
my part, would not encourage such a
name ut oil in one in her position, but
called her plain "Annie," with
which she was quite content.
She was an orphan but I had known
both her parents, and very honest, good
folks they were, With plenty of COM
mon sense too, 30 that it could not have
been they, but her "godfather and her
godmother in her baptism, p" as the ser.
vice says, who gave her such an out
landish name-for Christian Ican't call
it. She was modest girl, who if she
had fault in dress, was given to ex-
treme simplicity; indeed, some of my
visitors used to cay: $50 you have
got q Quakeress, I see ;" which was,
of course, ridiculous for Though one
does not want ones servant to be chat
terboxes, one likes ones questions to
be answered by something more than
Yes " or No." to which, / believe,
the vocabulary of the Friends is limit
ed. Moreover, though I am not a
great lady, not anything like it, it was
not likely 1 should permit my parlor.
maid to "thou =" and "thee" " me, and
far less nay 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 been
eighteen and q beauty. Annie had
brown hair, very silken and plentiful
large brown eyes like those OF q gazelle:
and soft, rather alarmed expression
of face, which, if it did not suggest
modesty, was the most hypocritical
mask that ever woman were. Her
movements were quick, but noiseless {;
and altogether she reminded one of q
mouse. Like q mouse, however, she
was not as regards purloining, even 80
much as rind of cheese. I could have
trusted her with untold gold and
when I had new bonnet or other piece
of finery, I felt as certain that Annabel
Brown would never try them on, even
|4A see how she looked in my cheval
glass, q though had kept them under
lock andkey. Finally, and shove all,
she had no followers; or, at all events,
they followed her at such . distance
that they never came in view of my
windows, and I had pretty long sight
1e3 6uC9 C9youtky ys@*S4sss /, f.~
l;nesd not lay that Annie wais con-
tsntchdzoh.g goeH, 6nd as sa4e as Sun
day came round, always went "to hear
the Word" (thst was her phrase,
though she was by no means = canter)
twice a day whether it was vet or fine
In the evening she never went out, not
even on week days, which itself spoke
volumes in her praise. She had no
friends in town, she said, in explana-
tion of this phenomenon. She was the
ouly maid I eve. had who never asked
to pass sa evening with her " friends ~
Or "cousins." 80
r Well, being such q pattern Of pro.
priety, you may imagine, my astonish
sment on seeing her como home vflom
Echunfhs one day iccdmpapied BIZ q
Eyoqbg man, who LIT her ct The ffont
door (my area gate is always locked
on Sunday with a bow that would not
have disgraced Lord Chesterfield.
Thoug gh . fine morning it had turned
out vet, and noticed, with no little
distress Of mind, that the umbrella
which 10 waes holding over her: with
much apparent solioftude.s wasss hand
some silk one; the man himself, too,
I'D an almighty good sappearsnoe> j
Ade sure that Annie would explain
this unprecedented circumstance WITH
E0ut IN inquiry.on my part :, and when
lsoms 1ouIs passed byswithout. her do
neto, the matter appeared tome zall
the grayer. & e
Accordingly at nigh vhsn q she war
| a oaaSakiun, rn = s;n r,n1v r~>ov,n I~.oonboa
the subject myself.
"Annie," said /, ' was very much
surprised to see you come home from
church this morning accompanied by 8
stranger. How did it happen Z"
"Well, ma am, it was very vet. >
returned she with simplicity that
would have quite disarmed me, even il
IT had entertained any indignation
against her, which I did not I only
felt angry with the man) F." and %
had no umbrella, the gentleman, who
was at church himself, kindly offered
to see me home."
Annie," said !, solemnly, edo moi
imagine that man-and especially gen.
tleman-only 60 to church as You do,
to say their prayers. ! once heard 6
great preacher, Mr.. Spurgeon, divide
The church-goers into a number o1
classes, some of which were a very
unsatisfactory sort. Among others
there was the umbrella Christian, al
he termed it the man who goes into 6
church merely to save his hat, or gel
out of the rain.''
"But, please ma'am, this gentleman
had on umbrella" observed Annabel
Brown.
thought it rather pert, and very
unlike herself, that she should argue
with me on this matter but still,
was determined not to lose my temper.
In this particular case. that NAV
have been SO said I &c but he mieht
have gone to church with a wrong mo.
tive for all that: To my eyes he did
not look a suitable person tor a youno
woman in your position to be walkine
with. He left you at the front door
and he may have been mistaken as II
your condition in life. Did you inform
him of it,"
mo ma'am."
Annabel Brown was certainly toe
Quakerisb +; any other girl,could have
seen with half an eye that I was reall,
solicitous (for her own sake) to know
what the man had said to her yet al
that I could get ont of Annie was -
"No, ma'am." IL was not treatins
me, J thought, with the confidence thaI
my conduct towards her had merited