The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-07-12

WAS forced TO benote IL 1OE Ono ulBntI
.Tohp, sitting at her feet, his yellow hair
SbinnipC In the freight, told her with
much confusion and embarrassment that
'he was going TO be married"
Miss Barbara was good woman, but
she was very whimsical, q little selfish,
and above all, very jealous Of her own dig
nifty, and the knowledge that John had as
serted his own independence, and actually
planned out his future without consult
Ing her beforehand, was hard thing for
her to bear. She was not patient nor for
giving, and the result Of Johns confidence
was very unpleasant scene. She who
had never spoken harshly to him before,
overwhelmed him with hard, bitter RordF,
and then, when be was gone, wept herself
to sleep over his "ingratitude," as she call
ed 1t.
When at last Ne was really married,
her anger knew no bounds, and his frat
visit after that event ended as we have
seen.
The days passed slowly alter John,
with his bright face and ringing voice,
was baniShed, and Miss Barbara, half re.
GREETING her hardness, was otlen tempted
70 send for him again; but her obslinacy,
or "pride,"' as she called 1t, preserved her,
and so sho iretted and worried, until Jane
was almost driven distracted by irritabh'
fly and unreasonAblenesS. She was so
cross, so hard to please, and 80 lawfully
savage" as John would have said, that
Jane became at last worn out, and one
day, when her duties were unusually
hard, she surprised her mistress by pack
| ing up her movable property and de-
parting from the house. Then Miss Bar
bara was wrctched. For three days she
sat in solitary state, and then sending for
her lawyer, directed him 10 insert an adzI
YGrtisement in the leading papers to the
effect that she wanted q "yOung, neat
and lady-llke person for a companion"
mo more old women for me" she said,
savagely, in response to her lawyers look
OF supEiHe, "aiter the behavior. OF Jane,
who has been with me for thirty.nine
years." and then authorizing him to ex-
anime each applicant, she sent him away,
and waited.
Two days afterwards the lawyer 70.
turned, accompanied by tall, slender
young woman, who had come to see iGshe
Miss Barbara would engage her,
Miss Barbara's black eyes looked keen.
~ at her tor a moment, and after in
guring sharply into her antecedents, refer !
ences, aud the like, Miss Alice Worthing.
ton los the lawyer called herr was duly in. |
stalled in the office Of companion" and |
a most delightful companion she proved
10 be.
Miss Barbara was OF first disposed TO be
bit critical and captious; but the young
girl was 30 anxious 10 please, 30 sweet
tempered and smiable, so quiet, and self.
torgetlul, that Miss Barbara's severity
melted away by degrees, and at last she
began 10 love her attendant, and TO try
In various little ways to make her cheer.
full and contented in her new home.
"Alice," said she, one day, as the young
girl sat opposite her by tho fire, "how old
are your
"Not quite nineteen" was the shy an
sWer.
And Miss Barbsra looked at her in sur.
prise. "Notquite nineteen" and yet so
quiet and dlgnifed and womanly. II was
almost incredible. Miss Barbara looked
at her again, and, with new approba-
tion in her face, saw how pure and sweet |
the fair face looked, with the sky;blue
eyes half hidden by the white lids; she
saw how smoothly and plainly the brown
hair was fastened back, how trim and
neat the dark dress, how snowy were the
cuffs and henarroW collar, and her heart
was filled with wonder. A girl In the
nineteenth century without a ruille,
pull, crimp, an overskirt, sash, or
suspicion Of o panier about her Truly,
wonders would never cease. AS she
gazed on this TdFd dViS her heart was fill.
ed with pity for poor John, who had
thrown himself away.
"She's lust the wife for him." she
thought; "il he had only waited little
he would have liked her, l am sure
And then she dismissed the thought with
sigh, and turned to Alice for consola-
ton.
AS the DAY went by, Miss Barbara's
heart began to yeOrn 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 @, sudden noise In
the hall or at the door, she would look
up eagerly half expecting to see him, as
she used 10 do.
L II am getting old" she said to herself.
"Perhaps was little hard with him
my boy. FLASK Alice" hgy, s4I
And so one night she called Alice 10
her, and as she sat at her feet in the fire
light, as John had done so often, she told
her all about It, and how she longcd to
sec him again.
Tam getting old, Allce,'' she said. "Il
may uic soon, and want 10 gee my boy
Perhaps was wrong about his vile. It
would do me no harm to see them once,
Alicejk F--Ag --.,.,. /
And Alice answered gently that per-
haps It would be better for them alto DOT
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
hara's directions, wrote a little note TO
John Barton. 80
"Tell him 10 come soon," abe said; and
as Alice wrote this Miss Barbara Sat and
thought intently for time, her lace rest
ing on her hands. "Tell him" shc said,
again, "tell him hemRy bring his wife II
he likes-I can at least see her TO please
him." And so the note was written and
the messenger despatched.
Alter this decisive step was taken Miss
Barbara was in autter OF nervousness
all the time: She .donped her rohest
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 few min.
utes during which they both talked at
once, and then, when the first excitement
was over, Miss Barbara suddenly grew
grave.
"Where's your WILEY" abe asked in her
old grim way.
John rose and rang the bell. "She's
down stairs told her 10 stay till l sent
for her" And then, as the servant made