Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-03-21
From the Kansas Magazine.
STONY AuOgT 4 BUREAU.

We were making visit to Miss Sarah
Bonn. three girls ef Us, not that she was a
ecbooI-luate or friend Of our own age for
she was an old maid Of fiity-six, as she
fearieSSlv announced to all whom it might
concern, but She had never taken kindly to
the orthodox pets Of the typical old maid.
Cats were an abominatiOn to her, parrots
she abhorreI large dogs she barely tolerated,
but would have nothing to do with their
smaller brethren. Her large and c0mi0rta-
be heart vas full of kindness for young peo-
pie. and never. think, until her name ap-
peared as above. was she called anything
but " sally" by her contemporaries and
elders. and " Aunt Sally By her Juniors.
The number Of her adopted nieces and neph-
ews was alarming, and She had some Of them
visiting her the year round. varying the
number from one 10 a dozen. Her home
was a vast and ancient farmhouse, which
like the tomb Of &c Pasha Ben Ali Achmet,
seemed O. contain d" room for any number
and here. at Christmas, in midsummer holi-
days, and odd days at many times in the
year, might be found orphans, the forl0r
children OF mistaken missionaries, and child
ren Of parents who did not " keep Christ
mas" or make other holidays especially ex-
citing And who can tell the number Of
-' boxes" which left that door in the express
wagon. directed to inmates of boarding
schools east, west, north and south?
Her three visitors Of this present writing
were not boarding school girls, although the
time was not very long past when they had
been. | owed my invitation to recent fe-
YER. and the fact that my family was obliged
90 remain in town that sumner ; Ada War
ner owed hers o. an exhaustive term Of
teaching. through whichshc had Just passed,
and Nettv AShburncr owed hers 10 a love
affair Ada and were deeply interested in
Netty: we had never been in the house with
love affair before. which conveys painful
admission. Netty young man lived in the
d0uriShing town Just outside of which Aunt
sallv'S farm was situated. Her home was
many miles away, and although Aunt sally
had given some timSv reason or other for the
invitation, Of an entirely foreign nature to
her true one, we knew her well enough to
see through that She was no matchmaker.
but nothing save her rbundant common sense
-ept her from being one; and for a person
who was alwavS considered in the -- bOny
light of a prclestinated and elected old
maid. she took a wonler amount of pleas
ure IN seeing other heads 20 into the moose
which her own had successfully avoided.
Everybody seemed 10 think that she was
d" cut olt for an old maid, and yet ! do not
seq why everybody thought So Perhaps
they did not perceive, what always iancied,
thar her sturdy Independence and small par
ticulariues were an after-growth" Of her
character
Egerythin. was very pleasant. excepting
Nettv, she ' mooncd" more than Ada and
considered reasonable, and was only anima-
ted upon the somewhat frequent arrivals Of
the object They were &c engaged, - parents
bad bestowed their consent and blessing. and
the wedding was 10 come of in q few
months, So We thought, perhaps unTeasona-
hly, that Nettv might have taken it little
more clol.y. and having studied the case 10
the full extent of OFT opportunities, and de-
'hled that we ~hou.iLay acted very differ
entity under similar circuni~ ~.aucts, we began
to feel a little injured and to wish that Net
tie would either become rational or p home
We were having very lively time. but for
her. Picnic and walks and drives and
rides, and tca-iriukiug went of in rapid
succession. ike Jack Of fre-crackers all
lighted at once, and as they never did any
where but at Aunt sally bat the object
could Not be at all of them, and when he
was absent, Netty mopei. Rcmonstrance
WAS useless she responded with pity for
oar for.,rn condition and oJr ignorance Of
Ter bliss satire and irony were met with
mild superiority. We were becoming des-
pente, when delightfa incident broke up
the moa0touy. gave L. "a new phase TO study,
and revived all oar mtercst-thev quarreled
cannot for the life Of me remember exact
ly what it was about, bat ! think Netty had
worn q dress which think his highncss con-
>iierel ugly. upon some festive occasion
which he gracei with his presence, and he
come % the wise conclusion that Size " did
il on purpose. as the children say Atany
rate, we heard what sounded from the piazza
like pretty serious argument. honoablvre-
naming too far ol to catch anything but the
tones. We saw the prince depart, forget
ting his hat in his wrath, and obliged to
make an ignomiuiouS return for it, and We
found Nettv, flushed and Indignant, at the
piano. warbling a saucy iallad in a clear
and rather unnecessarily loud voice, which
She managed TO keep up until the prince was
fairly out of the lane. when she broke down
Historically and rushed sobbing to her room.
deaf alike 10 questions and consolation.
For one long and miserable week. the OBJ
ieci was uuheard from. and nothing but the
studyoi the new phase cousolei Ada and
myself ior the gloom which peryadeI the
house, for Aunt Sally instead Of hughing
at Netty, or scoldins her we'll. had. to our
utter ast0niShmcnt taken TO petting her in a
surreputious manner, in her long fits of 81
lent meditation. To cap the limax. a dis
mai storm Of wind and min set in. and the
chimneys mGned and demonstrated and
whimpered, until We were nearly out Of our
senses.
Ada and were sitting in the library by
the blazing wood-iire-a real wo5d-iire on
an open hearth and aldir1ns-the second
evening of the storm, yawning undisguised-
ly and wishing heartily for bed time, when
Aunt Sally appeared upon the scene. with
res0lute face. and no work in her hand. We
were lounging upon the hearth-rug, toolazy
TO support ourselves. and 50 supporting each
other. Aunt Sally placed a low chair for
each Of US on the two ends ofthe rug, picked
Up first one and then the other. and put us
into the chairs, then raised Netty, who was
stretched cut upon the lounge at one side Of
the fire place, in the same unceremonious
manner, and stuck in the corner of the
lounge. IN manner which reminded me of
how used to make my dall sit up like a
lady"
- Girls, - she said. you are too lazy for
anything. | was going to tell you story.
bat you d all be asleep in FIVE minutes
This startling announcement galvanized
the three inert voices in manner amazing
to behold. We had always wanted to pei
Aunt Sally started upon her own history.
and now we had a feeling sense that our
wish was near its fulfllment Three earnest
voices testified to three widc-awake and
eager listeners.
- Well. then. get your work. " said her
ladyship. severely, q" and don tall sit STARING
atme, or you Il put me out.
Knitting and crochet-work were obeiient-
ly produced, and the oracle, assuming the at
titude into which she invariably tell-or rose
in her few and brief hours of leisure
bolt upright in her chair, with an elbow in
each hand-began her narrative.
know You all want to know why am
an old maid. You need not think | have
not heard your little cacklings and whisper
ings about it, and Won need not blush either :;
curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of, 50 long
as you take no mean way to crafty it. /
know very well what most Of my kind
friends and relations think ; they take it for
granted that have always been as fierce as
am now, and that no man ever dared come
within shooting distance Of me and they
may think so if they like, it makes no odds
to me-only tickles me to see how mistaken
wise people can be. The fact of the busi-
ness Is, l came within one Of being married ::
but there's no truer proverb than n miss is
as good as a mile. -
When | was girl | was pretty good