Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-08-16
MISS TwITTER,s CONSPIRACY.

ears ago, L mad young person III
my service called Annabel Brown. The
Brown was not, of course, surprising in
a parlor-maid, but the Annabel was;
and the more so when the cook made
Hannibal of it, who, need not remark,
was a gentleman and a general. For
my part, l would not encourage such a
name at all, in one in her position, but
called her plain "Annie," with which
she was quite content. She was an or
phan, but | had known both her parents
and very honest, good folks they were,
with plenty of common sense, too, so it
could not have been they, but her god
father and godmother i'll her baptism,
as the service says, who gave her such
an outlandish name-for christian | can
not call it. She was modest girl, who,
if she had fault IN dress, was given to
extreme simplicity; indeed, some Of my
visitors used to say, $50 you have got
Quakeress, | see;" which was, of course,
ridiculous; for though one does not
want ones servants to be chatter boxes,
one likes ones questions to beuanswered
by something more than "yes" or ''no,"
to which, believe the vocabulary of
the Friends is limited. Moreover,
though | am uot great lady, nor any
thing like it, it was not likely should
permit my parlor-mald to 'thou'' and
thee" me, and far less my 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 ever been eighteen and beau
ty. Annie had brown hair, very silken
and plentiful; large brown eyes like
those of gaZelle, and soft, rather
alarmed expression of face, which, if it
did not suggest modesty, was the most
hypOcritical mask that ever woman
wore. Her movements were quick but
noiseless, and altogether she reminded
one of a mouse. Like a mouse, howev-
er, she was not as regards purloining,
even so much as a rind of cheese.
could have trusted her with untold gold
and when l had new bonnet or lothel
piece of tinery, l felt as certain that An
mabel Brown would never try them on
even to see how she looked inmy cheva
glass, as though had kept them under
lock and key. Finally, and above all
she had no followers, or, at all events
then followed her at such a distance that
they never came within view of my
windows, and have a pretty long sight
for such gentry.
Ineed not say that Annie was con
stantA Achurcli-goer, and as sure as Sun
day came round, always went to ''hea
the Word" (that was her phrase, though
she was by no means a canter,) twice
day, whether it was wet or fine. In tn
evenings she never went out, not ever
. on weekdays which itself spoke vol
: umes in her praise
n She had no friends in town, she said
o in explanation of this phenomenon. Sh
. was the only maid ! ever had who neve
a asked leave to pass an evening with he
''friends" or "cousins." Well, bein
spehoa pattern of propriety, You ma
imagine my astonishment on seeing he
1 come home from church one day accom-
= panied by young man, who left her
the front door-my rear gate is alway
], locked 'on Supday---with bow tina
y would not have disgrace Lord Chester
Q field.
Though fine morning, it had turne
:. out wet, and noticed, with no littl
! distress of mind, that the umbrell
j. which he was holding over her wit
p much apparent solicitude, was han'
AL SOME silk one; theman himself, too, ha
70 an alarmipgly genteel appearance.
. made sure that Annie would explai