Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-31

Au4UAE4u& Su8Iply 1utO uoE 8uteCeO80I q
references, and the like, Miss Alice
Worthington (as the lawyer called her)
was duly installed in the Office Of & com.
panion," and q most delightful COM
panion she proved to be.
Miss Barbara was at first disposed to
be bit critical and captious; but the
young girl was 80 anxious to please, so
swest-tempered and amiable, so quiet,
SO self-forgetful, that Miss Barbara's
severity melted away by degrees, and
at last she began to love her attendant,
and to try in various little ways to
make her cheerful and contented in her
new home.
"Alice," said she, one day, as the
young girl sat opposite her before the
fire. "how old are you2"
"Not quite nineteen," was the shy
answer.
And Miss Barbara looked at her in
surprise. "Not quite nineteen, " and
yet so quiet and dignitied and womanly.
It was almost incredible. Miss Bar
bara looked at her again, and. with a
new appreciation 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 neat and trim the dark
dress, how snowy were the cuffs and
the narrow collar, and her heart was
filed with wonder. A girl in the nine-
teenth century without a rufae, q puff,
q crimp, an oversklrt, sash, or sus-
picion of panier about her! Truly,
wonders would never cease. As she
gazed on this rar0 0vis her heart was
filled with pity for poor John, who had
thrown himself away.
"She's Just the wife for him." she
Thought; eff he had only waited q
little he would have liked her, I am
sure" And then she dismissed the
thought with a sigh, and turned tn
Alice for consolation.
AS the days went by, Miss Barbara's
heart began to yearn 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 to do.
. am getting old, she said to her.
self. "Perhaps I was little hard
with him-my boy. I'll ask Alice"
And no one night she called Alice to
her: and as she sat al her feet in the
freight, as John had done so often,
she told her all about 1t, and how she
.longed to see him again.
II am getting old, Alice" she said,
II may die soon, and I want to see
my boy. Perhaps I was wrong about
his wife. It would do me no harm to
see them once, Alice"
And Alice answered gently that per-
haps it would bc better for them all to
do SO; but she avoided her kind
friends eyes, and there was q scarlet
flush on her face that was unusual.
The next day Alice, under Miss Bar.
bara's directions, wrote o note to John
Barton.
"Tell him to come soon," she said
and as Alice wrote this, Miss Barbara
sat and thought intently for a time.
her face resting on her hands. "Tell
him." she said again, "tell him he
may bring his wife if he likes-I can
at least see her 10 please him." And
40 the note was written and the mes.
senger despatched.
After the decisive step was taken,
Miss Barbara was in hutter of ner.
vousness all the time. She donned her
richest dress, her most costly cap, and
then sat expectant, until she heard
Johns step on the stairs, aud John
himself came in as of old. OF course
there were few minutes during which
they both talked at once, and then,
when the first excitement was over,
Miss Barbara suddenly grew grave.
Where's your wife - she asked in
her old grim way.
John rose'and rang the bell. ''She's
down stairs. I told her to stay till
sent for her." And then, as the ser.
want made his appearance, "Show my
wife up.'
Miss Barbara waited quietly.
You will love her q little for my
sake Z" pleaded John, as light foot.
step was heard ut the door: and then,
gre. tly to Miss Barbara's surprise,
Alice Worthington came in.
my nephew, Mr.. Barton, Miss
Worthington :" she said then turning
to Alice: 81 am engaged now, and
now you may be excused"
10 her surprise John coolly put his
arm around the waist of his new
acquaintance and led her across the
room. "Alice Worthington Barton
Aunt Barbara, he said, and then, with
the old mischief in his ewes: Glove
her little for my sake, please"
There are FIVE chiltlren,a vo;coa :,
great house now, and Jane, who wa.
in the plot and is now back in her old
place, and Miss Barbara pets them al
most to death, while John, the rouge
teases hts aunt laughingly about tn,
IDOL baby" to whom she considered
him sacrificed. But if there is an,
one person whom Miss Barbara love
as dearly as "her boy" it's the sweet
faced, gentle girl whom the boy mar
ried. TO her mind all feminine grace
and virtues are possessed by "John'
wife,"