The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-25

"Oh, very well. The children tease
sometimes but Mrs. Jameson is very
kind, and always upholds my authority.
| And then the girls are really fond of
me, and the whole family made me such
pretty presents. L must show them to
Won as soon as my trunk arrives"
We were alone in the world, we two
sisters-Patience Carr, the school
mistress, and L, Adelaide, the gov
erness. Ten years before we had
known the extreme of luxury-a house
in fashionable quarter of New York,
horses, carriages, servants, French
dresses and diamonds for Patience,
broad sashes, worked muslins and vel
vet suits for me. That was when
Antarctic Mail was selling at 100, and
Richard Carr, our father, was consid-
cred one of the shrewdest and most
successful of Wall street spectators.
Then, one bright day, Antarctic Mail
took downward leap, and carried my
fathers fortune with il; his reason fol-
lowed, and in the end, his life. SO one
morning, woman and child (Pa-
thence and ~ set forth into the world
to seek, not our fortunes, but our daily
bread. There was difference of twelve
years between Patience and myself
years that were expressed by a neat row
of five little graves with elegantly
carved tombstones out at Greenwood,
where our brothers and sisters slept a
calm slumber that no depreciation in
Antarctic Mail had power to disturb.
Our mother had died when / was only
two years old she, too, had gone
| WI Wall ctraat 600 SOC from, iron blino
and the bulls and bears are at rest. So
Patience took care of me for six long
years, and then /, being eighteen, went
forth to win my own breaa as a gov
erness.
1 cannot say that the usual advent
ures which novel writer's describe as
Detailing every young woman, whether
attractive or otherwise, who goes out as
a governess, ever happened to me. No
handsome youth, the only son of the
family in which l taught English,
French, the rudiments of German,
music and drawing, ever fell at my feet
and besought permission to remove me
to moro congenial sphere. found
out no dark and deadly mysteries, no
hidden maniac or undiscovered crimes
nor was / ever subjected to series of
petty Sights and injuries from narrow
minded nlereS de .fanaiLIe. l was usually
very we'll treated and fairly paid, so L
never had chance of posing myself
either as victim or aheroine of romance.
At the time of which j write / was in
deed rs pleasantly situated as it is pos
sible for a goyerness to be. My en-
ployers were cultivated, kind
people, my eldest pupils intelligent,
well-Hrought-up girls, and the rest of
the children not more unruly or torment
ing than healthy children, especially
boys, are apt to be. So that particular
Christmas eve of which I write found
me very much inclined to enjoy my
holiday, and fully prepared to enter in
to all the little festivities of the season
which might fall co my share.
"We are to have roast turkey for
dinner tomorrow" remarked Patience
after brief silence.
GOltrmande, "a ~
"And what do you say to a matiie,,
as a pleasant method of passing the
day."
"You know / love a play above all
things. Where shall we go ?-to Wal
!
"Choose for yourself, Addie you are
company, you know. There is the news
paper on the table"
sat down to pore over the advertise
ments with as much eagerness and ex-
element as though my twenty-five
years had been suddenly diminished by
ten at the very least At last 1 looked
up: patience %
"Well, dear?"
Don't you wish that something
would happen to us, as often happens
in plays THAT is, don't you wish that
some unknown relative or rich old uncle
would make his appearance and shower
untold wealth upon us?"
am sure we are very comfortable
now. And what is the use of wishing
such things ?"
"Not much use, only some amuse-
ment. Castles in the air are very easily
erected, and cost nothing for bricks.
mortar or laborers' hire. /"
Yes, but when they tumble down.
as they invariably do, you may chance
to get rap on the head from some of
the flying timbers. Best stay on terra
firma, Addie."
L laughed, and bent again over my
paper. But the momentous question
of the Christmas matinee once settled
and the newspaper thrown aside, my
thoughts reverted to my airy castles, |
and instinctively began to rear them
again. We were both silent. Patience
leaned back, half asleep, in her rocking
chair, whilst / sat on a low seat at her
feet and gazed dreamily into the glow
ing Goals of the CRATE. 1 saw myself O
lively, laughing child again, flying
down the broad staircase of our Fifth |
avenue mansion in embroidered muslin |
and floating silk sash, en- route for some |
childish party or other; and then re-
membered certain dinner-party which |
my father had once given, and how I,
peeping slyly through the chink of the /
diningroom door, had thought private
ly that Sister Patience, in her mauve
silk and pearls, was the prettiest lady
there. Poor, dear Patience the pref
test still remained, though the silk and
the pearls were things of the past. Sud-
denly thought struck me, recollec.
ton of an odd story told nae in those
far-off days. would wake patience up,
and she would tell me all about it. So
/ faced round and looked up into the