Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-03-20

low dip was softly thrown. on the bed and
forms. Attic bedside, lheeling With face
uplifted, and wearing an expression we
j could not understand, was Mr.. May. =
Through the misty years it domestic us,
and we see it with the reverence we saw it
then. Some pictures impress themselves
SO deeply they are never forgotten, no n1at-
ter what trials may rasp the mind.
Mr.. May was successful.
So much so that it was determined to
/ start a school. Think Of it, a school at
Sandy Gulch. Well, do you suppose that
they did not want school at theprincipal
town Of the territory? Werethere no cal
culations to be made in the great future OF
the Gulch ? Undoubtedly.
| 1t must not be thought for one moment
that there were no children at Sandy Gulch
indeed, there were more than at any place
we had visited in the mountains plenty
| of women and childrenwbut few 9lEes, =
| < es, dear reader, it was asad state III which
MI. May found society, when he came to
Fpreach and try, the name of his Master,
ito redeem the Gulch. Poor jack! as he
I'died, blessed his children, and the black
haired, blaek-eyeds woman, who had been a
wife, in the eye of bhe law, but few hours.
True. she loved him all the same, and sat
moaning and rocking herself back and
| forth as though she would shake the bur-
den of grief from her shoulders. There
were children there was to- be aschool,
and we were expecting Miss Grey to teach
| it. Being in the position wewere, and oc-
cupying large place in the confidence OF
Nj. May, he had informed us thathis board
| bddMetermined to send Miss Grey. She
was Not personally known to US, nor had
we Ell " seen photograph OF the lady. But
it wasno trouble for us to fancy all she
must be, as we will create some form fo'
the person presented to our mind usually
Pretty women don't go to Sandy Clutches
to teach, especially young, manageable
ladies; their charms great foE Ehem
to think of hiding from an admifing world
entirely for the worlds sake. These facts
common sense dictated to our minds.
So we prepared-as we waited the COM
lI1g VI JilC illbll-lOl tnll3 oihiAi9
.gular female, with long, thin face, watery,
weak eyes, sharp nose, straddled with, per-
haps, gold spectacles, drab travelling dress.
| blue wooden stockings and list shoes
though we. scarcely expected a glimpse OF
| t1en--a bottle of cold tea in one hand and
a blue cotton umbrella in the other. We
waited, kicking our toes in the sand, and
thinking alternately of leader fol- the
Weekly and Miss Grey. he
We saw the mail whirling down the
grade, and thought with lively satisfac-
Etion of our position in the society of Sandy
Gulch, that gave us the privilege OF wei
coming Congressional aspirants, members
Of the Legislature, and that old school
dame.
AS the mail neared us we saw a brown
| hood with blue lining, and the sweetest
face 1T had ever been our fortune to looh
upon. The eye so clear and laughing, the
fair, shiny hair-not dead, but vivacious,
smiling hair-a sweet little mouth, whose
lips looked the very couch of love, her face
soft and round Ikea child's.
We were absolutely overcome ard inact-
i've. The crowd did not try to suppress
their joy nut gave a prolonged shout OF
! welcome, s'Ain't she sumner. thought
ssPrettyer than chunk Of pure gold!'
EssssDarned if ever seed anything so trim y
were some few of the compliments that
greeted her, while we stood~rooted to the
ground. Mr.. May had advanced hat in
hand, and offered her word of quiet well
come. We could say nothing. Some COM
monplace remark filled moment, and we
went to our office to write an article or
| popular Education and a flattering no
/ tices of her arrival. Then we began to
think we had been hasty in leaving SO
soon. This was probably the greatest ed
itorial error we ever made. We did not
| think how much effect kind word or quiet
act of attention would have, or we too
should have carried her bundles to MIS-.
SINNERS, where she was to board. But
we did not, and Mr.. May did.
| The Sumner passed.
And With it each day, to the little school
house up the Gulch, passed Miss Grey
The mountains were glorious in their va
ried lrles Of autumn. And Miss Grey was
equally lovely in her beauty.
| Why was it our heart beat more rapidly
and our tough cheeks glowed when she
came near? M
Why did we feelso backward about com
| ing forward and walking home with Miss
Grey, as she came each evening down the
little path, swinging her sun bonnet by the
strings?
He was not backward, but cool and self
possessed He met her and walked where
we SO much wanted to be-by her side.
We discovered that we disliked MI. May.
j He was growing absolutely odious to us.
We never saw him walking slowly up the
tsulch toward the school-house that we
/ did not have this feeling.
We came from our walk one evening in
the early spring, and saw Mr.. May placing
blossoms in her hair, and then-kiss her !!
Well, we sigh as we think OF it, there in
the wild West, so near where the sun set
on our love years ago.
People spoke of his goodness, and one
red-shirted admirer had sworn in our pres
ence that ''he'd die for that ere preacher.
You ought seed him, Mister; just ought
seed the way henursed my pardner when
he got cut up at Peters Bailie-him and
that school-mam a helpin' him." Aye, we
found we disliked him-because he liked
her.
We found that with perfect harmony of
soul these hearts had met and mingled.
We are alone. Rev. Milton May won
ssMiss Grey. Of Sandy Gulch.''
Mrs. Alice M. Summer, from whom her
then husband Senator Sumner. Obtained